Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

Seymour Clearly.

There is always one clever d**k around. But seriously, thanks.
Another question.... Who looks the most intelligent, GB or OH.
OH can find his tie, GB fumbled for his and missed.

I'm pleased to read Jade Goody has managed to secure 700,000 from 'OK Magazine' for an exclusive on her wedding. I'm also pleased to read Max Clifford is keeping his watchful eye on her. On this client, he does deserve a good fee, too. Although, I reckon he might easily forget to stick it in the post

Jade, who is a certainly a 'product of our times', has only just a few months, if not just weeks, left to live and this 'OK' deal money will go into a trust fund for her kids. And, damn it, for once and just for the sheer hell of it, I'm going to buy an OK Magazine in support of her and them. And I'm not going to give too much thought about doing it either.

Jade came from an utterly terrible background and had utterly terrible parents. As a result she has lots and lots of faults. However, I have seen in her not just a young woman who is a bit daft and a bit 'thick' but someone who can also be so happy, so open, so cheerful and positive, despite all her difficulties. I am not going to judge her at all and I'm just totally and absolutely going to forgive her for all of them.

When someone is left with only a very short time left to live the rest of their life and actually knows about it and has to deal with it and has some young kids to think about and look after too, well, it kind of crystallises the mind about what is important in life and what is not.

I hope she has a fantastic day and when I see her walk up the aisle in her wedding dress, I might just be touched enough to shed a tear for her too.

Yes, I feel sorry for her too....poor girl.....at least the money could go to her family !.

Maybe you should be saying, "the money WILL ONLY be going to her family kids".

That's the whole point of her going for the 'magazine deal marriage ceremony and all the trimmings". It earns 700,000 for her kids and provides for a better future for them than the one she had when she was a kid.

Hmmm? Can someone please lend me 99,000?

The powers that be are continually telling us that all is not doom and gloom. I like to think of myself as a realist with a very strong optimistic side (if the 2 statements can equate) but I readily admit to being very worried about the future of this country.
Corporal Jones in Dad's Army was continually telling everyone not to panic. Perhaps the time to panic is upon us.

Hmmm? Better make that 175,000

The time to panic is certainly upon us.

We give shelter and food to a guy who wants to blow up the non muslim world, starting with us, then when we do see sense and kick the bugger out, we give him two and a half grand for the inconvenience.

Am I the only one who thinks this is an act of sheer, outright stupidity.

I would have given him 2500 lbs. Not sterling (which is worthless anyway), but semtex and a very, very short fuse.

European court of Human rights--- blame Europe again!! Jackie Smith is terribly disappointed--yeah right! When are we going to take back our own decisions--we're all doomed I say. No wonder the market has sunk below 4000 today.

Hezza's dig at Jacqui Smith on question time was priceless.

Alan,

I think most people agree with you. The problem is those liberalite, lefty lot that speak for the minority are those that our establishment take most note of.
When this country enters a period of total public disorder (which it will) those same people with only have themselves to blame.
Note... Why waste money on semtex, just give me a gun, total anonyimity against any action of prosecution, and I would shoot such people myself.

No you wouldn't Greek, 'cos I would have got there first!! :o)

Yes, but it's always nice to make sure.

.

"Her estate will be in her fiancJack Tweed's name for seven years to avoid inheritance tax before it passes to her children." That's whatever is left!

Jade Goody reading the Bible in her last weeks

Kayak

Not quite as bad as you are saying:

"Asked by one Sky reader who would get custody of the two lads, Max Clifford replied: "She is assembling a memory box for her boys. There is a team of trustees - three very close friends - who will be overseeing the interest of her boys in the years ahead."

Jade's estate will be in her fiancJack Tweed's name for seven years to avoid inheritance tax before it passes to her children.

(Obviously, there is something like a Deed of Arrangement linked to the terms of the Trust)

At the end of the day if the trust or the will specify that Jack is the beneficiary then he can spend it all, trustees or no trustees. He has to be full beneficiary with no strings attached, otherwise it is a gift with reservation and the taxman steps in. And Jack is hardly the responsible chap. Of course the article is rather vague so we may be getting the wrong end of the stick.

Originally I thought that the whole marriage thing was just Jack making sure he got hold of her estate, now it appears that it is also to do with not paying IHT!

You couldn't make it up.

Is it any wonder that the financial watchdog (FSA) took their eye of the ball re leading up to the proverbial mess we find ourselves in.
Reported in The Daily Telegraph, it appears the FSA have broken their own rules.
On Feb 11th last the FSA invited a select group of analysts to a briefing on the regulators new policy on solvency, resulting in these not invited complaining that under their own (FSA) rules such selective briefing are illegal.
Also no minutes were taken at the meeting.
They issued a statement stating that 'We did not turn anyone away anyone who wanted to come'
Obviously some did not know about the meeting as they were not informed (selective)
One analyst said that if a bank had held such a selective meeting they would be "hauled over the coals".
Another said "Someone should report them to the FSA".
No doubt if they did the FSA would conduct an in depth enquiry resulting in them censuring themselves. The FSA big wigs would then no doubt give themselves a great big bonus (another one) for the failure in process.
If bonuses are granted pro rata of failure, the FSA and the Financial Services (bosses) as a whole would if not already all be millionaires by now.
Of course rewards for failure compared to the Governments own track record (again pro rata) make those financial institutions bonuses look small change.

Greek,
I can tell you a few from my dealings with the FSA civil servants from hell.
You wouldn't believe most, but heres one you might.
In 2004, I contacted them regarding some marketing I wished my company to use.
Their ever helpful department for consumer statements (or some such gibberish) told me it was not up to them to approve marketing or otherwise and that I should satisfy myself that it was within the principles.
When I asked them what their job was, given that they pursued misleading marketing material and fined firms, their answer was that it was their job to do this if there was an upheld complaint against the marketing.
Would it not be easier, said I, to have a quick peek at the material and tell me whether it was okay. After all, it would only take 5 minutes and could save thousands of people being misled and thousands of man hours in prosecuting my company.
No, said they. Do your marketing and we will look at it when it comes to our attention via the investigative team.
Makes sense to the people who allowed banks to trade long after they were insolvent.