Best Of

Two quick thoughts:

1. Reply to a comment way back in the thread that “the UK was swimming in sub-prime” before 2007 and blaming US lending for the crisis is wrong: not the case. The trigger for the crisis was entirely US sub-prime. The UK problem was that our banks had invested heavily in US sub prime CDFs. Take Northern Rock: it had very little of its own sub prime lending. It was bright down by its other balance sheet weaknesses.

2. In good news reminiscent of this week’s ESW/English Fizz triumph, I noted 2 separate foreign colleagues using the term “starter for 10” in a work context. This on top of regular use of “close of play”. The British fightback against US corporate jargon continues!

University Challenge was an American format. You might need to check if it still runs. College Bowl maybe?

Any interest in the Irish Presidential election?
Nominations close on September 24th. Polling day is Friday 24th October.

The latest opinion poll (5th September) had the three candidates nominated so far almost tied for first preferences.

Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) 21%
Jim Gavin (Fianna Fail) 20%
Catherine Connolly (Independent, ex-Labour, nominated by the small Left parties) 20%
Don't Know 39%

The AV system used would mean that it is almost more important who is third, rather than first, when deciding the outcome of such a vote.

Sinn Fein haven't decided whether, or who, to run as a candidate yet.

Maria Steen, an independent who is a prominent Conservative activist who is well known for being on the losing side in the gay marriage and abortion referendums, but on the winning side for the latest referendum (on care and the woman's place in the home), still has a chance of being nominated. She currently has 10 of the required 20 TDs/Senators.

There are other people who have declared a candidacy, who are trying to gain the support of 4 local authorities to be nominated. With FF and FG both running candidates, it currently looks unlikely that anyone will be nominated by this route - but I don't know enough about the individuals concerned to know if they might have particular local links in an area that could help them.

What about UFC (you decide for what this acronym stands for) legend Connor McGregor? Has he recused himself for reasons of being an arsehole?

It stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship. No one needs to decide what it stands for. That is what it stands for.

I'd have a bit more time for Mandelson if he said something like this:

"I knew Jeffrey for x years. We were friends, and I enjoyed his company. I never saw any sign or indication of abuse, and during the trial I felt like a good friend was being subjected to a witch-hunt. After conviction, I stood by him. This was a mistake, and over time I have heard the compelling stories of the many victims, and realise that I, like many others, were taken for a fool."

Yes, that would work. There are plenty of politicians going around saying Lucy Letby is innocent, so believing a convicted crim is the victim of a miscarriage of justice is hardly outlandish. Sir Keir and Mandy should have gone with something like that. Did Sir Keir simply panic?

I'd have a bit more time for Mandelson if he said something like this:

"I knew Jeffrey for x years. We were friends, and I enjoyed his company. I never saw any sign or indication of abuse, and during the trial I felt like a good friend was being subjected to a witch-hunt. After conviction, I stood by him. This was a mistake, and over time I have heard the compelling stories of the many victims, and realise that I, like many others, were taken for a fool."

Yes, that would work. There are plenty of politicians going around saying Lucy Letby is innocent, so believing a convicted crim is the victim of a miscarriage of justice is hardly outlandish. Sir Keir and Mandy should have gone with something like that. Did Sir Keir simply panic?

It also plays the "I was sticking up for a friend" line, which i think many people can sympathise with. How would I react if a good friend was accused of crimes that I didn't believe he or she did? Would I abandon them, or support them?

Epstein pleaded guilty. He did a plea bargain with the US authorities and the criticism at the time and later was that he had got off lightly and been given a lighter sentence than others would have.

Isn't it more likely that all these friends of Epstein simply didn't think that what he did was wrong, that the girls were willing participants or tarts and therefore simply not worth worrying about?

This after all was exactly the views that many had about the girls abused by the grooming gangs in Britain. Just because Epstein and Co were rich and the abuse took place on a nice island or in lovely houses doesn't take away from the fact that the abusive men probably had the same dismissive attitude to the girls they used.

There is certainly that possibility; indeed, it is perhaps more likely than my text.

But look at the way Lucy Connolly pled guilty, but is still seen by many as being a heroine. As I said in my post above, how far would you go to stick up for a good friend? People lie to themselves all the time, and "He can't possibly be guilty, as there's no way I could have been friends with someone like that without realising."

I do think the little paragraph I gave would have placed Mandelson in a better position than he now finds himself in.

I don't think it's credible to say that you had no idea what was happening if you've contributed to that birthday book and seen some of the other contributions.
Anyone else listen to Emma Barnett interviewing the Labour minister about Mandelson (Today on Wednesday?) and wonder at the irony? You'd think she'd have more empathy with Mandelson's story that he didn't realize Epstein was involved in sex trafficking.