Political, financial turmoil in Greece

But...but.....it's only for fun, innit?

What a bl**dy shower.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/dominique-strausskahn-pimping-trial-former-head-of-the-imf-expected-to-take-the-stand-10035324.html

I find him deeply offensive and to think he was head of the IMF with the possibility of being the French President.

It makes you wonder what the rest of them are getting up to behind closed doors, frankly.

Exactly, Bonny. I better shut up......

The lawyer in me wishes to point out that Strauss-Kahn is on trial, no verdict has yet been arrived at. He is unsavory, I agree, but he still deserves a fair and unprejudiced trial. LL

I don't actually think it matters whether he's guilty of the the charges or not, LL. It's the fact that he seems to think he is some sort of upstanding fellow for 'only' having four orgies a year - and no doubt he charged that to IMF expenses.

Now, I don't greatly care what he or the other sleazebags do in their private lives, but said sleazebags have spent the last few years lecturing the peasants about how evil they were for wanting frivolous things like jobs, a roof over their heads, doctors, three square meals a day, etc.

It's absolutely appalling, frankly - revolutions have been sparked over less.

It is a sign of the times that such things happen - like me you will remember that there was a time when morals were still something to cherish, but now the greed for money and fame has pushed what we aspired to far into the background. It's sad but a fact of life. LL

LL, it is quite heartbreaking when you get right down to it. Who would have thought that so many with such sleazy morals would be in such high places in society.

Console yourself with the thought that it's all happened before, Lily, and generally ends nastily, unfortunately. It would be good if Europe, at least, could make a start by throwing these scumbags out of their undeserved high offices without it involving heads on spikes.

Unfortunately, decadence like this just looks like the elite sticking two fingers up to all the people who have to work and pay taxes to bankroll their jollies; it looks even worse to those at the very bottom.

Would you like to have to explain to, say, a Greek mother, that awfully sorry, there's no money to pay for her child's medicine, but we're all in this together - the former head of the IMF had to cut his orgies back to four a year? No, me neither.

lily wrote:LL, it is quite heartbreaking when you get right down to it.  Who would have thought that so many with such sleazy morals would be in such high places in society.

People want luxury, money, posh holidays, fancy homes etc and they don't care how they go about getting them. They are encouraged to bet on horses, dogs and the like and enter reality quiz programs with the lure of ££££ and $$$$ so they can lead the life of riley. But money cannot buy you happiness so they go on and on striving to get more and more while actually destroying everyone that comes in contact with them. LL

Horses and dogs? That's old-fashioned, slow stuff, LL.

You should see UK TV these days - ad after ad for online gambling of every imaginable kind. Online casinos and poker, online one-armed bandits, bingo, the lot. Closely followed by ad after ad for dodgy loan companies charging 400% interest - if you're lucky, some of them are in four figures.

And remember, these companies are deliberately encouraging vulnerable people to get in a mess - they make token show of sticking the phone number for a gambling hotline in the corner.

It's horrendous to see, it's the economics and economy of the madhouse.

I am old-fashioned, bonny, I come from a different era, from a very different way of life. I have seen those ads for loans and the gambling - 'Blue Balls!' - but as I have no need of them they tend to pass me by. I have never wanted for anything, but I do understand the lure of being able to afford luxuries when you have had nothing. And as you say the vulnerable are indeed the target of these companies. It's out of control - 999% interest! LL

I know I am forever predicting doom and disaster, LL, but it's obvious to a blind man that there's BIG financial trouble coming. Now, the likes of us will weather the storm, but God help anyone with debts. It will be the Wall Street Crash all over again - one of the reasons so many ordinary people went under was that they were buying stocks ON CREDIT.

Stocks crash, they can't pay the debts, debt is called in by desperate banks, they lose everything.

And yes, it will happen again; every few generations, people forget the lessons learned at such cost by their predecessors.

It will come. The workhouses too....have seen those in the M.E.

I can't get my head round that one, there's so much involved, and so many zeros.

The DSK trial is deeply seedy and unpleasant. Does he actually expect a court to believe all those young women were letting him abuse them because they liked him? Why would they let the dirty old man anywhere near them if they weren't paid?

I hope they were very well paid, and not pimped out for a pittance.

The aptly named Tory Lord Fink (yes, that is his name) is fighting with Milliband in the most bizarre fashion:

http://news.sky.com/story/1425665/tory-peer-says-miliband-tax-claim-defamatory

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A Conservative Party treasurer has hit back at a suggestion by Labour leader Ed Miliband that he was involved in "tax avoidance activities".

During Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Miliband accused Lord Fink of seeking to avoid paying taxes by holding a Swiss bank account.

But the Tory peer has written a letter to the Labour chief, saying the claim was "untrue and defamatory".

He challenged Mr Miliband to repeat the allegation outside the Commons, where he would not be protected from legal action by parliamentary privilege, or withdraw it publicly.

It came as David Cameron was challenged to reveal whether he discussed tax evasion at HSBC with Lord Green, the bank's former boss who was subsequently appointed a Tory minister.

There were fierce clashes at PMQs amid revelations that wealthy donors to political parties were among those who legally held accounts with HSBC's private Swiss bank.

More at link, including this gem:

During this time I had need of a local bank account to do simple things like receive my Swiss franc salary and pay grocery bills," he said.

"As I already banked with HSBC in London, I set up an account with HSBC. I subsequently set up an account with Credit Suisse as they had a branch much closer to my home and office.

Well, don't we all need an account with Credit Suisse to pay for our shopping?

To be fair though, if you are working overseas you need a local bank as it is a royal pain to do banking from your home country more often than not.

Am not qualified to say anything else.....

Thing is,

I am Lord Fink, and perfectly entitled to open an account with Credit Suisse to do my shopping

Is guaranteed to raise eyebrows.

It does sound a bit well, pretentious.

Remember all those dead bankers last year? Well, a few more have 'committed suicide' since last year, and now there's this:

http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/six-people-died-in-a-fiery-ny-train-crash-packed-with-400-people-3-were-top-investment-bankers_02132015

Six People Died in a Fiery NY Train Crash Packed with 400 People… 3 Were Top Investment Bankers

Bizarre.

Must have been a dreadful case of bad luck?

Bankers seem to be extraordinarily unlucky just now, Lily. And no, I have NO idea why.

Nor me. I wonder if the truth will ever emerge about that.