Is Lord Stevenson of Coddenham due to retire ? Expire ? Will Applegarth be asked to give MP's a lesson in offloading NR shares at market top ?

At his modest grilling and ritualistic half strangled apology for an apology on Wednesday by the doozies on HOC Treasury Committee the evidently flailing , and failing Lord Stevenson of Coddenham, 64 ("very close" friend of Lord Mandlebum although mybe body fluids remain unexchanged)ws asked about HBOS's response to accusations that it wasn't taking risk seriously, Lord Stevenson replied:

'Carefully arranged risk management systems, developed over the years with our regulator, did not spot scenarios coming up that have come up.'

(Now exposed by the sacked and legally gagged Risk Manager s having been resented, resisted and even ignored by Directors)

Well perhaps we could ask them to have a friendly fireside chat with Adam "Shagger" Applegarth (I cheat on my wife so fuck the shareholders who stupidly put their trust in ME)

Old Adam knew a thing or two in late 2006 .. and acted accordingly ... for his personal benefit

Adam Applegarth sold shares in Northern Rock in 2006 - he sold 111,426 shares for £1.06m. In January 2007. He sold his remaining 135,963 shares for £1.62m at near their peak price of £11.98 EACH . By August they were worthless. His 2007 payments from NR as an employee were £1.3m : half as a basic salary and half in bonuses.

At the time the Bank was expanding domestic residential mortgages, buy to let , and increased the interim dividend by 33%. (Which was never paid as they were insolvent)

Applegrth was also shagging his mistress from the Buy to Let department of NR (she also had £1 Mn of residential domestic mortgages to juggle with and drw a handsome rent on flash Newcastle Quayside properties)

An Apology to Lord Stevenson (Daily Mail ) Article 24th October 2007

"Captain of industry reveals how he suffers from clinical depression but carries on working 24th October 2007 This is how the story about how the man at head of HBOS, with no bnking qualifications exposed his problems ....(getting his defence in early ?...unfit to plead yer 'onnor)

One of Britain's captains of industry has spoken for the first time of his 'hellish' battle with clinical depression....

He continued to work throughout the illness, succeeding at his job but deriving no pleasure from it...

He has been free of depression for five years (Ed. since 2003 - see today's news re Gordon Brown at HOC - FSA warned HBOS in 2002 it was taking too many risks - remember Howard Davies resigned after 1 yer at FSA Dec 2002 see footnote)) and controls further attacks through a combination of anti-depressants and cognitive behavioural therapy.

Let us sincerely pray for the return to perfect health of Lord Stevenson of Coddenham and that he has no need to unexpectedly resign / retire / suicide / be murdered / run over / have an accident with a shotgun / fall off cliff / go for lonely country walk

Ditto His Ex CEO Sir James Crosby

See also Sunday, August 10, 2008 - Northern Wreck's criminal CEO's pay to let you run your fingers through my hair old baldy shag bag's £1 Mn property empire and lucky young son's luck

FOOTNOTE BBC report on Sir Howard Davies resignation 12/12/02 the late lamented Consumers Association (and heavy smoker) Ms Shiela McKechnie told BBC News Online that someone be appointed that would protect the consumer first and foremost.

"The FSA needs someone from the outside to clean up the financial services industry, consumers are leaving in droves and confidence is at a low ebb."

"It's an earthquake," said Redmayne Bentley Stockbrokers director Richard Grossman. "Davies has been a voice of reason and proportionality in circumstances that haven't always been easy," said James Perry, a partner at law firm Ashurst Morris.

Sheila McKechnie, told BBC News Online in the immediate aftermath of the announcement.

"It is not a good time to change the person at the top. Sir Howard had the right attitude I see his resignation as a failure of the FSA not the individual."

Obama's trumpet sounds an uncertain note - bringing down the walls .. or putting them up ?

The Victory Column in Berlin commemorates the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian war, the defeat of Austria in the Austro-Prussian War (1866) and France in the Franco-Prussian War (1870/1871), in what came to be called the Unification Wars. Hilter had it moved (and thereby saved it from Allied bombing) as part of his grand plan for Berlin.

As an Ambassador for Erutz USA , Obama must have felt at home with this as his podium and a backdrop ... however his admonition reported by AP was best kept for Berliners, more used to tearing walls down, rather than building them ...."The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes, natives and immigrants, Christians and Muslims and Jews cannot stand." he said. Brave words. Braver than those of his tawdry, craven warm up act in Jerusalem , by Zionist lickspittle Gordon Brown. see - Stop the Wall Latest News

For those who think Obama wants to shrink the US military footprint, read Renewing American Leadership by Barack Obama -From Foreign Affairs, July/August 2007 ournal of Foreign relations , especially the section "Revitalising the Military" ...

"We should expand our ground forces by adding 65,000 soldiers to the army and 27,000 marines. Bolstering these forces is about more than meeting quotas. We must recruit the very best and invest in their capacity to succeed. That means providing our servicemen and servicewomen with first-rate equipment, armor, incentives, and training -- including in foreign languages and other critical skills. Each major defense program should be reevaluated in light of current needs, gaps in the field, and likely future threat scenarios. Our military will have to rebuild some capabilities and transform others. At the same time, we need to commit sufficient funding to enable the National Guard to regain a state of readiness."

No doubt when he appeared in front of 100,000 Berliners , after having bent Angela Merkel's ear about sending some more NATO troops off to a certain death in Afghanistan he must have felt his trip worthwhile.

Unfortunately the citizens of Europe don't vote and the most concern US TV viewers have had this last week, has been the fate of Greg Norman in the British Open.

Meanwhile McCain called into a German restaurant , waiting for his moment.

UPDATE Friday : 'Siegessäule', victory column, where Obama appeared is also the name of the premier gay magazine in Berlin. The mayor of Berlin, Wowereit, is openly gay.

General Jackson gets the thumbs up finger

General should have acted on his concerns before he retiredLetter Daily Telegraph Dec 8th 2006

Sir - I am a Major in the Army who has served in Bosnia and more recently as a military assistant to the General Officer Commanding in Basra. General Sir Mike Jackson's comments in the Dimbleby lecture and his interview on Today left me seething (report, December 7).

If Sir Mike felt so strongly about the topics of over-stretch, equipment, accommodation and pay, why did he not do something about it when he was in a position to do so? If he thought that Afghanistan was going to be bloodier than it has turned out to be, why did he not restructure the fighting force at the time? Why did he not just say "No" when faced with more deployments and the subsequent overstretch?

His comments are an insult to those who have lost their lives in Afghanistan, a conflict he could have affected, but did not have the moral courage to do so. A poor performance for the top general. If he was in the commercial world, he would not have been entertained for so long. I, like many of my fellow officers and soldiers, have decided to vote with my feet and have sadly resigned my commission after 10 years' service as I cannot see a turning point for the Army.

Name and address supplied