Thursday 4 February 2021

Capitalist Conspiracy? - there's a smell in the air

Ordinarily we may be derisively dismissive of the Capitalist Conspiracies of fevered bedsit lefty imaginations.  Obviously there are some active business folks who would qualify as capitalists (by virtue of their day jobs) who self-interestedly conspire on this and that, of greater or lesser legality or moral rectitude.  People have been actively working to obtain monopolies since time immemorial, and the law has something to say on the subject.  But since *capitalism* isn't a political movement^^ it doesn't really admit of conspiracies in the way that, say, Trotskyites or revolutionary marxists dream of.

That said, there are some pretty distasteful politico-financial pitches circulating just now.  Most of you will have seen the grinning face of Nigel Farage (not least on the ads that blogger inserts on our pages, and ubiquitously on Guido).  His promotion is at once blatantly political and blatantly self-interested.  He wants us all to get rich by cashing in on Brexit, via a little scheme he has in mind ...

I can't see Nigel enhancing his rep much in this way, not withstanding its anti-establishment tone: and it kinda suggests he doesn't plan on making a serious run at the 2024 GE.      

But all that's pretty tame and domestic (and above-board in regulatory terms), compared to certain ghastly current US scams which I have no intention of linking to on this site, but which pitch mercilessly to the rabid tendency in US "politics", making it virtually their patriotic duty to hand over all their wordly wealth to, errrr, a little scheme ...  The promoters have presumably already identified their heavily fortified bunker-on-the-Brazilian-beach for the inevitable day when it all goes tits-up, and some extremely angry owners of patriotic firearms come looking for a righteous refund.  

Bernie Madoff, when all said and done, only plundered the gentry, who were satisfied to let the law run its course.  He probably doesn't fancy reprising his ponzi schemes to fellow inmates of the federal pen ...

ND

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^^ I haven't forgotten that we haven't followed up yet on this post from the end of last year: http://www.cityunslicker.co.uk/2020/12/define-capitalism-holiday-homework-for.html 

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Aren't most of the Gamestop (or whatever) holders prepared to lose their money to crush a few hedgies for sport?

Anyone in it for the money must either be very foolish or very cynical (and with good timing). Once the shorts have been squeezed until the pips squeak I see no reason to hodl.

Anonymous said...

I have noticed that every politico or political journalist seems to have a book to hawk.

Every interview, ' ...as you'll read in my up coming book ... '

dearieme said...

"I see no reason to hodl"

Quite right. Yodel perhaps but hodl never.

Anomalous Cowshed said...

Anon #1;

That seems to be the story floating about - but since it's so prevalent, it smells of justification after the fact.

There's something odd here.

djm said...

Madeoff.. there's a name to conjure with.

Just about the only conman within the financial industry to do time following 2008

And all because he stole from his own tribe.

Had he stuck to conning goyim, he'd still be in business.

Anonymous said...

Given the number of times that he's failed in the Westminster system, perhaps he is happy to take the EU pension and spend more time with his cash (and anyone else's who offers it)

He's always come over as a bit of a spiv so his current pitch is more in keeping with how others might see him.

As an aside, interesting comments from Barclays CEO today. Makes a good case for London going forward and how irrelevant the EU is to the UK now.

jim said...

But but but, Nigel is a hero. Singlehandedly he pushed Brexit along and forced wimpy Cameron into the referendum. A knighthood surely. A bit rough to slag him off now as a spiv and chancer, what does that say about the rest of his tribe? Won't hear a word said....

Anyway, there is plenty of accumulated loot for Nigel and friends to snack on. As the Covid/Brexit aftermath unfolds the sunny uplands (see J Redwood's site) will probably look a bit thin. Negative interest rates should shake loose some of those oldie crocks of gold. A nice glossy scheme fronted by a rebel and lovable rogue and backed by some hard faced b$%tards should do well. By 2022 there will not be much else to laugh at. Fill your boots.

Meanwhile tuck in to the great British shellfish boom. Mussels and Spam, Spam and cockles, Lobsters and Spam - I think you know the story. Coming to a supermarket near you.

Nick Drew said...

there is plenty of accumulated loot for Nigel and friends to snack on. As the Covid/Brexit aftermath unfolds the sunny uplands (see J Redwood's site) will probably look a bit thin. Negative interest rates should shake loose some of those oldie crocks of gold. A nice glossy scheme fronted by a rebel and lovable rogue and backed by some hard faced b$%tards should do well

you cynic, Jim!

lilith said...

Meanwhile, this Parish Council meeting reflects the state of National politics....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgGmYeAm0jk&ab_channel=StevenMorgan

Don Cox said...

I think meetings of the village elders were the same in the year 1021 as they are in 2021.

Don Cox

Nick Drew said...

That Parish Council meeting is an outright gem, Lil

Puts into stark perspective Labour's barking-mad plan to have the entire power & gas industry owned and run at the level of local authorities, parish councils and "Local Energy Communities of 100-200 households" (sic)

http://www.cityunslicker.co.uk/2019/06/labours-energy-nationalisation-plans.html

Anonymous said...

"Given the number of times that he's failed in the Westminster system"

But as Cherie Blair so perceptively pointed out (she said she went into law to produce political change, thus proving a million Daily Mail readers right about the unelected branch of the ruling elite), there's a lot more to politics than Westminster.

Enoch said that all political careers end in failure, not sure you can say that about Farage. His is a remarkable achievement, despite being helped along pre-Referendum by Tony Blair's open borders, various jihadist atrocities, and Mrs Merkel's Million Male Muslim Migrants, and post-Referendum by the coincidence that the Labour Party was led by someone who an influential and well heeled constituency considered a worse fate than Brexit.