Banks

Stuart Wilde - London

The word ‘bank’ used to evoke a sense of solidity, now it makes me rather squeamish. I can feel my knees trembling slightly.

The Irish government guarantees deposits in Irish banks but only for the next two years.

Rumors say Barclays Bank, one of the U.K.’s largest, is just about to go belly-uppity. Eek!

Bronze Bank Sign

I used to have an account at Barclays Bank but they lost my account about ten years ago, it disappeared from the computer screen like a camera-shy UFO hiding behind clouds.

I/me/we/Barclays never found it ever again. Bloody weird!

The Chairman of Barclays Bank is a lad called Marcus Agius. Now, when I was a kid I was very good at field hockey. I even got a trial for the English national U-21 team. I was not quite good enough for an English cap but at least I was in the trial.

One day, playing for the under fourteens team at school, I was clear on the right and headed for the goal when Mr. Agius, the now chairman of Barclays Bank, stuck out his hockey stick and tripped me from behind! We got a free hit but it wasn’t really fair as I was as good as ‘in like Flynn’.

I was good friends with Marcus, we both played tennis at school but I have two complaints against him (1) I want my lost bank account back and (2)I’d like to be awarded a free goal—all be it forty-eight years later—thank you very muchly.

Meanwhile, if you bank at Barclays my suggestion is that you don’t, and that you head as fast as ya chubby legs will carry you, to the AIB bank in Dublin or Credit Swiss in Zurich.

This ice cream appears on the Barclays web site www.barclays.co.uk
I find it rather ominous as the ice cream is melting that should tell ya something. There are signs from God everywhere, so they say.

People say the British government is going to nationalize Barclays. They nationalized the Royal Bank of Scotland but it didn’t seem to help the shares very much at all. The RBOS shares are at 20p today up from 17.5p yesterday but down from £4.00 in March last year (minus 95%).

They say you can have the whole of Scotland for twenty quid. Nice!

Part of a twenty quid noteI like Scotland. I have a great love for its people and the Highlands. (SW)

Stag at a Loch

Comments

[Ida]

Dear Stuart,

I have finished reading "Grace, Gaia, and the End of Days." This book has taken me so much further than I've ever gone - further than any of your other books. There were times in reading it that I felt incredibly sad for humanity and for my children and other times when I was almost afraid to pick the book up again. While reading I felt myself deciding to change. I'm done with eating animals, I'm turning toward Grace and Gaia with gratitude and a sense of urgency, I've begun to pray. No book has impacted me like this. You are courageous to have written this. Thank you is not sufficient. May everything you experience be filled with grace. And thank you to those who are helping you.

Ida