West London Man talks ‘Stagflation’…
West London Man was at his desk in the City at 6.30 am the other morning. Stagflation was not a happy headline in The Independent. He calls a friend… and has to leave a message.
“Hey… The Indie is going with The Stagflation story… yeah… stagnant output…high inflation not seen for decades … set to haunt policy makers for months if not years to come… a bit about house prices… Bank of England stuff from King will hit the media this pm…. yeah…. it’ll be something like this… “Our central projection is for a sharp slowdown of growth and it is quite possible that we may get a quarter or two of negative growth. Recession is not our central projection although clearly further shocks could push us in this direction.”
George puts the iPhone on the desk and searches for Chelsea Flower Show website on his laptop. George needs to replace part of his garden. It was not one of his better ideas, after the barbecue at the weekend, to put the ashes on the compost heap before he went to bed. Still… it could have been worse. Thank god for that new pond… George mused… but for that water source and all the gravel in the small japanese garden area… the problem could have been a big problem. Pity about the two Koi carp… still… George thought, with a smile… they’ll be fine in the freezer until the next barbecue.
***
7.00 am: Mrs West London Man, Caroline, was in the kitchen. Katja, the housekeeper / nanny, was organising breakfast for Jocasta (4) and Peregrine (2). Caroline had not yet got used to the idea of her blue eyed two year old being called Peregrine after a former Editor of The Telegraph – but George had been insistent. Caroline called him Perry. George insisted on using Peregrine.
“Everything OK with you, Katja?” Caroline asked, noticing that Katja seemed to be very pre-occupied and not her usual self.
“Yes. Good. I make call to Poland last night. My mother, she is not good. My mother.. she is not well and may need operation.”
“Oh … I’m sorry to hear that… nothing too serious, I hope?”
“Yes… serious… but we have many good doctors in Poland.. and dentists… some work over here at weekends… they fly to Britain to do work English doctors do not want to do when people are sick at weekend. You have curious country where people are sick at weekend, but doctors only work during week. I speak to my mother again tomorrow when I hear from bank….sorry.. my English… I mean …when she receives informations from Bank.”
“Bank?” Caroline asked. “Will your mother have to pay for treatment?”
“Yes… it is possible to get good treatment free… but… I can help her to get quick treatment.”
Caroline felt mildly panic stricken. The thought that Katja would have to go to Poland to visit her sick mother for a while and leave her having to fend for herself did not appeal one bit… especially with the flower show, school holidays, Wimbledon, Glyndebourne, Ascot and Henley coming up. Mrs West London Man decided to say nothing for the moment.
***
Previous editions of West London Man: Here
Coming up…. Saturday 17th May: West London goes to Lords.
Your West London Man should be talking about deflation.
Anyway, do me a favour Charon, ask any of your public law pals how they’d tackle the question below, please.
“… we have a precedent for someone setting up a parallel police force for their own ends. How would we determine whether or not SOCA was such an organisation? What mechanisms are in place to determine whether or not this is the case; what questions would need to be asked; who would need to ask them; who has the power to ask them? I suppose it’s a public law question.“
Yes… just when did becoming sick become a 9 to 5, Mondays to Fridays thing?? I must have missed that law when it was passed!
Not sure if the koi will make good barbeque fodder, mind… all those bones which may just end up choking the guests, who then may just end up suing WLM and Mrs WLM… especially since they won’t be able to visit the doctors until Monday morning, and will be unnecessarily traumatised due to lack of medical care!!
And poor Caro… she is going to be rather stuck if Katja tootles back to Poland, isn’t she? All those hats and dresses, and no place to wear them to!
It is possible to take children to the Chelsea Flower Show. I know this: I did it on a couple of occasions in a previous life. It turns it into a quite different experience though!
And clearly George does need to go this year. Where else could such a fine, upstanding man be expected to replace his garden necessities. I’m glad that, even as our economy crumbles around us, he has his sense of priorities right 🙂
Anon: I do my best – but, this night, I have been carousing in Chelsea and, later, at Nam Long in Fulham. It was not my idea – but, nevertheless, a welcome diversion. i regret, at this time, that I am not able to answer your questions and my professorial mates who do handle public law would not, I suspect, be that pleased to have me calling them at this time of night.
If I don’t come back to you on this issue … think only this of me, that in some far corner of a foreign field, lies Charon nursing a mild hangover.
Hlega Hansen: Always best to be illout of office hours if one is self employed. I am fairly certain that Caroline will be traumatised…by Katja’s return to Poland.
George, however, knows a mate in one of those online law farms who will be able to handle her post-traumatic disorder claim against the Polish government – a claim for inducing a breach of contract by encouraging their nationals to return to Poland. I am, however, not confident of a successful outcome.
Ro: I am pretty sure that I have not had any children – so I am grateful for your observations on this matter. What I can say, however, is that West London Man will not be in his ‘comfort zone’ at the Chelsea Flower Show.
“… in some far corner of a foreign field, lies Charon nursing a mild hangover.” As he does so, the forces of darkness gather strength and become stronger. I pray thee Charon, rise up with book in arm and show us the weapons with which we can vanguish these foes.
and here’s a link on inflation for your west london man.
The Fuhrer had a sort of parallel police system but I don’t know much about SOCA except that it’s been in the news this week. Lots of disaffection, I gather —disgraceful. take dissidents out and shoot them in the back of the head — West Midlands Police probably have the right idea — see the unfortunate Mr Treadaway. One thing to do with a used plastic bag. Waterboarding next. 101 things to do with a pair of pliers and a blowtorch. We have was of making you squawk.
Found the unfortunate Mr Treadaway, “Lord Justice Rose said that Dame Barbara Mills, the DPP, had made a “flawed” decision not to prosecute four former members of West Midlands Serious Crimes Squad who allegedly suffocated a male suspect with a plastic bag in order to gain a confession.”
And there was I, worrying and whining about the CPS/DPP (whichever) seeming to think that the Theft Act 1968 had been repealed or some such. This upon hearing the news that some tv company types had been stealing 10p and 25p increments on a massive scale from children; that they were caught redhanded; and that the prosecutors had decided to accept a trivial percentage of the company’s profits as, err, a bribe/fine depending upon your point of view. The prosecutors aren’t that good on theft though; when they aren’t thinking that its been repealed they think it only applies to common people (notice on Dr Who, how the unicorn was, well, common). You know; the theft in Hinks; a careworker (how lower class) dishonestly receiving a gifts (£60k and a tv) was prosecuted but as for others who fit the same ratio; MP’s sons taking money for researching (wasn’t that a gift) and then the gifts of cash to political parties.
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