Simon English: That personal touch as the paranoia escalates

Simon English

Thursday 23 February 2012

Print
A A A
Latest in Business Comment
Anthony Hilton: Facebook flop is really no great surprise. Remember the dot.com debacle?
Anthony Hilton: A financial transactions tax may not be so bad
Anthony Hilton: Sorry, but shareholders just don’t have the power
Stephen Foley: The nun, the merchant banker and a question of corporate ethics
Stephen Foley: How much should a start-up’s founder cash in?
Simon English: Ailing Thomas Cook goes green as it decides not to play the Long game
Simon English: Safety-first Allianz is hardly earning its money
Simon English: Are shoots of recovery rooted in £5 pint of lager?
James Moore: Splash out on United Utilities and you'll be singing in the rain
Simon English: Let's not get too misty-eyed, but Nationwide is a national treasure
News in pictures
News in pictures
On Facebook

Outlook The banker is on his mobile. Not the work mobile. The other mobile. The one he periodically chucks into the River Thames and replaces. Paranoia is thick.

"Is this call being recorded?" he asks. Not by me it isn't. "All right, come and meet me later. The usual. And don't email me any more. The FSA could already come and seize my computer. I don't want to have to explain why I'm gossiping with you. And the News International thing is giving me the creeps. You lot are in more trouble than we are."

A superb bottle of Chablis followed (he paid) but it can't be a good development if hacks and City folk can only ever communicate in person. Some of us have homes to go to. This guy's got three as it happens. But he works jolly hard so you mustn't be jealous.

s.english@independent.co.uk

Comments

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
SPONSORED FEATURES

Experience the Heineken Hub

Get free wi-fi and exclusive i content while you enjoy a tasty pint of Heineken at participating pubs.

Teaching jobs Networking 2012 Prizes & offers
Business videos

Can you imagine a career in teaching?

Be inspired to teach - let real teachers show you how rewarding the job can be.

Heineken Hub Networking 2012 Prizes & offers
Business videos

Playing a game-changing role during the Games

Cisco is providing the solutions for London 2012's complex IT needs.

Heineken Hub Teaching jobs Prizes & offers
Business videos

Enter the latest Independent competitions

Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.

Heineken Hub Teaching jobs Networking 2012
Business videos

Business videos from commercial thought leaders

Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.

Heineken Hub Teaching jobs Networking 2012
Prizes & offers
Career Services

Day In a Page

Child of the revolution: the Burmese family that democracy brought back together

Home of the free

The Burmese family that democracy brought back together
Cannes review: Canine accolade and Hitler's return are high spots amid the gloom

Cannes review

Frocks, canine accolade and Hitler's return
Robert Fisk: The going price of getting away with murder... would $33m be enough?

The going price of getting away with murder

Robert Fisk: The long view
Principled Skinner rises above the fray

Principled Skinner rises above the fray

Andy McSmith meets Dennis Skinner
Patrick Cockburn: I fear this terrible massacre will be the beginning of a long civil war in Syria

Patrick Cockburn

I fear this terrible massacre will be the beginning of a long civil war in Syria
Hardeep Singh Kohli: For me, it is all about 'Gregory's Girl', a record of first love

Hardeep Singh Kohli

For me, it is all about 'Gregory's Girl', a record of first love
Christian Louboutin: 'I don't think comfort equals happiness'

Christian Louboutin interview

'I don't think comfort equals happiness'
Happy birthday, Hotel Babylon!

Happy birthday, Hotel Babylon!

Hollywood's home to the A-list celebrates 100 years of discreet luxury
Rupert Cornwell: Low-rise capital could finally reach for the sky

Rupert Cornwell: Out of America

Low-rise capital could finally reach for the sky
The secret life of the red carpet

The secret life of the red carpet

As Cannes reaches its climax with the Palme d'Or and the celebrities gather in London for the Baftas tonight, Kate Youde and Jack Dean investigate the real star of the show
It's not easy being Professor Green: The rapper, the heiress and a drama made in Chelsea...

It's not easy being Professor Green

The rapper, the heiress and a drama made in Chelsea...
Hardcore, hard-wired: How the prevalence of porn is changing our everyday lives

How porn is changing our lives

It's everywhere - from pop videos to fashion magazines to the theatrical stage.
River Phoenix: the final reel

River Phoenix: the final reel

Twenty years after the actor's death, his last film is to be released
Facebook: The shares shenanigans

Facebook: The shares shenanigans

Investors are crying foul over the huge losses they incurred when the social network site floated on the stock market last week
Up and away – how '7 Up' went global

Up and away – how '7 Up' went global

As the last episode of Britain's '56 Up' airs, the first episode of '28 Up', from the former USSR, starts. Then there's the US, Japan, Germany...