Column Eight: Beastly tidings for Buxton

City commuters settled into their seats on the Liverpool Street flyer the other day and began to be beastly about Barclays. Bounced cheques on tiny overdrafts, poor terms of trade for businesses at the bank and other gripes reverberated around the carriage. But one man remained silent.

After the complainants had arrived at their station, he broke his silence: 'They didn't seem too happy,' he said, glumly, to another traveller. And who was this silent man? None other than Andrew Buxton, chairman-elect and chief executive of Barclays.

The Scotch Whisky Association, fed up that its gripe about unfair tax discrimination keeps falling on deaf ears, is taking a more direct route at the EC summit in Edinburgh - straight down the European ministers' throats.

Delegates will receive a pack of six miniature whiskies, inscribed with the immortal words of Robbie Burns, 'Freedom and whisky gang the gither.' Should set the interpreters a wee problem.

Meanwhile, Edinburgh is determined to make an impression on the visiting politicos. The district council is still trying to lure the European central bank to the city, despite reports that Bonn has already been chosen.

Mark Lazarowicz, the council leader, has called on Ian Lang, the Scottish Secretary, to put his weight behind the campaign. But he can't resist adding: 'In a curious way the fact that the Government has never endorsed Edinburgh's campaign might now actually be not a bad thing. . .

We know what he means.

Amstrad shareholders will be relieved to hear that today's extraordinary meeting will not be interrupted so that Alan Sugar can dash to the High Court. He was to face a claim this week for unfair dismissal from Ian Gray.

Mr Gray, who was sacked as Tottenham Hotspur plc's chief executive when Mr Sugar bought into the club, has settled his claim for breach of contract 'on an amicable basis'. One wonders whether Mr Sugar will settle his differences with Amstrad shareholders quite so amicably.

Some good news at last for Chris Swinson, the ebullient accountant ousted as national managing partner by his colleagues at Binder Hamlyn earlier this year. After a brief spell in business on his own ('I thought another partnership was the last thing I wanted'), a desk has been found for him at Stoy Hayward, where he will greatly expand its litigation support business.