Mrs May’s staff yesterday repeated her wish that no general election will occur before 2020. This is extraordinary. Time and again, events must pop up that will give Mrs May difficulties in commanding the House of Commons. It must be hugely tempting to go to the country when, surely, she would sweep it, if not…
For reasons that are not disclosed Haddeo Partners’ optional sale to Disruptive Capital of a 23% stake in Six Hundred Group (LON:SIXH) at an undisclosed price has lapsed. This must be because DCI could not see that SIXH was in a condition to justify DCI proceeding. The effect has been to knock SIXH’s price by…
As one does, I discussed the benefit of assassination as an instrument towards the better governance of the state, specifically knocking off Trump. This was just an afterthought to my finalisation of social arrangements upon my American friend’s arrival in London. And there was the trouble: he never got this email since, presumably, the American…
Molins (LON:MLIN) reported last week and, save for the elimination of the dividend, the results were much as expected. But the outlook statement strikes me as pretty bullish. I know some would prefer to hold back on the grounds that within a few weeks’ time they’ll be, say, 10% lower. But I doubt it. *****…
Last night I bumped into an experienced observer of the City and described how the FCA deliberately ignores massive fraud since the test is whether the public notices. This depresses me (I still yearn for the c. £500,000+ that the FSA/FCA vanished from my grasp – but, being a romantic, I slightly hope – however…
Suitably instructed, I begin by apologising to Liverpool and promise never to do it again – that’s for whatever it was I did, not for the apology. I am resigned to the latter in perpetuity. The same instructor states that for thoroughness one should add “We are an equal opportunities employer” or (or?) “May contain…
Stamp duty conniptions: readers will remember Osborne upping stamp duty on £1.5m+ properties from 5% to 12% and wondering just who would be muggins enough to pay that. And therefore why the raise had come into being. However, the background was that quite a lot of Conservative voters felt that somehow they were missing out…
The Kraft Heinz bid for Unilever (LON:ULVR) is quite interesting. When preparing for a bid like this it is wise to canvass major shareholders well in advance of parking one’s tanks on the oppo’s lawns. This might have shown that there was/is no discontent with ULVR’s management. On this basis the deal would purely have…
Hurry now while stocks last: apparently, Clifford Chance is paying some of its newly qualified solicitors, presumably aged c. 25, £85,000 p.a. At a guess that is 1,000 hours p.a. charged out at £400 per hour. You lucky customers. Incidentally, the other 1,000 hours p.a. or so in the office are spent filling in the…
I have just opened a website,Simon Cawkwell – TA Cawkwells Accountants (www.simoncawkwell.com). It does not cover investments but it will cover points of law. What follows is nonetheless of interest, I hope, to readers of The Evil Diaries. So I feature it here: I start with a confession. About ten years ago I received a calendar…
