Evil Diaries: Be Careful What You Wish For

About seventy years ago a prominent BBC personality, Gilbert Harding, was crossing from Canada into America and was asked to fill in an immigration form. There were several questions such as “Do you suffer from boils?” and so forth. Included was the question Is your purpose in visiting America to assassinate the president? Harding wrote: Sole Purpose of Visit. This caused him to be detained for several hours.

Roughly in the same vein I was betting on Epsom’s Derby Day last Saturday and was placing a bet when the clerk taking the investment asked me questions such as “Do you feel an urge to chase losses?” And “Have you ever stolen to fund your betting habit?”. I here replied that only the previous evening I had nipped out to the local Co-Op and grabbed £1m cash from the till. I should not have done that since I presumed upon the clerk’s common sense. Fortunately he had it, but there was no guarantee.

All this questioning comes from an instruction to bookmakers from the Gambling Commission which, it imagines, reckons that it can induce Safer Gambling. There is no point in demurring since the GC reserves the right to impose vast fines if this box-ticking is not carried out. It’s modern government in practice.

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Malcolm Graham-Wood asserts that Jersey Oil and Gas remains a strong buy on his list with a target price of £10. Simon Thompson is comparably enthusiastic. Still only 200p to buy.

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Finally, REA (RE.)‘s AGM statement is out this morning. The good news is that the arrears of preference dividend will be paid out at the end of 2023 despite disappointing palm oil prices. There is still a lot of debt to bring under control. Cowardy custards can confine themselves to the prefs. Men can feast on the ordinaries.