Y Safle

The new challenge is something that I think was completely unexpected a few years ago and that is that at one time when I was chancellor the oil price per barrel was $11. It’s now $125

Gordon Brown, interviewed on the Today Programme, 15/5/08.

Let’s focus on this word “completely unexpected”, Gordon. Because that tells us a lot about your lack of foresight, and the limited reading you are doing.

Anyone who did *not* expect sharp rises in the price of oil, 10 years or more ago, really was not paying attention. North sea oil production is past its peak, and global supply of oil has clearly been outstripped by demand. The result was predictable – relentlessly rising oil prices which will show frequent spikes at periods of highest demand.

I was writing about this in the 1990s, as were many others. The figures were all available, the trends quite clear.

With this low level of foresight, what hope do we have? Just once I would like to see a politician with a real grasp on the reality beyond what he is being fed by his short sighted peers.

No one could be so stupid as to try and pass off a stolen cheque for the same amount as the whole of the European cybercrime market could they?

Well yes, actually. Apparently if you are not too good with figures, and you have just stolen a cheque, then you may just believe that it is possible to cash a cheque in someone else’s name for US$ 360 thousand million! I suppose adding 10 noughts after the 36 just looked so much more pretty!

But here is the scoop. This story was brought to you by the Dallas Morning News. But at the time of writing this article, if you searched their site for “360 check” you would not turn up this story but instead a spreadsheet of “disdchecks” for July containing some 3000 names and payments with many personal details included on them.

Oops!

I can only suppose there is something in the water in Dallas that is affecting concentration and mental function!