Here’s a gem of a post from “JimTheGeezer” on the BBC website. Sharp.
“Double or Quits!
Gordon Brown says to Mervyn King, “Could you help me Mervyn? I’m a bit short of money at the moment. I’ve taken on this business of saving the world, and a prime minister’s expense account goes nowhere these days.”
Mervyn says, “Well we’re not doing much on loans these days, you know, but I’ll make an exception for you. What sort of money were you thinking of?”
Brown says, “A hundred thousand, Mervyn.”
Mervyn says, “That’s an awful lot all at once…..”
“Well, I’ll tell you what I’ll do,” says Brown,”I’ll open a savings account with you, and when you lend me the hundred thousand, I’ll put it all in my savings account, and draw on it when I need it. And the interest on the savings can go to help pay off the loan, you see.”
Mervyn hums and ha’s a bit, and says, “Well Gordon, as your Bank Manager, I have to ask you, when would you be expecting to pay all this off?” Brown declares, “When I’ve saved the world, of course.”
“But Gordon,” says Mervyn, “what will you do if you don’t save the world before you spend all the money? or if we have a general election before then?”
“Well that’s easy,” says Gordon. “In that case you lend me two hundred thousand. Then I pay off the first loan, and fill up my savings account, and we go on from there.”
Mervyn thinks about it and says “Well that seems reasonable, Gordon. I’ll make it a hundred thousand pounds available to you right away. There now.”
“Pounds!” says Brown. “I was talking about MILLIONS!”
