31 OCTOBER 1998, page 30

See The Sparks

STILL, if that gives her trouble, it is noth- ing to the trouble facing Europe's new cen- tral bank. There it is, all ready (well, nearly ready) to roll out a brand-new currency......

Pass The Parcel

BLAME at such times gets passed from hand to hand like a game of pass the parcel. The Treasury's instinct is always to pass it to the Bank of England. We do hope, says the Chief......

Word Of Mouth

A MINOR triumph this week when . I addressed a Russian delegation to the C ity of London. They asked what the mood had been like at the IMF meeting. It was full of bankers, I......

City And Suburban

He must have thought that if the Tories could run the economy, anyone could CHRISTOPHER FILDES I tend to lose count of Gordon Brown's budgets and budgettes, but I make next......

Hush On The Close

ONE OF the pleasures of my work was to watch Nigel Lawson at the wicket, facing the bowling of the House of Commons Treasury Committee. Brian Sedgemore hurled bouncers at him......

Polling The Don't-knows

IN HOLLYWOOD you know business is bad when they start firing the sons-in-law. With the banks, it's the bosses, Bank of America's being the latest. Resourceful as ever in finding......