17 SEPTEMBER 1983, page 16

A Typical Englishman

Roy Kerridge 'M y dear fellow, you should always begin a story with a fragment of con- versation. That's the advice I always give to young writers.' This story begins in the......

In The City

Usurers lack friends Jock Bruce-Gardyne I do not know whether Nigel Lawson and his mandarins are hard at work on a brand-new tax for the banks in next year's Budget but 1 would......