Thursday, September 11, 2014

Explaining FT Alphaville Headlines: Mandy Rice-Davies Edition (RBS; LYG)

The headline on Joseph Cotterill's Lex Live crosspost is "Well they would redomicile, wouldn’t they?" which is a subtle recapitulation of something Ms Rice-Davies said long before most (all?) of the Alphavillains were born.
From a 2012 post:
Mandy Rice-Davies is a former model and showgirl known for her role in the Profumo affair.
When informed by the prosecuting attorney that Lord Astor disputed her version of events and denied having an affair she responded:
"Well, he would, wouldn't he?"
That post, by the way, was titled "Mandy Rice-Davies Sighting at FT Alphaville" and went on:
From the FT Alphaville post:
Spooks on the payrolls

...The report slipped out onto the DOL website this week. The Associated Press and Bloomberg have already torn it apart. But then, they would....
To the best of my knowledge, Mr. Cotterill is not a former model and showgirl.

We are keepers of the M.R-D flame:
Mandy Rice-Davies Alert: Christina Romer Says Maximum Tax Revenue at 84% Marginal Rate
She would, wouldn't she.*

*For British politicians of a certain age [often referred to as octo or nona-genarians -ed] the scandal surrounding Secretary of State for War John Profumo's affair with the alleged mistress of a Russian spy was highlighted by the testimony of Miss Rice-Davies, a friend of the alleged mistress, Christine Keeler.
From Wikipedia:
While giving evidence at the trial of Stephen Ward, charged with living off the immoral earnings of Keeler and Rice-Davies, the latter made a famous riposte. When the prosecuting counsel pointed out that Lord Astor denied an affair or having even met her, she replied, "Well, he would, wouldn't he?"
We've tried to keep the phrase alive, using it about once per year....MORE
So that's a wrap, 2014's version in the can.
And as a parting gift, the freemium "Lex Live" introduction to the FT's Lex column at the "redomicile" link is definitely worth a click-through for not-yet-subscribers.

Finally, as a slightly less valuable parting gift, one of my favorite usages:
Lord McIntosh of Haringey:  My Lords, I am proud of many things that this Government have done. I pause to anticipate the interjection—"He would say that, wouldn't he?"...
Lords Hansard text for 6 Feb 2002