A Scottish pensioner is suing RBS for negligence in preparing the information which persuaded him to buy to buy £1.282 worth of RBS shares – which are now worth a paltry £120. He claims that had they told him they were insolvent at the time, he wouldn’t have bought them.

As befits an experienced lawyer, and one who has tilted at windmills before – for it was he who stole the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey, Ian Hamilton is asking for the case to be heard in his local small claims court – where he risks only £150; RBS is arguing that the case is so complicated that it must be heard in a higher court, thus putting him at risk of horrendous costs if he loses the case.

This won’t just be about compensation for the loss of a relatively puny amount – this will be about access to justice; the amount he is claiming is entitled to be heard in the small claims court, if RBS force the case into a higher court and he is unable to afford the potential losses then access to justice will have been denied simply by the defendants complicating their defence.

When a terror suspect who is going to be deported and has been living on tax payers money to the tune of £50,000 a year for the past eight years, can get legal aid to fight his deportation and take a human rights case to the European Court of Justice, but a pensioner cannot afford redress when a bank costs him his savings then we know that there is no justice for the ‘little people’.

Support Ian Hamilton – keep an eye on this case. The Sheriff has adjourned the case for a week to give himself more ‘time to think’ – the outcome will be important for all of us.

Coco March 18, 2009 at 22:34

So much for Gordie Bruney getting into politics to grab equal rights and
opportunities for all then.

Due to my own good nature and ability to see things from all perspectives
in order to form a balanced judgement ……………. I want to say one thing in
defence of wee Gordie.

I blame his peers and Peers. I think he got into the wrong crowd before he
got the job of Chancer the Ex-Cheque …………. Then I think he was surrounded by
people who flattered him and played to his ego. The consequences are what we
see before us now. ………. Somebody so full of his own importance that he cannot
see that he is just a pawn for the Establishment.

Gordie ………….. You have been repeatedly shafted by your corrupt Cabinet.
Check ‘em all out. Check out the families they have come from and who else
they are related to by marriage or business. Check out their associates!
………….. Yer know ……….. Like the police do when they appoint top coppers to top
jobs!

Go on Gordie ………… Check out all your past and present Cabinet members! I
dare you to publish the ‘family tree’.

It would make the Mafia look like the Partridge Family! It would make the
Borgias look like the fucking Waltons!

Gloria Smudd
March 18, 2009 at 21:40

A comment on the University of Edinburgh School of Law / Scots Law News
website:
“….But it’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good. There is
clearly a case for reconsidering the availability of class actions in our law.
Justice to be done must be seen to be done; and it is simply not justice if
the courts are for all practical purposes inaccessible to those who consider
that they may have been wronged by the actions of persons who happen to have
much deeper pockets with which to fend off claims (in this case too pockets
which have been patched up with huge amounts of taxpayers’ money).
…”
………………

Yup. Sounds about right to me.

Coco March 18, 2009 at 20:28

It makes me wonder Gloria. It makes me wonder.

It looks like another reason for another march to Downing Street to me.

Those poor coppers will be run off their feet in a bit with all these
marches day in and day out. Imagine footing the bill for all these police
contingents?

No wonder the Government want to train the police up in arm to arm combat
and the use of Tasers!

Now what was it I read about crowd control and clamping down on protesters
………….. Let me see the wording in that pile of civil contingency papers again
…………….. Ah yes! UK residents will be under surveillance 24/7 …………… and under
curfew from errrr ………. whenever Jacqui Schmidt and Gordie start to feel the
heat.

And the police will be given the right to walk into your property and take
away your lap-top or pc without a warrant. …………. So it will be tricky to even
organise a march or a protest. Mmmmm! So far so good
Gordie. Almost on
target by the looks of things.

And to top it ………….. the Press are doing all the scaremongering for you
…………. So Summer of Discontent ……………. here we come!

Gloria Smudd
March 18, 2009 at 19:16

So it all just goes away, then, because nobody is going to be able to
afford to take on RBS outside the small claims court.

Coco March 18, 2009 at 19:13

Gloria!!! There is more to the Sheriffs ………….. than we can possibly
imagine. They is more to them than meets the eye! Take my word for it.

Gloria Smudd
March 18, 2009 at 12:47

Just ‘keeping an eye’ on this – bad news I’m afraid. It looks like Sherriff
Pender has declined to let Mr Hamilton’s case be heard in the small claims
court.

Why am I not surprised?

Graeme Smith February 20, 2009 at 23:33

Well this news just bubbled to the top in Google News today at the same
time the Stone of Destiny movie opened in Canada. Ian – I

Gloria Smudd
February 20, 2009 at 12:59

Done it!

Gloria Smudd
February 20, 2009 at 12:51

Um. Ah. ‘send a link’ … I ain’t never managed to send a link nowhere, not
never, but I’ll pop back and let him know about Anna Raccoon if you like? (oh,
and Top of the Morning to you too, Ms Raccoon)

Gloria Smudd
February 20, 2009 at 12:23

Mr Hamilton has his own blogsite and I’ve just wished him well with his
action. This story deserves more publicity. So there.

Anna Raccoon
February 20, 2009 at 12:36

Morning Ms Smudd,

Would you be so kind as to send a link to the article to that
blogsite?

Blink February 20, 2009 at 06:04

The issue of concern here is that we on the blogoshere only represent a
small proportion of the population. We may pride ourselves in our insight,
humour and gravitas but the vast majority ‘out there’ don’t necessarily share
the views expressed so succinctly.

New Labour efforts to have an influence on the internet – that is
participate as well as regulate – are pathetic to say the least. Maybe it’s
okay to have a broad debate but LabourLost is a shambles. However, the fact
that these fools can access the web is something to be wary of. At the same
time Millipede is claiming that the UK doesn’t do torture. Smith claims there
is a high level threat to the UK. Brown claims to have saved the world.- and
now wants a global ‘new deal’. I ask you, are these people for real? is their
scaremongering for a purpose? Who stands to gain from their machinations? It’s
certainly not the population. As the EU state machine takes over
(undemocratically) the general running of the country what are politicians for
anymore?

This is a major question as we, the UK, goes down the pan. None of oue
political, economic and cultural elites are troubled by what is happening.
They continue to remain above such trivial things because it’s not them who
are going to pay – IT’S US, the ordinary, taxpaying, downtrodden population –
WE WILL PAY WHATEVER.

Where’s the lamposts and the piano wire – the job never ends…….

Blink February 20, 2009 at 05:52

Why are the police being supported beyond that which is reasonable in a
democracy (so-called)?

Why are the much vaunted military being hastily withdrawn from the warzone
that has so preoccupied our political elites these last few years?

Why are we in this fuckin’ economic mess?

Watch out people, they are getting themselves ready for a fight – our we
ready?

Coco February 20, 2009 at 00:01

The RBS should be nationalised forthwith. The buffoons who have been in
charge should be hung from the lamp-posts as a warning to ………………… insurance
brokers, actuaries and ……………. lawyers.

In fact ………. it should be a warning to all rip-off merchants
everywhere.

Gloria Smudd
February 19, 2009 at 23:08

So. More Media Massage. That’s good. I’d hate to realise how dire our
situation is. All hail, men in grey, men in black, men in greige, men in
flack. All hail, you hidden men whose fiscal movements REALLY effect us all;
you who are ‘fit and proper’ personages to steer us (the lowly ignorant
savers) through this printed-money blizzard, this sinkhole down which our
economic safety is being gurgled, through this political pretence. I can’t
wait till it’s all over and we are all brought to our knees. I’ll see you
then.

And I think I will see you quite clearly, because for some strange reason,
I think you’ll still be wearing your trimly-cut suits, your know-it-all
cufflinks and your club ties. I think you’ll still be there, braying your
idiocy at the Alpine cafe as you crow “Who buys a chalet and doesn’t ski? Oh!
HaHa! That’s ME isn’t it!!!! HahHa! Another Bolly, surely?”

Gloria Smudd
February 19, 2009 at 22:50

Can’t see anything about that Anna, sorry…

Anna Raccoon
February 19, 2009 at 22:51

I thought the piano wire might be out and about!

We’ll get to hear of it in the morning.

Gloria Smudd
February 19, 2009 at 22:43

I’ll just look Anna- hang on ..

Gloria Smudd
February 19, 2009 at 22:43

I was lucky enough to go to a party at the weekend and I met a young man
who had been in this country for only two days. He thought that everyone he’d
met in London was interesting, fun, he was optimistic about having a really
lovely visit to the UK and he had an easy smile on his 30-something face.

Enter the hippo-of-doom, Ms Smudd, all jowels, supportive undergarments,
whistling nostrils and rheumy eyes to pour scorn on his good-natured
antipodean anticipation of his brief sojourn chez our shores.

Actually, I felt sorry for him because he plans to spend some decent time
here and at most I suggested that he might be likely see some rioting here ere
long, he will certainly hear that unemployment is rising steadily, he may see
some nasty fights between groups of youths, he’ll certainly see and hear that
massive part of England that has been ‘livin’ on the social’ converging in
their outrage to complain about ‘our jobs’ bein’ robbed by forrinners and he
may well see some nasty fisticuffs in the streets.

I wished him well and went back to some dancing which is looks better done
by someone with a discernible waistline. Rock On!

Gloria Smudd
February 19, 2009 at 22:27

The men in grey suits will soon have to job- and bonus-share with the men
in black suits because money’s getting a bit tight and of course they’ll be
given automatic access to our unique iris and retina configurations captured
at our friendly opticians, access to our e-mails, our shopping ‘dynamics’
(courtesy of the store “loyalty” card-cum-unique-profile) and of course, our
banking details. Yippee.

Yippee!!!! I suddenly feel a lot better about it all. In fact, I feel so
good, so safe and in such good hands, I wish I was doing my GCSEs instead of
my children and I wish I was innocently planning my future, ignorant of the
fact that when I place my first tentative foot on the career ladder I will be
wearing a shoe lined with the lead weight of other people’s greed. Lucky for
my kids that we have a large garden and they can eventually live in their own
sheds behind a shrubbery of their choice.

Anna Raccoon
February 19, 2009 at 22:32

I place my first tentative foot on the career ladder I will be wearing a
shoe lined with the lead weight of other people

Anna Raccoon
February 19, 2009 at 22:33

Has anybody got UK TELETEXT?

Something about a demonstration in Downing Street?

Saul?

Gloria Smudd
February 19, 2009 at 22:10

Aye, I know it’s trillions. I didn’t know it was TWO of them. Tsk, tsk,
keep up Smudd. I’m just too punch-drunk to have yet noted and inwardly
digested yet another fact almost too enormous for my synapses.

What a shower, what a sham, what a shame, what a swizz, what a circus, what
a swindle, what a sh*t situation.

And yes, that’s a ‘yes’.

Anna Raccoon
February 19, 2009 at 22:14

Officially 2 Trillion as of this evening – we can do no more than enjoy
each day as it comes – nobody knows if we even have a future any more. There
is no point in worrying about it. The men in grey suits are the only people
who can do anything now, and I have no faith in them.

Anna Raccoon
February 19, 2009 at 22:18

You have a good point about piano wire time Gloria – people thought it
was a joke a year or so ago, but you can sense that there is a real whiff
of revolution in the air. Time was when it was believed that those
‘ruffians oop North’ would spark off a revolution during Thatcher’s time,
but it didn’t happen – I wouldn’t bet on it now, but when it does it will
be the middle classes, the pensioners and the savers who will be out on
the street baying for blood. No wonder they don’t want us taking
photographs, doesn’t play well, copper beating up little old lady!

Saul February 19, 2009 at 21:44

I’ll put you down for a yes then shall I?

Gloria Smudd
February 19, 2009 at 21:31

Are we all unwitting contestants in a national game of Credulity Challenge?
What jaw-dropping conceit are we expected to assimilate next?

Already we accept, without catching our breath, that we are talking not of
lost millions but of lost billions; we merely shake our heads because we are
not surprised that Ms Smith claims

Anna Raccoon
February 19, 2009 at 22:00

Millions? Billions? – ‘Tis Trillions, official! Two of them.