Out Of The Mouths Of Blackguards And Businessmen
Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday January 10, 2006
Chris Twyman continues his survey of the most memorable quotes of 2005.
I WAS simply not prepared to allow my position to be rendered untenable by what I regard as increasingly unhelpful and multi-layered management systems.Channel Nine chief executive David Gyngell, hindered by unwelcome helpers, flicks the switch.It is not going to come out, right, about me lying to everybody? Right?Wrong, Russell Simmons. One of the US entertainment industry's most capable promoters, Simmons has second thoughts after admitting to making false statements to lift the value of his company. The hip-hop clothing line changed hands for $185 million.That was a good intro - I like The Boss.Federal Treasurer Peter Costello gets it wrong on radio, mistaking Jimmy Barnes, the Scottish rocker from Adelaide, for American Bruce Springsteen. Perhaps it was because Costello wants to be boss, too.Oh really? . . . well, I still like The Boss.Costello again. John Howard, are you listening?Walt was a bit of a weird bird.An erstwhile insider gives an appraisal of Walter Anderson, the telephone entrepreneur accused of being the biggest tax cheat in American history. Weird Walt drove a 15-year-old Oldsmobile and, other than his part ownership of a Gulfstream IV jet, there were no signs of a lavish lifestyle for the man alleged to have evaded tax on income coming to at least $US450 million.. . . people would all be peaceful or I'd throw them out the air lock.The aforesaid Anderson, a hater of all governments, reflects on building a space station, a place without any government, except for himself, and presumably no taxes.We have been waiting for an act of responsibility by the governor, but it has not come.Italian Finance Minister Domenico Siniscalco says it's no go for central bank governor, Antonio Fazio, who refused to resign, despite his losing the confidence of the Italian establishment over alleged abuse of power and his role in a wire-tapping scandal. Fazio finally resigned in late December.Did ASIC think they couldn't prove he was on the board of Telstra?Gilbert & Tobin partner Mark O'Brien - lawyer for the late Rene Rivkin - reflects on the investigatory talents of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the decision to pursue civil, rather than criminal, proceedings against Steve Vizard for trading in shares in which he had price-sensitive information. I have no evidence of illegality or misconduct in the sense of directors' disqualification. What I do know is there are a hell of a lot of questions to be asked.Britain's Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Patricia Hewitt, wants to look under the bonnet to find out why the MG Rover motor vehicle group broke down irretrievably.He was a difficult person to challenge; he isolated you once he felt you were not 100 per cent behind him. He also took criticism personally and not constructively. With Ray, you were either on that wavelength or you were not. If you were, then the gravy train opened for you. He expected loyalty, and in return, he got control.A long-time HIH insider who worked with the insurance group boss Ray Williams reveals the rules of engagement. The Government of Australia is punishing me today. I will be receiving a custodial sentence and I will be going to my room.HIH's Rodney Adler knows that the key to his immediate future will be on somebody's belt. I am keen to get out before they nail me shut into a pine box.Retiring British Airways chief executive Rod Eddington talks about accommodation almost as cramped as a seat in economy. That f---ing Jew isn't going to be getting $500 million of our money.An alleged outburst by Village Roadshow managing director Graham Burke at a discussion on remuneration in 2000, as recounted in court by former executive Peter Ziegler. A former Ernst & Young tax whiz, Ziegler was seeking a termination payment of between $49 million and $76 million. Here's a mate of Minchin's, cleaning up to the tune of $2 million.Labor's communications spokesman, Stephen Conroy, accuses Telstra chairman Donald McGauchie of pressing for the re-employment of journalist-cum-lobbyist-cum-Liberal staffer John Short at the behest of the Minister for Finance, Senator Nick Minchin. The appointment of Short, who had been made redundant eight months before, was resisted by management.Chinese imports are already screwing the Australian manufacturing industry into the ground. Australian Workers Union national secretary Bill Shorten laments as the manufacturer of flyscreen wire, Cyclone, fails to weather the storm and closes its historic Melbourne factory after more than 50 years of operation.If your effort is at this point to convince me that there was not blatant fraud, you're going to have a very hard sell.US Judge Leonard Sand conjures in defence lawyers the vision of a very hard cell ahead of sentencing John Rigas, who built Adelphia Communications into America's sixth-largest cable company, to 15 years jail for looting hundreds of millions from the company coffers and hiding its true debt load from investors. If ever a motor vehicle was designed to be driven at speed, even though unlawfully, with the greatest respect, it's this motor vehicle.Counsel for safety-conscious retractable needle tycoon Alan Shortall tries to pull a fast one in court as he lauds the virtues of the Bentley Continental GT. Shortall was clocked at 231km/h on the Federal Highway to Canberra.He came around with a couple of big guys and he really made a point of speaking to the staff and finding out their impressions of the company. It was refreshing.A Telstra employee who preferred anonymity describes chief executive Sol Trujillo's visit to a company store during a meet-and-greet walkabout. Some may wonder what the "big guys" were for.Sometimes the message doesn't get through, so we thought we should be repeating it one more time. We are rewinding and replaying the same message.Singapore Airlines chief executive Chew Choon Seng uses the launch of the Airbus A380 to wing it again on the airline's lingering desire to crack the route that it cannot fly, Sydney to Los Angeles. We ain't too bad. That's why I get back to the point that every airline that has been around as long as we have, as far as I'm aware, has been involved in issuing profit warnings.Virgin Blue chief executive Brett Godfrey tries to fend off criticism of his airline's second profit downgrade in three months.The secret is ensuring you remain in the black.Godfrey certainly not blue about Virgin becoming the world's 15th most profitable airline.The more they get chased around the board, the happier I am.Godfrey welcomes the prospect of Qantas facing more competition on the Los Angeles route. There are zillions of documents in this case and there ain't one smoking gun.Reid Weingarten, lead defence lawyer for WorldCom's ex-supremo Bernard Ebbers, blames the boys at the bottom for the company fraud and likens the Government's case to a television docu-drama where facts are conveniently left out if they do not fit the planned storyline.
© 2006 Sydney Morning Herald