A modest proposal
"China is secretly buying US$300 million (HK$2.34 billion) of Costa Rican government bonds as part of an agreement by the central American country to cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favour of Beijing". Source
Odious, and frankly a rather poor show, but I suppose the Costa Ricans can be bought. Further Taiwan and PR China shenanigans noted previously can be found here.
Anyway, Costa Rica has a population of 4,195,914, (although it is listed as 1,234,567 on the CR wiki page. Good job I smelt a rat, eh readers?) Dear old Blighty musters around 61 million souls, sooo on a multiplier of 14.5, perhaps the PRC and Taiwan could be manouevered into a bidding war starting at about 4.4 billion dollars, or say $73 per head. Not quite an end to all our credit crunch woes, more a pub lunch for two, but if the sum is upweighted based on relative GDPs, it looks as though we are cooking, as the multiplier is then 106, so the bribe climbs to $31,701,000,000, or circa $520 per head.
How about it?
Odious, and frankly a rather poor show, but I suppose the Costa Ricans can be bought. Further Taiwan and PR China shenanigans noted previously can be found here.
Anyway, Costa Rica has a population of 4,195,914, (although it is listed as 1,234,567 on the CR wiki page. Good job I smelt a rat, eh readers?) Dear old Blighty musters around 61 million souls, sooo on a multiplier of 14.5, perhaps the PRC and Taiwan could be manouevered into a bidding war starting at about 4.4 billion dollars, or say $73 per head. Not quite an end to all our credit crunch woes, more a pub lunch for two, but if the sum is upweighted based on relative GDPs, it looks as though we are cooking, as the multiplier is then 106, so the bribe climbs to $31,701,000,000, or circa $520 per head.
How about it?
Labels: 'People's Republic' of China, modest proposals, Taiwan
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on Friday, September 12, 2008 at 10:59 am.
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I reckon I could be bought for about £10 million. I would do pretty much anything as long as I didn't have to go to jail...
Ssshhh, don't give away your negotiating position.
Well I wouldn't go any lower!
Fair enough, but start of at a higher figure and make them fight for your business.
Well, I sympathize with Formosa (sic), but for £35 I'd immediately switch.
Was it Napoléon who said that, whatever we say, ALL Brits are for sale?
Am meditating on a bet on Alitalia being next down the chute. Ma penso che a 6-4 e troppo tarde.
This one?: "The English have no exalted sentiments. They can all be bought".
Not for the 1st time, we are obliged. Any chance of a French originel?
HCB - I have had a damned good rummage via google.fr, but to no avail. Perhaps the Gauls do not think it so interesting....
While I am at it, compare and contrast fr.wikiquote.org and en.wikiquote.org.
A quick scan suggests that the only really famous one in both lists is this 'From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down on us'.
(Waits for brickbats)
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