Don't we just love our criminals :-)
So he is a "cut-throat dealmaker? I don't care, it's not *my* throat. Not this time, anyway.
He "flew too close to the Sun"
Funny, I always thought that criminals gained heat from flying in the opposite direction.
Then we have a column of his "advisers" who have sucked up... been tsucked up... as close as possible.
Adding a veneer of respectability to the throat cutter.
Sports stars. Politicians. Business leaders.
You can bet that there advice was hedged around with plausible deniability
Perhaps you could do this... not that I would suggest it of course... but you... may want to consider what could happen if...
All the time, hoping to catch some of the golden bounty which drips from the grubby hands of the man with more flexible morals.
And now watch those moral cowards back away...
It happened with the casino enquiry.
Oh, I didn't really know what was happening.
I was paid a heap so I just... turned up and nodded. We were never in a real... business relationship...
Just, well, you know, chaps helping chaps with a bit of highly paid... oh, but never deliberate... image enhancement.
The man built his own business.
Made his own billions
He is fully entitled to use his own property as he sees fit.
Or even use it as far as he sees that he can get away with it.
When he draws in other investors -- includes other people in his dealings. That is when he owes a duty of care... a moral duty... to those other people.
They may all be aware of the lack of moral standards. That may be why they are standing so close to the man... to profit from the actions of the one man who is willing to ignore rules.
The man still owes a duty of care to those uninvolved... so very carefully uninvolved...
People who are now depending on one cut-throat businessman to bring home the gold that they are afraid to grub for, themselves.
And now the poor man is left with nothing.
Well, nothing except the few billions which he will have salted away... somewhere. Somewhere hidden but... very accessible... when he needs it.
Ah well.
If I were ever offered a few million to help a crook to look more honest?
Would I happily accept?
Or would have the courage to at least say...
Just let me think about it.
I would probably accept the benefits.
Rationalise my reasoning.
Take the benefits.
Perhaps within some limits, I've done that, before.
Our criminals offer so many benefits to the rest of us...
Is that enough reason for us to love --and even support -- our criminals?
It's reason enough for most of us.