Corporate greed of the week award goes to Flynn Pharma Epanutin capsules were costing the NHS just over £2m a year until Flynn Pharma, a British company, bought the rights to sell the anti-seizure medicine from Pfizer, repackaged it, and raised the price. Now the annual bill will be £46.6m. The extra money that will be spent on the drug could have paid for about 1,800 more nurses.

David Fakes, a director at Flynn Pharma, defended the price rise. He said: “It is a significant increase but to put it in context, it comes out at about 80p a dose. “The historical cost of Epanutin has been exceptionally low.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9604683/Pharma-firm-hikes-cost-of-epilepsy-drug-24-times.html

Closely followed by the UK energy companies who have announced a 10% energy bill rise soon. Funny how they do that when the weather starts to get colder. Must just be a coincidence that it happens every year at this time.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19927350

$500,000 plus all the hidden stuff to talk rubbish – I could do that and I’m available from October 2012. Might need to get a blonde wig and become a bit more masculine though. May you always live in interesting times indeed?

The International Monetary Fund managing director, Christine Lagarde insists it is payback time for Greece and makes it clear that the IMF has no intention of softening the terms of the country's austerity package. Lagarde, predicting that the debt crisis has yet to run its course, adds: "Do you know what? As far as Athens is concerned, I think they should also help themselves collectively." Asked how, she replies: "By all paying their tax." Asked if she is essentially saying to the Greeks and others in Europe that they have had a nice time and it is now payback time, she responds: "That's right."

Perhaps she could donate say $300,000 to Africa or Greece then. It would still leave her paid over $183,000 too much.  See link to IMF below - An allowance in the aggregate amount of $83,760 per annum – for what? -  Fake tan and a terrible sense in clothing obviously.

 http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2011/pr11270.htm

 '3. (a) your salary as Managing Director of the Fund shall be $467,940 per annum. As explained in Section 14(b) of the By-Laws, this salary shall be net of income taxes.

'(b) You will receive an allowance in the aggregate amount of $83,760 per annum, similarly net of any income taxes, payable in equal monthly installments, without any certification or justification by you, to enable you to maintain, in the interests of the Fund, a scale of living appropriate to your position as Managing Director and to the Fund’s need for representation. In addition, you will be reimbursed for reasonable expenses actually incurred for entertainment directly related to the business of the Fund.'

Philip Hammond, the UK Defence Secretary, said that banks were not solely responsible for the financial crisis as “they had to lend to someone”. The minister, who played a key role in drawing up David Cameron’s economic strategy in opposition, also claimed that people who took out loans were “consenting adults” who, in some cases, were now be seeking to blame others for their actions.

Mr Hammond made the comments after Sir Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, admitted that he should have “shouted from the rooftops” about the dangers facing the financial system. Sir Mervyn also criticised the delay by Gordon Brown’s government in bailing out the banks; remarks that prompted calls for an official inquiry into the role of regulators, the Bank and ministers in the financial collapse.

So the general public is responsible. It was our fault after all. Nothing to do with the Thatcher government inspired selling of most of the national assets, the rampant property speculation that was fuelled with the giving away of local and central government real estate and the massive deregulation of the banks. What he doesn't admit is that the government is responsible for forcing house prices so high that people had no option but to join in or remain at the mercy of speculative landlords. What is the government doing now to get off the property speculation band wagon? – erm, nothing, just more lies and passing the blame around. Why because Hammond is still backing his rich mates hoarding all the cash and we need to remember that this guy is charged with the defence of the realm. After the disastrous election results for this government yesterday look to a cabinet reshufle soon - hopefully right out of the political door the lot of them.

Britain's wealthiest people saw their fortunes rise to record levels last year, according to the annual Sunday Times Rich List, at a time when most Britons' earnings and savings were squeezed by inflation and low interest rates. The combined wealth of Britain's 1,000 richest people swelled by almost 5% to more than £414bn, the highest recorded by the 24-year-old survey.

If the political system continues in its current form then the few remaining assets now collectively owned (such as savings and housing) will fall rapidly into the hands of the few. We are seeing the signs of all this now in ‘buy to let’ housing boom, the spike in the number of cash businesses and the clever ability of large sections in the poorest areas to be able to finance and maintain businesses and rental housing portfolios. Truth is lots of people make lots of money in these times (Re: pawn shops and payday loans) and if the political will is not there to ensure fairness then the transfer of money from the poor to the wealthy or the criminal begins. You may not be able to see it yet but it is happening now on a massive scale.

Britain is suffering the longest peacetime slump in a century, economists said on Wednesday as figures confirmed a double-dip recession.

Daily Telegraph’s website -The UK is not going to get any better - we are like a ship which is heading for the rocks, and Captain Cameron and his useless crew are just standing by and watching.

The Mamas & the Papas

And it's getting better, growing stronger, warm and wilder, getting better every day

Apple profits rise 94pc to $11.6bn, smashing expectations as demand for the iPhone and iPad surged. Profits in the first three months of the year reached $11.6bn (£7.2bn), 94pc higher than in the same quarter of last year and dwarfing the $9.4bn that analysts had forecast.

The iPad and the iPhone once again shone as Apple found new buyers of the gadgets across the world. IPhone sales soared 88pc to 35.1m, while those for the iPad more than doubled to 11.8m.

This will be such good news for the Chinese labourers at Foxconn (not!!!). Apple makes excellent products but they are only worth half what you pay and are becoming the new symbol of division between the haves and have not’s across the world. I can live for now without an IPhone or IPad