The Body Language of Dr. Peter Bacon on Prime - 30/4/09

[Watcher1]

One of the best OPs I've read/seen.

I've been involved with a few projects on which Bacon worked over the years. He is a generalist economic consultant - in fact his real love is bird watching. He has done innumerable reports for government agencies and others on every subject under the sun. He is not an expert on banking in any way. His work is often superficial and he depends heavily on young gophers to do much of the "Peter Bacon and Associates" work.

He is said to be a good friend of Bertie Ahern.

His personality, character and work is such that I think the OP has it on the nail.

He was badly exposed on Prime Time. When he recommended formation of a bad bank he said that he couldn't make detailed recommendations as that wasn't his area of expertise. That is correct, but if so inexpert, how was he able to make the recommendation?

Bacon is a man very good at telling his clients what they want to hear. He was clearly very uncomfortable when Prime Time asked him to account for his recommendations.

Nama is a reckless gamble designed to offload private debt on to the Irish government.
Personally, I feel that the way this, and the Banks Guarantee is being handled is treasonous.

That's a very good point. Contrast his performance with that of his performance on budget night on Prime Time when he was wheeled out to explain the announcement. He was very condescending to Mark Little then when it was just Mark and him. Last night it was him, Mark, another economist and Richard Curran. I think he must have felt quite self conscious and threatened. Look at how slow he spoke like he was trying to waste as much broadcasdt time as possible so he would be found out on national tv.

[Watcher1]

This here is the most interesting post , economist advising goverment on banking crisis and nama had close links to property developers and sterling ahern So were to trust this guy ya

Also, Alan Ahearne is now on Lenihans pay roll. Why in Gods name did they need to bring in another economist who is obviously far inferior to Alan Ahearne in the first place.

[Watcher1]

Speaking as a non-professional I was struck by his demeanour last night.

Bacon knows that he was told by FF that nationalisation of AIB and BoI could not be done for political reasons. He accepted that limitation when he accepted the contract form Brian Lenihan.

His NAMA is the best that he could come up with given the No Nationalisation mantra from the two Brians.

He knows that this constraint is wrong and is getting increasingly depressed as the wheels fall off the NAMA bandwagon.

Droghedasouth, are you going to the Boyne Valley Hotel thisd evcening for the 8.30 kick off of some local candidate for FF? Brian Lenihan will be there. If there is a chance to address the little fecker I'd love a shot. Could do with some support.

I presume you live in Drogheda.

[powderfinger]

Unfortunately I think they are going to. This is REALLY scarey stuff. This NAMA deal is the worst ever and will do more damage to this economy than ANY OTHER decision made in the past. Look at the national debt levels since 1980 in the attached link:

NTMA - National Debt - Level of Debt

50bn end of last year. NAMA will double that. Look particularly at the celtic tiger years. YOu will see that we really did not pay down any of our national debt when we had the means to do so. What makes anybody think we will be able to do that in the next 20 years.

My God, if you were not scared before, you should be now.

The second worst deal ever Watcher.
The Stupid Guarantee doled out by Cowen and Lenihan on the 29th September 2008 when Gleeson,Goggins,Sheehy and Burroughs tapped them up for the Big One was the worst.In fact it could end up as the most cunning and devious bit of jobbery of them all.
NAMA as envisaged completes the mugging.

[MsAnneThrope]

I agree as well. There is something in the mix that is not right and Dr Peter Bacon clearly knows its wrong and does not want a part of it

The sceptic in me keeps coming around to the suspicion that it's as simple as somebody somewhere having some earth-shattering dirt on somebody somewhere else, and it must be kept under wraps no matter what the cost. The tail is therefore wagging the dog.

[Christel]

I don't usually watch TV. (I should, probably do it more) So the pictures here are my fisrt view of him. I had imagined Mr. Bacon to look very different, given that he's got so much importance by the government, I imagined him to look like a thinker, more intellectual. He looks like any business man or politician...
Not that it says much, just my initial reaction...

[MsAnneThrope]

You can actually watch the discussion here Christel:

RTÉ News: Prime Time

Its divided into clips so you don't have to watch the entire program.

[Cirio]

I saw Dr Bacon in the Primetime programme mentioned, and on previous occasions. I've always been struck by what appears to me as his remarkably vain demeanour. I don't dispute the slouching and all the other indicators that the OP and others have mentioned, but I wonder if those who have experience of working with/for him have any comments on this?

[Christel]

You can actually watch the discussion here Christel:

RTÉ News: Prime Time

Its divided into clips so you don't have to watch the entire program.

Thanks for the advice, but I doubt it would work with dial up. I don't even attempt to watch a 30 seconds you tube video anymore.

[cactusflower]

I saw Dr Bacon in the Primetime programme mentioned, and on previous occasions. I've always been struck by what appears to me as his remarkably vain demeanour. I don't dispute the slouching and all the other indicators that the OP and others have mentioned, but I wonder if those who have experience of working with/for him have any comments on this?

Yes, overweening ego and self-regard. However, the OP pointed to some vulnerability that I would never have noticed.