Money printing by governments ensures the global economy is recovering - but no one has any idea what will occur once the official stimulus stops, so everyone fervently hopes it won't happen any time soon. Though deals are back in the City, the regular swingeing fines being dished out to banks for LIBOR-rigging and the mis-selling of financial products (not to mention the EU bonus cap) doesn't bode well for Alex's future remuneration. The massed ranks of compliance officers now employed by Megabank to implement the Bribery Act has decimated Alex's precious social season and dashed his chances of making it to the World Cup in Brazil on expenses. To his further chagrin Alex breaks his leg party-hopping in Davos and suffers the indignity of having to attend his wife Penny's corporate strategy weekend in the capacity of "significant other".

Author Biography

Charles Peattie was born in 1958. He studied Fine Art at St Martin's College. He produces the Celeb cartoon in Private Eye. He is also an animator and TV writer. He was appointed MBE in 2002. He has four children and lives in North West London. Russell Taylor was born in 1960. He studied Russian and Philosophy at Oxford. He has written books on Russia and the Marathon. He is also a successful composer of TV and film music. He was appointed MBE in 2002. He lives in North London.