Would you like to save a whopping £100,000 in one go? Then just turn up at Canary Wharf (London, Britain) where the Manhattan 66, a two-year-old yacht which normally would have been snatched up at £1.25 million, is on special offer for £1.15m. To lure buyers a reception event was held with plenty of tempting buck's fizz and canapés. To the disappointment of the sponsors only a small crowd turned up which included a few local families and some curious tourists more interested in the booze and grub than in the bargain.
Oh, dear! How come that this luxurious yacht with three air-conditioned cabins finished in cherry wood did not find a purchaser? Could it be that the credit crunch that Brown and his government want us to believe is not just a figment of our imagination? To judge by the reaction of one of the genuine visitors, a financial analyst, "Bonuses are down and there is genuine fear of jobs going. People are much more careful now, and they don't want to be seen to be ostentatious."
These poor people! A fat cat worries about whether he can afford to buy a yacht or not. It is not quite the equivalent of a worker worrying about whether he'll able to feed his family, pay the mortgage or rent, and educate his children.
