Thousands of aggrieved Eurotunnel shareholders have pledged support for the legal action to retain the free travel perks dating back to share issues in 1987 and 1990 that are to disappear with the latest refinancing. The first website collapsed under the weight of hits, and a second is now up and running.

Eurotunnel insists that there is no legal way the perks can be transferred to the new company. Paul Fox, retired accountant and co-ordinator of the campaign, disagrees. “They are totally wrong in law. There’s a contract between us and Eurotunnel.” There are potentially 12,000 protesters out there, he says.

Eurotunnel says that its priority is to ensure its rescue. “We’re in a bit of a stand-off.” I predict trouble, and some happy lawyers.

Saints alive! Salvation comes at only £12

It used to be called selling indulgences in medieval times. A US website is offering you the chance to buy a sainthood, for an affordable £12 or so, and thus avoid the flames of Hell. Now, I am not going to guarantee that this is an entirely genuine offer, but given the nature of the US Religious Right, I would not rule it out.

The Easter offer, “a unique and once in an eternity one”, is limited to 144,000, the number of members of the Tribes of Israel, and you get a deed of sainthood printed on a “luxury-textured cream sheet”. There are testimonials from, among others, the Archbishop of Canterbury, probably not genuine, but none from Diana Princess of Wales, who is pictured on the site but described as “unavailable for comment”. Someone, somewhere will buy them.

What a card

Sometimes a name sticks. Ralph Bernard, chief executive of GCap, the radio group, has been heard musing that he might change the company name on his business cards, according to Broadcast magazine. It will henceforth be called “Struggling GCap” because this is how everyone now refers to his company in the media.

An investment banker sends me the list for this year’s Euromoney Awards for Excellence.

There are more than 30 in Europe alone, and then there’s Central Asia, Africa, the Middle East.

Best risk-management house in the Nordic region, anyone? “Everyone wins something,” marvels my man. And lots of hugely expensive tables are sold at each awards ceremony to investment banks who don’t care what anything costs as long as they get a gong to wave in front of their overcharged clients . . . Oh no, don’t set me off.

MBNA, the Bank of America-owned credit card, has sent out a calendar to cardholders. One of them is musing on the curious choice of holidays recorded. Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Hallowe’en, April Fool’s, Good Friday, Easter Monday but no Easter Day, the most important of all, theologians would argue. Attempts to contact MBNA fail because they say they’re on holiday. It’s political correctness gone mad, I tell you, political correctness gone mad!

Those copies of virtually every issue of Accountancy magazine published since 1984 being auctioned by Ken Frost, the Croydon accountant, have attracted a bid worth £100. Incredible. There are still a few days to go — the ideal gift for the seriously sad man in your life.

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