Can We Admit Nat Rothschild is Not Mr Darcy?

This love-in on Nat Rothschild has to stop. The guy is a just a stinkingly wealthy banker with some shady connections (perhaps less shady connections now he’s foolishly placed one of his major clients Oleg Deripaska right into the frying pan of British tabloid journalism), not a throwback to an age of chivalry as Chris Blackhurst frothed in the Evening Standard today:

“At a City lunch, Nat Rothschild sat quietly, waiting for others to speak…Eventually Rothschild spoke. In a quiet voice, he recounted in withering tones his own dealings with private equity operators in takeover battles… What those present took away was the steel of Rothschild. As his much older, better known and distinguished companions had rabbited away, he’d been thinking about exactly what he was going to say. His forceful intervention was far stronger than the rest…”

Ohhhhh, mmmmm. It’s not finished yet though.

“Suddenly, it was clear how he’d amassed a vast fortune while still in his 30s.”

What, through nepotism, cronyism, being born the heir to £750 million and with a name that opened doors anywhere on earth? No…

“It was also apparent he’d inherited his father’s stubborn, fearless streak. Lord Rothschild, does not suffer fools. He’s grown up in a dynasty where even young people speak their minds, argument is encouraged and dinner parties can descend into furious, heated debate… What they do have is a ferocious sense of honour.”

Eewwwwww. Can anyone else hear the sound of Chris Blackhurst making dry, papery love to status/power/money?

BBC business editor Robert Peston indulged in some similar Rothschild love yesterday on his blog:

“The first thing to say about Nat Rothschild, whom I’ve met a couple of times, is that he is a tenacious, steely individual – who does not make allegations lightly.”

But at least he had an excuse.