Calling Mr Justice Otis

There’s an old trick in sales – car sales especially – known as ‘Calling Mr Otis’. How it works is like this: Mr Buyer comes into the showroom looking for a price for a motor. The sleazy salesman gives him a fabulous price – so good, in fact, that when Mr Buyer goes round the other garages in town, they’re nowhere near. Needless to say, he shoots back to the sleazy one with his signing arm all revved up. Naturally, the salesman is delighted to see him back – gosh, the others must have quoted higher prices, right ? Feeling suitably smug about the great deal he’s found, Mr Buyer then blows it all by telling our weasel friend what the other prices were. Only problem now is that the salesman just needs to clear the deal with his sales manager, Mr Otis, except – who’d have thunk it ? – Mr Otis says no, he can only offer a deal which just happens to be only just short of the opposition’s best price. Of course, the buyer’s already psychologically invested in the sale – he’s practically driving the car out the showroom already, and it is still the cheapest price available, so he may as well sign, right ?

Why I bring this up is that it looks like Mr Otis has some fans in government. The dangerously subversive one points out that government anti-terror measures follow a certain pattern. Our Government announces a great deal on banging up Islamopaths but they’ve just got to check with the courts. Oopsie! Turns out those nasty courts won't let them take action after all.

Repeat ad nauseaum.




Why Mr Otis ? It’s a company that makes lifts. Going up, geddit ?