The Government is getting itself into a right mess (again) with some ill-thought-through legislation that plays straight into Tory hands. "Save Our Saga" is the latest rallying cry among traditional Conservative supporters of, ahem, a certain age.

Theresa May, the shadow equality minister, says the Government's new Equality Bill - intended to protect the elderly from discrimination, risks paradoxically driving their favourite holiday and insurance firm out of business: "Ministers have been challenged on the issue of Saga Holidays, but they have failed to have come up with a satisfactory way of dealing with these issues in the Bill. "Although one of the understandable desires of the Government is to open up services for older people, there is a danger that the clause will damage the specialist services on which older people rely - in particular, insurance services and specialist holidays - by requiring them to provide for younger people as well."

Saga says if it is forced to offer premiums to all age groups, it would not be able to provide the same special rates for the over-50s because the company would have to bear the extra costs of insuring reckless, wilder, younger folk.

* Mervyn King was at pains to stress how uncertain his projections were for economic growth (or lack of it) during the quarterly Inflation Report at the Bank of England. So much so, in fact, that he said growth next year could be anything between plus 4% and minus 4%. So what did he make of the Chancellor's more precise prediction of growth of 1.25%? "That's a mad way to make a forecast," he said.

* Are things getting to the usually unflappable Merv? At times during the Inflation Report press conference, King resorted to making bunny ears with his fingers to signal quotation marks. More David Brent than Bank of England Governor.

Keeping an eye on TV money for Twenty20 cricket

With the Irish sports pay-TV channel Setanta struggling for cash, could international cricket be about to make a return to BBC TV? The Beeb's Ariel newspaper says a deal for Twenty20 coverage - which, it says, has the merit of being "all over in a few hours" - could be in the pipeline, rather than one-day or Test games. Sky, of course, has most of the England Test internationals sewn up.

* The head of institutional sales for a City fund-management house is crying into his Chablis over lunch with City Spy. The subject? How will his eight-year-old son explain what Daddy does in a lesson planned for next week? "Builders build things. Teachers teach. Designers design stuff. That makes sense. What do I do?" he wails. The son in question was asked to give an outline to his teacher of what he thought his father did for a living.

He wrote: "Daddy comes home late. Daddy meets lots of people that he doesn't seem to like. Daddy sometimes has to get a taxi from the train station because he is not allowed to drive. Daddy is very tired." Is this head of sales having second thoughts about his life choices? "I can't afford second thoughts, mate."

Ascot is racing to beat crunch

Next Monday's gala evening at the Chelsea Flower Show marks the start of the corporate hospitality season, but it's already clear that this year there will be slimmer pickings. Sponsorship is down at "back to basics" Chelsea, and City Spy wonders how Royal Ascot is doing. It is notable that, with a month to go, the racecourse is still advertising widely for the 16-20 June meeting, which was extended to a fifth day a couple of years ago. Interestingly, last year's attendance at Ascot rose by almost 5% to 287,000 but Tote betting turnover fell 10% to £7.1 million. What odds on turnover or crowd numbers rising this time?

* Is another PR disaster looming for Marks & Spencer? After admitting it "boobed" over big bra charges, M&S faces an employment tribunal over the case of sacked manager Tony Goode, who had worked for the firm for 25 years. Goode leaked plans to cut redundancy pay to the press, saying he "despaired" of the direction of the business was taking. M&S traced his emails and fired him for gross misconduct. This week Goode, a single parent with two kids, told a tribunal that his dismissal was unfair and a breach of his human right to free speech. M&S will be hoping the case doesn't turn into Goode versus evil...

* Vancouver is the the new Dubai. The nouveaux riches are leaving in droves and relocating to places like, er, western Canada. "What's not to like?" says one Dubai refugee of his new home. "The lifestyle is better, the summers on the Pacific are better, the skiing in winter is better, the property is way cheaper, and it's not Dubai." Vancouver the new Dubai: you read it here first.

* The case continues of the London businessman who is alleging top hedge fund GLG Partners reneged on promises to pay him $80,000 commission for introducing a Middle Eastern sheikh who subsequently invested $4 million in funds run by departed star trader Greg Coffey. GLG has brought in Mishcon de Reya to fight the case, which is currently scheduled for an appearance in court in December. Interestingly, the papers filed have GLG stating it is not a hedge-fund manager but an investment adviser...