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Banker in Tube binge party is off to South America
Robert Mendick and Katharine Barney06.06.08
The banker who orchestrated an antidrinking ban party on the Tube is to quit London for South America while bosses consider his future, the Evening Standard can reveal.
Alexandre Graham, 26, has announced on social networking website MySpace his plan to take a break from the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Mr Graham wrote: "Travel bug has also hit me... planning on hitting South America for six months (sabatical) [sic] after my grad scheme finishes in 2008."
Bosses at the bank refuse to say if Mr Graham, who lives in Fulham, has been disciplined for hosting a party on the Tube on Saturday after advertising it on the Facebook website.
Several other parties were also organised through Facebook, leading to violent scenes and assaults on police and Tube staff. Mr Graham posted a picture of himself drinking champagne on the Facebook website during his "Circle Line Party - Last Day of Drinking on the Tube" - but subsequently removed all trace following the furore that it caused, including deep embarrassment to the bank.
Contacted yesterday, Mr Graham said he could no longer speak to the media. "I cannot really talk to you. Sorry," he said. His sister Stephanie said she too could not speak to the Standard but indicated her brother had been harshly treated. "That would be fair to say," she said.
Mr Graham's co-organiser Ian Rawlings said their party - made up of between 75 and 100 Facebook friends - had left the Tube by about 7.15pm, long before violence broke out.
"We just wanted to have a bit of fun," said Mr Rawlings, an exhibition events executive. "It was the last chance to drink on the Tube although it is not something we would normally do. It just got a bit out of hand later that night when people were getting silly but fortunately it was nothing to do with us."
Mr Rawlings said at least one independent witness had offered to submit a report with detailed timings to the RBS if Mr Graham faced disciplinary proceedings. "If Mr Graham had been sacked I would have heard - and I haven't," said Mr Rawlings, from Saffron Walden. "He had a busy week at work and I haven't heard from him."
Mr Graham studied at Loughborough University before landing a job on the graduate trainee scheme at RBS, earning between £30,000 and £45,000, according to his entry on MySpace. He moved to London from Edinburgh, where the bank is based, this year.
While still able to talk to the Standard on Monday, Mr Graham claimed that he organised the party - in part at least - in support of a friend who had lost her job following Boris Johnson's mayoral election victory.
"One of my friends worked for Ken in the environment department but was sacked after he left - it's any excuse to get at Boris," he said. "The point of it was just to make fun of how ridiculous the ban is. I am not the biggest Boris fan and it seems to me that this is a quick fix to put him in line with his voters."
But the claim a woman had been sacked baffled City Hall. A spokesman said: "We haven't heard of anything to suggest this is true."
Reader views (10)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
I think this has all been played out of proportion, they did it for a bit of a laugh, yes some people got hurt but to penalise one person for the whole charade is stupid to say the least.
- Maria, Nottingham UK
If all is as reported above, we seem to have something of an 'Alice's Restaurant' story here.
- John, Roermond, Netherlands
Daniel: As I recall this ban was part of Boris' manifesto in advance of him being elected, which he was by a majority, so your view is in the minority. I realise that democracy is inconvenient for those on the losing side, but that is the way it is.
Also, the fact that you personally have never felt intimidated on the tube is not a basis for formulating a policy for the whole of London - the views of others (including women, for example) need to be taken into account.
- Ted, London, UK
Perhaps he could try to create a little mayhem in Colombia? Have a nice life!
- Dectora, London UK
Fair play to the guy, what he did was perfectly legal and looks like he had a good time. Shame on his employers for even daring to think about action, it's nothing to do with them. To be honest social skills are what employees of Banks DON'T normally have!
- Bob, London, Great Britain
Drunken behaviour is indeed reprehensible and drinking on public transport is quite unnecessary. However I have never felt intimidated by people drinking. I have however been intimidated by people who are drunk and or aggressive. There are laws in place to deal with disorderly behaviour and indeed ‘Drunk and Disorderly’ behaviour so this rule is more there to solve a problem that a) doesn’t really exist or b) is an inadequate solution to a problem that’s already been clearly solved in law.
Sadly this does reflect reactionary politics. Rules keeping knives out of schools is sensible. Currently the main problem is with knives on the streets, but the new rules sound superficially great to Boris voters.
- Daniel, London
What does it say about the Royal Bank of Scotland if they are prepared to employ someone who has admitted organising a politically motivated campaign of civil disorder ?
- Bonny Tippit, London
Why do you call this idiot a banker? Just because you work for a bank doesn't make you a banker. From what I read he's a graduate trainee (i.e. a glorified goffer). Don't talk him up. He's not worth it.
- Philip, London, England
Oh dear, sounds like someone's been kicked off the graduate training scheme (or at least told to come back in a year).
- Merchant Banker, London
Although Mr Graham's endeavour was gutsy, drunkenness on the tube had to be curbed: it is quite unsettling some evenings to ride along with "normal folks" turned sub-humans by excessive libations: behaviour, attitude, language, aggressiveness: the dark side of London, an otherwise refined city.
Mr Mayor's first initiative was a necessary one.
- Dr Jc Paquin, Nagoya, Japan
