Personally, I'd be loathed to vote No to this deal & leave this...

Personally, I'd be loathed to vote No to this deal & leave this board in place. That, to me, is a recipe for disaster.

In that scenario, I'd have to wonder what they'd be capable of.

Trying to analyse this rationally doesn't work. There are only two reasons I can think of that you wouldn't let the court case run its full course. One, the case is so weak & the revelations so damaging you don't want a judgement & you don't want it entered into the public record. The second option puts me & HC in legal peril so I won't go there.

The only way I can see of getting increased value is if someone, somewhere is doing the numbers & sees what a bargain it is & lobs in an offer. How in those circumstances the board could not recommend the higher offer is beyond me.

Considering the number of posters now reporting they've sold, even that I guess would not be much consolation.

I still hold (including the trading parcel). I guess my gamble is if they come out and say the dividend will only be 4 or 5 c then timber, look out below.

FO, you were asking about the options, they are completely independent of the shares. Every option issued in the CR still exists.