I'm quite glad the thread has been opened up again, because it means I can have my say, sort of. It's been my impression over the years that whenever Bernie says something, no matter how outrageous it may seem, there is usually a message to be read between the lines if you look for it.
On this occasion I had to admit defeat. His remarks made no sense to me, so I was relieved to turn to my friend Joe Saward -
http://joesaward.wordpress.com/ - and find that he was in effect saying the same thing. Look under the article "And your point, Mr E?"