More about a Wunch of Bankers
Oh, look, this story's been simmering away for days and it's still simmering. But it's been annoying me for days too so I have to have a bit of a rant about it.
A chap called Sir Fred Goodwin (the link gives you a photo of him looking, quite frankly, a bit of a twit) led the Royal Bank of Scotland triumphantly into disaster - they seem to have lost twenty-four billion quid somehow - and all us Brits had to help them out. Because we thought they were very very deserving we willingly gave them twenty-five and a bit billion, presumably so they'd have a bit to spare, to buy a round of drinks to celebrate or something.
Of course, we could have done it by the Blue Peter Christmas Appeal next year, or held some jumble sales, like we do to raise money for less important things like hospital equipment. But no - we realised that Sir Fred was an all-round Good Egg, and that it wasn't his fault that he lost twenty-four billion - - it could happen to anyone really and perhaps the battery was a bit flat on his calculator whilst he did the sums.
But, after we'd coughed up this twenty-five billion quid to bail out the bank, and lots and lots of the Royal Bank of Scotland employees were told that it's likely they'll lose their jobs, then somebody noticed that Sir Fred's pension seemed to go up a bit. He's fifty and kindly agreed to take early retirement last October, just in case he should work somewhere else and start losing a few more billions. But he only had eight million to retire on which of course is simply not enough - really, how anyone could possibly be expected to struggle by on such a pittance is incredible to me.
So Freddy pointed this out to the Royal Bank of Scotland and they said - - only eight million? Noooooooooo! Poor bastard. He'll be in penury. Let's double it.
So they did and Sir Fred was looking forward to having quite a decent retirement on £693,000 a year for life. What with the pensioner's winter heating allowance and other benefits he could probably just about have got by - and, after all, it's not many people who can lead a bank to lose THAT amount of money, so quite a triumph really, justly rewarded.
And Sir Fred asked City Minister Lord Myners if it was okay, and he said "Of course, Freddy, you're a banker, aren't you? Licence to print money, old chap. Enjoy."
Then, this week, someone found out about this and put it in all the papers.
And the Powers that Be thought hey, this is a tad embarrassing, what with it being a recession an' all - most pensioners have to scrape by on a bit less than this, and the British public may get a wee bit cross once they realise that they've given the Royal Bank of Scotland twenty-five and a bit billion.
Then they thought - - oh well, it's easily sorted. We'll just ask Sir Fred to give us it back, because what with him being a banker, he's probably put away a few bob anyway, so of course he won't mind. He's British, after all. He'll do the decent thing.
So they went to Sir Fred and said oops, sorry, this is rather embarrassing - - could we have the sixteen million back please?
And Sir Fred said (approximately): "No chance. Lord Myners knew about it. I expect Gordon Brown knew about it. Everyone important knew about it. It's just that they're embarrassed, now that all you piddling little public know about it. But if you think you're getting a penny of it back - - forget it."
Here's a clip of Gordon Brown, our esteemed Prime Minister, being embarrassed.
They're talking about changing the law now, to get some of the dosh back off Freddy. But they know, and Freddy knows, and I know, and you know, and let's face it, everyone with an IQ above about three knows that it's only because it ended up in the papers that they're thinking of changing the law. Otherwise Fred would have just kept a) quiet and b) all the money, and the Government would have quietly let him.
Now I'm not that good at losing money, but I expect I could get better if I tried hard. I can't aspire to the heights that Sir Fred reached, but if I practised a bit and managed to lose, say, a tenth of the 24 billion quid that Sir Fred lost, then do you think I could have a tenth of his pension?
A chap called Sir Fred Goodwin (the link gives you a photo of him looking, quite frankly, a bit of a twit) led the Royal Bank of Scotland triumphantly into disaster - they seem to have lost twenty-four billion quid somehow - and all us Brits had to help them out. Because we thought they were very very deserving we willingly gave them twenty-five and a bit billion, presumably so they'd have a bit to spare, to buy a round of drinks to celebrate or something.
Of course, we could have done it by the Blue Peter Christmas Appeal next year, or held some jumble sales, like we do to raise money for less important things like hospital equipment. But no - we realised that Sir Fred was an all-round Good Egg, and that it wasn't his fault that he lost twenty-four billion - - it could happen to anyone really and perhaps the battery was a bit flat on his calculator whilst he did the sums.
But, after we'd coughed up this twenty-five billion quid to bail out the bank, and lots and lots of the Royal Bank of Scotland employees were told that it's likely they'll lose their jobs, then somebody noticed that Sir Fred's pension seemed to go up a bit. He's fifty and kindly agreed to take early retirement last October, just in case he should work somewhere else and start losing a few more billions. But he only had eight million to retire on which of course is simply not enough - really, how anyone could possibly be expected to struggle by on such a pittance is incredible to me.
So Freddy pointed this out to the Royal Bank of Scotland and they said - - only eight million? Noooooooooo! Poor bastard. He'll be in penury. Let's double it.
So they did and Sir Fred was looking forward to having quite a decent retirement on £693,000 a year for life. What with the pensioner's winter heating allowance and other benefits he could probably just about have got by - and, after all, it's not many people who can lead a bank to lose THAT amount of money, so quite a triumph really, justly rewarded.
And Sir Fred asked City Minister Lord Myners if it was okay, and he said "Of course, Freddy, you're a banker, aren't you? Licence to print money, old chap. Enjoy."
Then, this week, someone found out about this and put it in all the papers.
And the Powers that Be thought hey, this is a tad embarrassing, what with it being a recession an' all - most pensioners have to scrape by on a bit less than this, and the British public may get a wee bit cross once they realise that they've given the Royal Bank of Scotland twenty-five and a bit billion.
Then they thought - - oh well, it's easily sorted. We'll just ask Sir Fred to give us it back, because what with him being a banker, he's probably put away a few bob anyway, so of course he won't mind. He's British, after all. He'll do the decent thing.
So they went to Sir Fred and said oops, sorry, this is rather embarrassing - - could we have the sixteen million back please?
And Sir Fred said (approximately): "No chance. Lord Myners knew about it. I expect Gordon Brown knew about it. Everyone important knew about it. It's just that they're embarrassed, now that all you piddling little public know about it. But if you think you're getting a penny of it back - - forget it."
Here's a clip of Gordon Brown, our esteemed Prime Minister, being embarrassed.
They're talking about changing the law now, to get some of the dosh back off Freddy. But they know, and Freddy knows, and I know, and you know, and let's face it, everyone with an IQ above about three knows that it's only because it ended up in the papers that they're thinking of changing the law. Otherwise Fred would have just kept a) quiet and b) all the money, and the Government would have quietly let him.
Now I'm not that good at losing money, but I expect I could get better if I tried hard. I can't aspire to the heights that Sir Fred reached, but if I practised a bit and managed to lose, say, a tenth of the 24 billion quid that Sir Fred lost, then do you think I could have a tenth of his pension?
posted by Daphne at 6:38 pm
5 Comments:
One wonders that if this robber baron scumbag is so good at protecting his pension plan, why he was so useless as a (w)Banker.
People like this make me sick to my stomach.
Well you're one to talk, lady. You've just splurged out on a bread maker so soon you'll be making your own dough too !
Sorry, that was a dreadful comparison. Apologies. Blame the insanity on rain arriving here today for the first time since....well since sliced bread I suppose.
re crooks, greed etc, nothing ever changes. I try to blinker myself from such people but its difficult. I bet he claims to be religious as well!
As M.P. Jim Sheridan suggests, Goodwin should be stripped of his knighthood which he never deserved anyway. He is a disgrace and if burglars turn over his mansion they should be awarded medals.
Ahhh all your comments cheered me up, thank you! Yes, get the knighthood off the bastard, quite right.
Post a Comment
<< Home