Banker's bonuses, another broken promise

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

London, UK, January 2011: I am wondering – but maybe I should stop – whether any politician will ever have any integrity and knows what honesty actually means.

When you make statements and promises people assume that you are going to make every effort to keep those promises. It looks like politicians have no idea of that.

The huge bonuses paid to bankers (and also some others, even in public service) while others in the private and the public sector have any ideas of bonuses frozen, in the same way as their salaries, are becoming a real anathema and government has to do something about it.

They promised. David Cameron in the same was as Nick Clegg, and also members of the former government, now in opposition, but what was said in then no longer seems to apply.

Once again the old adage as to the sign of a politician lying is proven. As soon as they move their lips we can safely assume that they are uttering a lie.

They all, and I mean all, had a big mouth as to the banks were never again permitted to give such high bonuses as they used to and now we are back to “business as usual.”

Not that it surprises me much but that is not the point. The point is that the bankers are apparently a law unto themselves and live on an entirely different planet in a parallel universe, probably in the same one as where our politicians live, and have no idea as to how what they do hurts the ordinary people.

When a banker can get a £2 million for doing very little, while playing with other people's money, others that do real work, especially on and for the community, may, if they are lucky, get a £50 bonus, then something is seriously wrong in the country and the world.

The worst part is that banks that are now in public hands entirely or to the greatest part are some of the greatest culprits as regards to this issue.

Maybe it is time to tell those banks before they pay any bonuses to their chief executives and such like to pay back all bail out monies and to do that now.

© 2011