As the country continues to sink in a sea of debt, doesn’t it just warm the cockles of your heart to learn that certain financial establishments in the City still seem hell-bent on doling out massive bonuses to staff who are already paid small fortunes?
And isn’t the generally perceived smokescreen from bank chiefs of: “Well, if we don’t reward them, we will lose them” wearing just a little bit thin for ‘the average man/woman in the street’ as Christmas approaches?
Yes, I think so, too. In fact, bank chiefs should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves for even mentioning the ‘b’ word at a time when most people – those who have managed to escape redundancy and keep their jobs, that is – are struggling to make ends meet amidst the gloom of recession.
On top of this the National Audit Office was due to reveal in a report published today (Friday) that Her Majesty’s Treasury forked out £150 million to consultants for ‘bailing-out advice’ during the banking crisis. A nice little earner for the consultants in any language! And strange how no-one seemed to be capable of making such decision within the Treasury itself – but hey, who are we to ask questions?
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, said in an interview: “The City enjoys a win, win situation.
“Not only has the taxpayer spent billions to bail out the banks, they have had to pay millions to consultants in the City for the privilege.
“The Government talks about cuts and so-called efficiencies to tackle public debt, yet continues to give consultants a licence to print money.”
I reckon it’s a highly appropriate time in history to suggest to bank chiefs that they should not shell out exorbitant sums of money to staff who may jump ship if they don’t receive a nice fat cheque (that in itself almost amounts to blackmail) and welcome them to the real world – the real world where people are replaced if they leave, irrespective of position. Such a difficult concept!
After all, who was responsible for the bank crisis, which resulted in an £850 billion cash injection from taxpayers? Oh yes! The guys at the top with their expert financial teams – you know, the members of staff who will probably leave if they don’t get their bonuses!
SCARY. . .
Way back in the dim and distant past, July I think, I highlighted a West Sussex school’s elaborate creative writing exercise, which featured ‘UFOs and aliens’ (www.t5m.com/phil-wadley/ufos-and-alien-abductions-just-another-day-at-school.html). Unfortunately – and I must hasten to add, unintentionally – it reduced some young pupils to tears.
Well, guess what? A school in Dorset has just followed suit with another creative writing stunt, using two helicopters – one police machine another from the RAF – plus what was described as a small army of detectives to ‘investigate’ two giant papier maché eggs, smuggled into school grounds under cover of darkness.
And just who do you think footed the bill for the whole caboodle? Yep, that’s right – you and me, the good old taxpayer! Still, as long as the little darlings at St Mary the Virgin School in Gillingham, found something to write about, that’s OK isn’t it?
Well, erm, no – not according to Nick Seaton, chairman for the Campaign for Real Education, who reportedly said: “Helicopters are far from cheap, so this is all rather over the top.
“Children associate police with bad things happening (I don’t think the police would agree with you here, Nick!), and the decision of teachers not to tell them at all what was going on seems odd. Most schools have a community officer, but to have so many police seems a waste of resources when there are so many real crimes.”
Donna Hunt, the teacher who organised the exercise, said every effort was made to ensure pupils were not frightened, adding: “The local police had arranged for the police helicopter to come at lunchtime.
“One of the officers used to work at nearby RAF Yeovilton, so he persuaded them to do a flyover during the morning making it look even more authentic that something was actually wrong. It was an idea we had to really get their imaginations going.” Between seven and nine police officers guarded the ‘eggs’ during the exercise, she added.
Needless to say, Ms Hunt’s enthusiastic planning paid off – frightening pupils into the bargain. “We were all really scared and my mum started to panic,” said ten-year-old Holly-Anne Hart. “Then we realised there was an investigation. I think they [the ‘eggs’] must be from some sort of dinosaur,” she added.
So, congratulations to one and all for making everything so realistic (don’t worry about the cost to taxpayers) and teaching impressionable youngsters how to be scared. A great lesson.
Hopefully Ms Hunt would agree that in future it would be better to concentrate on giving creative writing lessons in the classroom. Or is that just me being old-fashioned?
PAYBACK TIME
Good news in the MPs’ expenses scandal ‘payback’ saga. Gordon Brown has repaid the £500 he claimed to paint a summerhouse at his second home.
Ah! But his was no ordinary summerhouse. Oh no, no, no! It was, said a spokesperson, more ‘a building in his garden’ used as an office. Erm, that would be a summerhouse, then Gordon – just like the one in our garden that we will eventually have to repaint at our own expense (bet he hasn’t got a freezer in his!).
And as for the rest of the shamed MPs caught working the system, who are now reluctantly refunding the taxpayer, words are sometimes not enough. I mean, when a Minister – in this case Quentin Davies – submits a £20,000 invoice for repairs to the roof and bell tower (yes, bell tower for heaven’s sake) of his country home, what can you say? Actually, to be fair, just after the expenses scandal broke, good old Quentin wrote to the Fees Office stating that he didn’t mean to claim any cash for the bell tower repairs – only for the work on the rest of the roof! Pretty decent of him, eh!
Anyway, the list of outrageous claims goes on and on – from Sion Simon’s (who?) 30p for a carrier bag to Lembit Opik’s £6,655 for building work – a fitting tribute to all concerned.
And I’ve just been reading that members of the House of Lords have claimed a record £19 million in expenses over the past year. I suppose they’re trying to keep up with MPs – a bit of competition, even. I just hope no-one’s been ‘naughty’! Time will tell, as they say.
ALIVE AND KICKING?
Talk about football gloom and doom. Poor – no, make that skint – old Pompey could do with a few mega City cash injections, it would seem.
In spite of statements categorically denying the club is in imminent danger of going into administration because of financial difficulties, there see to be plenty of pantomime cries of ‘Oh, yes it is!’ from other quarters.
Well, in the wake of a rare victory (a 2-0 win at Fratton Park against Burnley last Saturday, but not exactly a game to remember apart from three vital points) I – and all other long-suffering Pompey supporters – hope they are wrong and a cash solution is in the pipeline to save the club from obscurity.
Whatever the true behind-the-scenes situation is, here’s hoping for three more points tomorrow (Saturday), against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light!
Have a good weekend.
