The Grumpy Old Blog

It's really quite amazing. You head off to the shops at 9.00am. The newsagent has been open for 3 hours. The baker has been open for 2 hours, as has the local supermarket. But the banks. Well, they're not open yet! 9.30pm is their awakening time. If you're lucky, or if they're not "undertaking staff training" - this is their terminology for finding new ways of holding the public to ransom or fiddling with public money while the PC programme burns. So you try the hole in the wall, but there's no cash available. Then when you do finally get into the bank just before lunch, despite there being eight 'tills', only three are open. And the queue of people you now have the luck to head (this will be the only success you will have with your bank this year) extends around the block.  Banks are completely fabulous. Whatever the situation here, the problems in the Japanese banking system are getting worse.  With thanks to the Sunday Times of l...

It seems to be coming a regular feature of the British way of life. The banking chiefs (not the ordinary, customer-facing members of staff, you will note), not content with their huge and immoral remunerations and unwarranted honours from HM The Queen, continue to line their pockets unhindered and unconcerned. The banking chiefs get found out. The FSA (Financial Services Authority and not the Food Standards Agency, although I suspect given the use the former has been, the latter might in all probability be more effective in these matters) does nothing, having forgotten, once again, to put its teeth in that morning. Yes, read all about their tranche of successes in Private Eye magazine every fortnight! The banking chiefs get away with it. Already on hefty 7-figure salaries, through the kindness of their own hearts, and as a wonderful, thoughtful, empty and meaningless gesture, forgo their annual bonus because of the absolute hash they make of things. Big deal, as th...