Why this Blog?

A place where I can lament the changing times; for eccentric comments on current affairs and for unfashionable views, expressed I hope, in cogent style; also occasional cris de coeur largely concerned, I regret to say, with myself.



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Tuesday 15 January 2013

An Elite that Lacks Class

Anyone who can be bothered to 'read between the lines' of some of my rants here will know that I am no enthusiast for The Age of the Common Man.

Today the BBC reports an excellent example of the lack of class shown by the present elite (I cannot bring myself to abuse the word 'Aristocracy').

International Banking Giant Goldman Sachs proposed to delay until April the payment of the vast bonuses it will award to its staff and thus time the payments to coincide with the reduction of the top rate of income tax - from 50% to 45%. This politically inept plan earned Goldman a fully-deserved bollocking from the governor of the Bank of England.  In consequence Goldman has has decided to try to save face by cancelling the plan.

How can a mature organisation the size of Goldman Sachs show such a lack of sensitivity and political nous?  After all they cannot (can they?) be unaware that the public have at least as low an opinion of the banks as they do of politicians - and it is well known that irresponsibility and greed amongst the bankers has been a major contributor to the present slump.

The answer is of course as I wrote above, lack of class.

Until the next time.

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