So, an obscure committee of civil servants have recommended that Sir Fred Goodwin, of RBS fame, be stripped of the knighthood he was awarded by the last government. This 'de-knighting' was confirmed by The Queen.
Goodwin was awarded the knighthood, in 2004 for 'services to banking'. Nothing he did since then has been found to be criminal - nothing! Crass? Insensitive? Arrogant? Self-serving? He seems to be guilty of all of these things but none are a criminal offence.
As stated above, Goodwin received his honour for 'services to banking'. The committee did not disclose if it found that those 'services to banking' to have been wrong, in some way.
So let's for a moment, leave aside opinion on the honours system and ask why he is stripped of the gong? The only conclusion I can reach is that it is because it is expedient and panders to the baying mob. I don't think anyone is fooled that this is a civil service committee which is operating independent of the government. This has the grubby hands of politicians, all over it!
Contrast his treatment with that of
All have retained their honours.
I don't like hypocrisy but do the politicians have to be so blatant about it?
Now turn to who it was that ennobled Goodwin - Step forward 'the people's tribune' the defender of the 'working class - The Labour Party! At that time, that would mean Blair and Brown. Since Tony was waging his dodgy war with Iraq (cast of thousands, including ill-equipped British troops), one comes to the conclusion that the domestic maestro, Gordon 'I have banished boom and bust' Brown, was the sponsor of the award. No doubt assisted by other members of the Tartanocracy, including Wily Alex Salmond.
You will scour the media in vain for any of them to now be defending Goodwin. The only supporter I saw with the decency and courage to speak out was Sir Jackie Stewart, apparently, a family friend of Goodwin.
Of course Goodwin and his team brought RBS to the brink of disaster (some would say beyond). However, he did not single-handedly cause the economic crisis (but see below).
Goodwin was awarded the knighthood, in 2004 for 'services to banking'. Nothing he did since then has been found to be criminal - nothing! Crass? Insensitive? Arrogant? Self-serving? He seems to be guilty of all of these things but none are a criminal offence.
As stated above, Goodwin received his honour for 'services to banking'. The committee did not disclose if it found that those 'services to banking' to have been wrong, in some way.
So let's for a moment, leave aside opinion on the honours system and ask why he is stripped of the gong? The only conclusion I can reach is that it is because it is expedient and panders to the baying mob. I don't think anyone is fooled that this is a civil service committee which is operating independent of the government. This has the grubby hands of politicians, all over it!
Contrast his treatment with that of
- Lord Archer - Jailed for perjury
- Lord Taylor - Jailed for fraudulently claiming more than £24K in expenses.
- Lord Hanningfield - jailed for fraudulently claiming more than £30K in expenses.
- Baroness Uddin - SUSPENDED from the House for illegitimately claiming more than £125K in expenses.
- Lord Paul - (One of Britain's richest men) SUSPENDED from the House for illegitimately claiming more than £42K in expenses.
- Lord Bhatia - SUSPENDED from the House for illegitimately claiming more than £27K in expenses.
All have retained their honours.
I don't like hypocrisy but do the politicians have to be so blatant about it?
Now turn to who it was that ennobled Goodwin - Step forward 'the people's tribune' the defender of the 'working class - The Labour Party! At that time, that would mean Blair and Brown. Since Tony was waging his dodgy war with Iraq (cast of thousands, including ill-equipped British troops), one comes to the conclusion that the domestic maestro, Gordon 'I have banished boom and bust' Brown, was the sponsor of the award. No doubt assisted by other members of the Tartanocracy, including Wily Alex Salmond.
You will scour the media in vain for any of them to now be defending Goodwin. The only supporter I saw with the decency and courage to speak out was Sir Jackie Stewart, apparently, a family friend of Goodwin.
Of course Goodwin and his team brought RBS to the brink of disaster (some would say beyond). However, he did not single-handedly cause the economic crisis (but see below).
- Then Senator Obama (and others) was a big proponent, in the US of reckless lending which became known as the sub-prime mortgage market.
- Gordon Brown and leaders throughout Europe continued to borrow money and increase debt levels to unsustainable levels, without any assistance from Goodwin!
- The people of Europe and the USA continued to borrow and borrow and then spend money that wasn't theirs.
- Some banks, including RBS, were dealing in financial instruments of which they really knew very little, at the end of the day.
- Some financial institutions, just like some countries became over-leveraged and their shareholders paid the price (and in some cases, like RBS, they were bailed out)
