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"We're going to hell in a handcart. You couldn't make it up."


© Richard Littlejohn

And regrettably, we the great British public have not exercised opurselves sufficiently over any of these issues.

It is still a matter of deep disgust to me that we have allowed bankers to receive bonuses whilst good, hardworking folk are losings their jobs and livelihoods.

We need the Arab Spring right here and now, and for politicians to start delivering what the people of this country want of them which is no more than fairness for all.

"A democratic, capitalist society requires several sound and stable institutions to ensure that it serves the interests of the most people possible."

Democratic, capitalist? Isn't that an oxymoron?

Did the bankers really think there was nothing wrong with investing billions they didn't have in financial products they didn't understand?
No, they knew it was wrong. They knew the affect of derivatives, especially bundled, and essentially worthless. They knew because they then made it worse by betting against the deceived, betting on failure, as with the sovereign debt on most European countries. This is why I have been crying for an audit - not stress tests - but a full audit to pull these nefarious products off the EU balance sheets, potentially opt for Court action, and charge-back of these worthless products to the seller. Did you know there are more derivatives in the world than the world's entire GDP? This is not possible! If this is not a crime against humanity - the suffering, the austerity, the anxiety that has resulted - what would be?

Did Parliamentarians really think it was fine to claim money back from tax-payers for expenses they either hadn't incurred or which clearly had nothing to do with their jobs?
No, they knew it was wrong, but if the auditing system was poorly designed not to detect wrong-doing, why not? This is where honour enters the picture, character, goodwill, remembering that you are a servant of the people. No one caught cheating should ever be re-elected, unless s/he provides full compensation, demonstrates true remorse, and swears in writing never to do it again at the cost of his/her job. I believe redemption is possible, certainly temptation exists, but it's the old adage: do it once, shame on you; do it twice shame on me, the public.

Did the NoW journalists really not pause, even for a moment, to wonder if maybe hacking into people's voicemail messages was not something they were perfectly entitled to do?
These hackers remind me of the persons who say, but I was only following orders.
It must be hard to try & compete with those who hack, when you do not hack. I'm glad this whole situation has come to light because I believe it will do tremendous good to the world of honourable, vetted journalism, starting with a level playing field.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

I accept your test; I practice your test: How would I feel if my actions were to be outed?If the very thought brings me out in a cold sweat, I quickly deem the proposed actions inappropriate.
However, some people have no conscience; there are psychopaths among us; they usually do quite well in business because they are cut-throat. It's all about them, their profits, their greed. They have no capacity to ask themselves the questions that you and I would ask ourselves. You find many of these psychopathic personalities in powerful, positions whether it be: bankers, MPs, journalists, or politicians. This is one of the very important reasons that regulations are necessary - to help the business psychopath to behave himself.

As for banking nefariousness, who could sound the alarm bell? Who among the general public understood "prime" or derivatives or CDS? Only the good-old boys at the top knew what they were doing, and I think all of them belong behind bars - after their companies are charged back with illegal, accounting products.
So, much as I hate the use of the word in this context, the secret seems to be more transparency - openness, if you prefer. But more so an understanding of the white-collar crime that has landed on the taxpayers. The courage to go against some very powerful people, and the confidence to trust that the Courts will do the same.
It's beginning to look as if on each of those considerations, Britain has been falling well short of what its citizens are entitled to expect...and the United States, especially the United States.

ONE RULE FOR THE POLICE AND ANOTHER FOR THE PRIME MINISTER?

Simpler than that - people are going to get prosecuted over this media scandal for behaving unlawfully.
How many ministers behaved unlawfully in the expenses scandal?
How many were prosecuted, a token 2 or 3?
If I lied on an insurance application it would be called FRAUD I would without a doubt loose my job and be prosecuted (probably prison).
Let's get it right this is the impunity order:

MP>POLICE/RICH PEOPLE,

and then are us ordinary people who pay our taxes and go to prison when we're really naughty.

When countries become corrupt politically, it tends to permeate the entire society. All the big boys, government, bankers/investors/news were all enjoying the lust of the 90's, no matter how corrupt. the game is over and the residue begins to collect. Nothing new, has happened many times. When there is a great imbalance in things...things go bad. The real criminals always escape..as they have done again.
Processes that begin with lies can not tell the truth.

Robin says "Britain has been falling well short of what its citizens are entitled to expect" {of bankers, politicians and journalists}.

Just a tiny point, but as the bankers, politicians and jounalists who have been 'falling short' are predominantly located in and mostly influence England, then it follows that it is the citizens of England who are being short-changed by these cohorts.

Actually, it is not such a tiny point and when the people living in England finally wake up and reassert their own political identity, then we English will be back on the straight and narrow.