Goodwin

I despair of this Government, I think that their short sightedness will hurt the country.

I am writing in reaction to the news that Fred Goodwin from RBS has been asked to return his pension. Now let me set out very frankly from the beginning that I am not supporting Fred Goodwin personally, I think he ran RBS badly and I think it got far too big. As Chris Dillow writes:

“if centrally planned economies are a bad idea, how come centrally planned companies are a good one?
Well, it turns out that RBS was just like a centrally planned economy, complete with the suppression of dissent and cult of personality.”

Neither do I disagree with the right that every human has to ask a question for someone to something that they in their opinion consider right (although there has to be restrictions on this). What I get so fed up with is the knee jerk reaction of Alistair Darling (and by reference Gordon Brown) have made by ordering lawyers to look at stopping Fred Goodwin’s 650k GBP a year stipend from RBS, a payment he is legally entitled to. Why bother with the lawyers? Why not just order it confiscated?

This all stems from the fact that New Labor have realized they have to stop been so right of center and more left wing and with that the irresponsibility that tends to come with the territory. Let’s not forget that Mr. Brown was at the Treasury for ten years prior to his Premiership. Ten years is a long time. Ten years is a long time to be in charge of a department that is directly responsible for the FSA, the agency that was responsible for oversight of the banks that he is now criticising. Lets also not forget that he was partly responsible for the monetary and fiscal regime that contributed to the excesses.

Do citizens have any legal rights anymore? Gone are the days that you could not be tried for the same crime twice, the state can put you in prison without charge, you are not allowed to photograph policemen, we are blanketed by CCTV, I can’t get to work without appearing on at least nine CCTV cameras. We have civilians been extradited under anti terror legislation, we have MP’s bugged under anti-terror legislation.

When will this stop, this is far more data than Stalin or Hitler ever had on its citizens. But it’s ok, we know that the Government can’t look after its data, they leave it on Trains.