Even the corrupt Irish have begun prosecuting corrupt bankers – why haven’t we?

There’s a wonderful book “Ship of Fools” which describes the corruption, cronyism and incompetence of the Republic of Ireland’s mafia-like ruling elite. Best part of the book is when he reveals how Ireland’s top bankers made hundreds of millions in loans to themselves and their close friends. Now, even the thoroughly corrupt Irish (the Italians of Northern Europe) are starting police investigations and prosecutions. But in Britain, bankers’ criminality is still rewarded by massive payoffs and pensions.

The problem for Britain is that our politicians of all parties are doing everything they can to protect their banking paymasters. After all, one in eight lords is already on the banks’ payroll and think how many MPs are hoping to get nice, highly-paid sinecures with a bank or two when they leave Parliament. Yet there seem to be strong grounds for bringing prosecutions for things like obtaining money by deception, conspiracy to defraud, issuing false prospectuses and knowingly trading while insolvent.  

In case our useless Serious Fraud Office and pointless, politically-correct police don’t know where to look, here are a few ideas – Fred Goodwin, Sir Tom McKillop, Andy Hornby, Adam Applegarth, Lord Stevenson, Lord Green of ‘Moneylaundering on Sea’, Peter Cummings, Sir James Crosby, Bob Diamond, Jerry del Missier.