Tuesday 31 January 2012

Arise, Mr Goodwin!

So, the banker Sir Fred Goodwin, former Chief Executive of RBS, has had his knighthood taken away.
It's hard to feel a great deal of sympathy for Mr Goodwin (as he is again), who seems a pretty tough, not to say ruthless, cookie but even harder to understand the mind-set of those politicians and commentators who think this makes any difference whatsoever to the mess we are in.
'Sir Fred' (as he was), has done nothing illegal, but 'only' made some utterly disastrous decisions affecting the economic and political future of his country. Perhaps, from his point of view, it's a shame he didn't become 'Lord Goodwin:'  not only would be safely ensconced in the Upper Chamber, but truly in the company of his peers.

The removal of his honour: an important symbolic gesture, or just pointlessly rebarbative populism - a kind of 'official' brick through the window?

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