We can't have a bonus? Then we demand a pay increase – bankers

According to the Independent online, bankers are demanding a pay rise to compensate for the loss of bonus payments. “Base salaries at investment banks across the board will have to rise to compensate people for the falls in bonuses they have seen,” said one senior corporate finance investment banker.

Surely the laws of supply and demand suggest that this is completely perverse, as there is a currently a significant reduction in the demand for bankers as the sector contracts. If members of the financial services community are managing to pull the wool over the eyes of their shareholders, this suggests that the problems of governance in the sector are even deeper than we imagined.

The continued ability of the semi-nationalised banks to put highly paid staff ahead of taxpayers shows that the Government has been far too detached and pathetic in its arms-length approach to them.

RBS plans £1bn staff bonuses... out of taxpayer bailout

Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable has hit out at the Royal Bank of Scotland's plans to pay almost £1billion in bonuses - despite being propped up with £20billion of public money.

"This is unbelievably crass and irresponsible behaviour by people who have learned absolutely nothing and appear to have no standards of honesty."

Around half of the total would be "discretionary" payments to RBS staff. RBS are "contractually" obliged to give the rest of the cash to employees of ABN Amro, the Dutch bank they bought last year in a catastrophic deal.

Failed bank boss should pay us back

The man responsible for the collapse of HBOS back will collect a pension of over half a million pounds a year.

Whilst 50-year old Sir James Crosby is picking up a fat pension, the taxpayer is picking up the pieces of his mistakes. Crosby ignored repeated disaster warnings, and now we are all paying the cost.

Can we have our money back, please Sir?