Hey ho.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16821650

There’s a few more that should have the same treatment.

Only the Police will call him Sir, now.

Fred’s knighthood shredded…

I didn’t realise Elfin was in the frame for a knighthood to start with. Is it because he got banned from here?

He must be gutted after losing that what’s the poor man got left. A rubbish big house in the most expensive part of Edinburgh and a token pension of 650k a year. He must be gutted eh

I think all he’s left with is a £370,000 a year pension, he must be gutted.

Can I suggest we get Harry Hill involved, Knighthood or 370,000, what would win ?

Thanks to the politicians for sorting that out, thank heavens that there is no reward for failure otherwise he’d have got a pension beyond most people wildest dreams, wouldn’t he.

Probably the most humiliating bit is going to be changing his passport, driving licence, bankcards etc.

Didn’t mind him, really, bit of a victim of circumstance – there weren’t too many prescient protests when RBS was in full flow, were there?

I have no liking of Fred as a person or as a banker and feel appalled that he was knighted in the first place. It is also appalling that he is retiring on such a pension. In fact everything about him/his role seems pretty appalling…

…BUT….

he has had his knighthood stripped for what reason exactly? Was he a criminal – not as far as I am aware? Has he been banned from any professional bodies – I am not sure, possibly.

But once we strip away the personality involved this looks like a pretty dangerous legal precedent to set. Err, we hate you and you were crap at running a bank, and you lost a lot of money. True.Does that give the right to strip a knighthood – as galling as it is for him to have it – not sure. Where does this end – and how solid a foundation. Playing to the press and the altar of short term public opinion.

So whose next?

has had his knighthood stripped for what reason exactly? Was he a criminal – not as far as I am aware? Has he been banned from any professional bodies – I am not sure, possibly.

guardian report on censure by fsa

Radio 4 were saying that the FSA censure was used as grounds, it was also stated that this may not be the only case as there are a number of honoured individuals at all of the nationalised banks.

Thanks mrmo – a difficult case albeit so obvious on the face of it. If I read that correctly, he was censured for bad decisions not misconduct. So if this is now the yardstick for retrospective assessment of knighthoods, where will it end?

– there weren’t too many prescient protests when RBS was in full flow, were there?

I seem to recall a few lone voices. Other countries managed to avoid any bank failures during 2008-2009. There were none in Canada. Don’t think Australia had any.

“In 2008, the World Economic Forum ranked Canada’s banking system the healthiest in the world. America’s ranked 40th, Britain’s 44th.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2009/02/06/worthwhile-canadian-initiative.html

As for Fred’s knighthood? As it was awarded for services to banking rather than good deeds and hindsight has shown his banking judgement was poor of course he should lose it.

If we are going to have an honours system at all they should be awarded for honourable conduct not someone just being allegedly good at their job.

where will it end?

good question, there are plenty of politicians in the house of lords who it can be argued made decisions that were not in the best interest of the country as a whole. Should they be stripped of titles?

has Shirley porter been stripped of her title yet? can’t argue for her to have it really? and Jeffery Archer? after the easy targets,

you get to the political targets such as Lady Thatcher?????

Publicity stunt.

Jeffery Archer – convicted. Fred Goodwin – censured for (very) bad business decision making.

Guess which one was stripped?

[dont let the imagine run riot with that question :wink:]

A Dame had her award annulled for nepotism, so I suppose there is a kind of precedent. Mildly interesting legal question though.

In reaching this decision, it was recognised that widespread concern about Fred Goodwin’s decisions meant that the retention of a Knighthood for “services to banking” could not be sustained.

Imagine is all were assessed in this way – it would be an interesting list.

Forfeiture commitee

Seems like censure is perfectly acceptable grounds, just seems that no one has enforced the rules before,

So yes it is political that it has been done, but it has been done within the rules

Interesting – so full steam ahead. Looks like the correct decision.

>Didn’t mind him, really, bit of a victim of circumstance,<

Hysterical. ABN takeover????????????

Brought the entire country (Scotland that is)into disrepute. I’d have had the bl88dy pension off him too if it was possible…

Hopefully the first of many of our top bankers who the country can’t do with out

I feel like a peasant being pandered to by the political classes as they spill the blood of the rich, stabbing their chums in the back with a “sorry old friend, you know how it is”.

Current political jockeying is so transparent its despairing.

Ok, lets see the list of those who should have it taken away, for offences they’ve been convicted for?

mleh

apolitical decison – they wont do anything to regulate the industry or the bonus culture but we will be strong on Fred. I am not sure he anything other than a scapegoat /effigy figure tbh.
I would much rather they did something to prevent a crisis in the future or something real than this political tokenism tbh.

Surrounded By Zulus – Member

Publicity stunt.

No no no, the timing is purely coincidental.

I find it odd when there was so much stromash made of Archer ( the liar) keeping his

On a pension like his, which the government has no power or will to remove, would you give a monkey’s chuff about the loss of three letters before your name?

Trebles all round, as they say in Private Eye.

I’m sure all the bellhops, caddies and gagged-and-bound sex-slaves in his five-star gilded retirement still address him as “sir”.

caddies

No,he was blackballed

Surrounded By Zulus – Member
Publicity stunt.

[quote]

exactly this. nothing else. A political motive to give him the knighthood and a political motive to strip him of it.

As titles don’t really mean much to me then it really means bugger all that it’s been taken away.

What does irk me a little bit is that the stripping of his title has become a whitehall priority – SURELY these people have more important things to do? think of the time, manpower and money poured into deciding what to do with his knighthood.

It’s hardly going to act as a warning to other bankers. I bet the less scrupulous ones won’t sleep for weeks…..jeeez!

So if the Olympics are crap will Lard Coe get stripped ?