To be surprised there's so little comment on MN about the Barclays scandal

[nepkoztarsasag]

Don't come here very often but was expecting to see several threads on this issue, with many comments. It's been running as the main story on all the MSM since Friday morning

The only one I could find was this.

I hope the paucity of comment/coverage isn't related to this extensive MN microsite, where the fraudsters experts at Barclays give MNetters cheerful advice about starting your own business and "money worries" (ha!).

I did wonder about this but, an I know this isn't the right thing to say, I just cannot be bothered with it all anymore.

I feel completely desensitised to all these things the banks have been doing. I know I should feel outraged but " banks defrauded us" I now just feel that I can't say I'm surprised. I think all the new about things like this combined with the levinson, mps expenses and so on has made me not find it at all shocking that corporations and people in power are so corrupt.

Pus it is Friday night, drunk threads and all that.

I can't imagine MN offering advice on one of their products would affect posters ranting about something they feel strongly about

Unless you're saying MN is in a conspiracy with them to silence the vipers of MN, which is equally laughable.

For me it's because I don't feel strongly about it, banks living up to their recent stereotype of being full of thieving bastards? Where's the story?

Same as politicians, big corporations, anyone with large amounts of cash, they're all trying to fleece more than they're entitled to, regardless of whether the law gets in the way.

Money = power and everyone can understand other people not wanting to be powerless.

Leveson

Plus

Fucking iPad.

Exactly ruby, you come on MN to get away from huge shitty things you can do fuck all about.

Major X Post with AgentZigzag

I'm a bit confused about it TBH. I had considered starting a thread to ask if someone could explain, but I've already had an ear bashing from my mum this evening so didn't want another one from MN accusing me if being stupid.....

I will google it tomorrow though.

You know that thing "compassion fatigue" where people give to charity up to a point and then just can't be arsed any more?

I think everyone has crisis/bankers fatigue.

I just can't be bothered thinking about it.

On other sites, there are many threads and sometimes thousands of comments.

On MN, the story has barely caused a ripple.

I'm not alleging conspiracy, but I do find it surprising, especially given the things MNetters do get worked up about.

I think the men people involved in banking and politics go out of their way to portray them as the most mind numbingly dull subjects possible so people generally don't want to get involved and they get to keep all the money and power themselves?

Or are they just generally dull subjects anyway?

What do you think nepkoztarsasag? (not the most text friendly MN name I've come across )

I think I understood DHs explanation last night, but it's far too late to worry about it now.

You Hungarian, nepkoztarsasag?

Well googled spotted yellow.

Actually, I lived in Hungary and I studied Central and East European Studies.

Nem magyar vagyok - beszelek magyarul egy kiscit!

I sympathise with the points made about "corruption fatigue". In an age where it seems like everyone is on the take and no one has a moral compass, why worry about the exposure of more lying and stealing?

Except I think it's in the interest of the liars and thieves to make us believe that "everyone is at it", because it blurs their own moral responsibility.

And I do think it's a big deal for Barclays to be exposed so flagrantly as a bunch of liars and spivs. They are a high-street presence that English people grew up with, not a distant investment bank like Goldman Sachs.

Read recent media coverage and ask yourself how seriously you take the cheerful "advice" on the MN Barclays microsite!

For me, it's the scale of the problem, and the helpless feeling that the usual suspects in Whitehall are too far in the pockets of the big banks to do anything about it, just like how they shied away from imposing trading taxes in the end.

The whole sector needs an overhaul and if that means the hedge funds disappear to Switzerland well, I think that's a good thing for the UK long term. But pigs will fly before the current government does anything about it.

Hehe, apologies for assumptions yellow, I was projecting

They make some thieving seem more criminal than other types nepko.

Ah. Beszelek angolul. Eggyshegedre!

I know the spelling is awful. Sorree.

I'm not talking about it because it's in no way news to me. Bank is exposed as lying cheating and out to screw you.

Well. Tell me something I don't know!

I couldn't have a lower opinion of the entire system. I am not naive, I know that it's a nice little club up there at the top, with the politicians and the bankers and the captains of industry all having a jolly old time and making mutually beneficial plans and arrangements...

So really, what is there to talk about? We know the situation and I think we are bright enough to know that nothing short of taking pitchforks and storming Westminster is going to bring about any genuine change

But really, when you have a nation that (generally) knows more about who did what in eastenders than it does about the economy, and where some actors getting a divorce makes the ten oclock news - tell me - what bloody hope is there of that?

The banks/government will do some little thing, as little as they possibly can and probably largely meaningless, in order to soothe us. They'll tell us it's a big change, a big thing and means so much. But they'll be lying.

And then they'll distract us with something else and hope we forget about it. It's been the modus operandi of those in power for many many years. Get the little people fighting among themselves, get them blaming each other for the mess the country is in. Do whatever you have to to make sure they don't all turn and look in one direction and if all else fails, start a war.

what Hec said

also we have been quite preoccupied with something else on MN tbh

I feel that someone like OP coming on to MN to hector members about the lack of discussion around a partic/pet subject a bit off

i was surprised it wasn't on more threads as well OP

i think there is a bit of fatigue

but i know it has been talked about by everyone i met yesterday - i know i am still processing it all esp as a small business owner who was sold a LIBBOR related product - really pondering what to do now. go back to bank with raised eyebrow?

The process of starting and continuing at work, for me, has been a process of being disabused of the notion that applying moral principles could ever be considered reasonable at work. In all industries, private, public, you name it. That has consequences.

What is there to say? It's so scandalous that it's almost impossible to get one's head around the facts, particularly now it's come out that generalised banking skulduggery has probably sent tens of thousands of small businesses over the brink. It is beyond comprehension. It is FRAUD on a huge scale and those in charge should be locked away for a very long time.

It's not just Barclays though it is it? It's Lloyds Natwest HSBC etc. who are also now under FSA investigation? Although Barclays has already been fined.

As soon as Bob Diamond said he wouldn't be resigning I thought, there's a man who will be resigning shortly. What a twat! Sounding his own departure gong. His comments about it being no longer the time for humility or remorse from the banks is going to come back and bite him on his scraggy arse - I hope they get some good well-informed people in Parliament to question him but I fear most of the politicians don't understand any of this stuff as evidenced by the Tories wheeling out their sacrificial lamb on Newsnight.

I would support an inquiry funded entirely by the banks. They should start selling off assets for the litigation/inquiry fund now.

No, I also find it puzzling because there is actually a lot of political discussion here. The 'fatigue' explanation hasn't stopped that. There have been quite a few other big issues here lately though, such as the expat and disability threads, so I think they may be consuming the attention of people who would post about Barclays.

Is there a campaign to get people who bank there to move their accounts? Because mass exit would surely mean Diamond HAS to go.

No one was prosecuted when this crisis first started, no one will be prosecuted now. People are happier to pretend it isn't happening but it is very much one rule for them, one rule for the rest of us.

This will have caused stress and heartache amongst many but the simple fact is that no one really cares anymore. Welcome to the Western world where avarice wins every time.