Here goes for a bit of renewed passion.

Bankers have again stated today that bank bonuses are absolutely essential to ensure the right candidates for the job.

Fair dos I say - but I'd much rather have the best candidates for the job in teaching, nursing, doctoring, policing, caring, etc, etc. Why should bankers be the only ones needing huge fat bonuses to do their job to the best of their ability?

Because they are huge and fat?

Thank you.

Because generally speaking they are paid a small percentage of the money they make as a bonus, just like most commission based sales people. Its just that some bankers and traders sometimes make huge amounts of money, and so get huge bonuses. And that makes headline news.

Bankers deserve it more than teachers, nurses, doctors, carers and da police! (my bit for passion)

And a good teacher adds nothing to the economy?

A good teacher adds a lot of benefit to society. But to put it into context, a 5 million bonus is probably calculated from making a profit of 50-100 million. You can't compare the two in terms of contributions to the economy. Apples and oranges.

really, I thought they even got paid a bonus even in the years when they stunk it up and lost money? no?

Anyways, they have the money, they pay themselves the money is the way I see it.

I think the media would like the public to think that banks just hand out huge amounts of money to their employees regardless of performance. If you loose money, you get no bonus and you loose your job and you loose your reputation. Banks are as tightfisted with their employees as they are with their customers.

Of course the guys at the very very top, aka Fred the Shred, may still award themselves their bonuses but to be honest we are talking about a handful of people existing in such a position.

And for the record i don't work in a bank. Prior to being mum i had one of the lowest paid jobs...if people liked my food i got a tiny percentage of the tips, and the waitresses were never honest about how much tip they actually got, so the kitchen often lost out. Every man or woman for himself / herself in most industries in this world. That is life.

If they're commission based, as you said above, they're getting a percentage of revenue, not profit.

so the problem isnt that bankers get paid too much, it's that banks make too much money. If banks were paired back so they didnt make such huge profit margins then a by product would be more reasonable salaries.

don't overinterpret what i said.

I think mothers should be paid more than bankers and teachers. They have the potential to add to the economy, research and development, and the future of.. well.. basically everything really.

Completely agree. Off to do my unpaid job - feed and bath the kids. My bonus will be a kiss and cuddle from my 2 year old, if i am lucky. Money can't buy that.

I think today bankers would be treated like lepers at a party, and I can't see the situation improving. If they don't change their ways even more people will hate them.

Don't forget that while the banks are making ever more profit, the man in the street is paying for it. maybe it is a Greek man or a Portugese man, but somebody has to go without.

No one forced the Greek or Portuguese governments to borrow excessively for election bribes, unprofitable state companies, early retirement, etc. If you don't borrow money from a bank, the bank can't make a profit.

Although allowing them to join the eurozone gave them the same low interest rates as much better run and stronger economies. So while no one forced them, they were given the opportunity.

But the ordinary person sees the bankers getting richer while he is getting poorer. There will probably be a backlash, money doesn't buy everything.

A good teacher teachers many people who go out and contribute much more then 50-100million. A banker who kids himself makes 50-100million they only place investments into products that any monkey could do the same. Bankers get paid a huge amount, they are over rated on their real ability and then they pretend you need a big bonus to be considered good. The big bonus excuse to attract the right talent is BS since if you put mist bankers into a real retail business where they actually need to understand business they wouldnt know where to start

I'm on the record for capping or scrapping these bonuses but in defense of banks generally, if people/companies/countries cannot budget properly then it is their own fault.

We all think we are richer than in reality we are, and the sooner we realise this the better for everybody.