Dear Marcus

I understand that Your Bank is on the lookout for a new CEO, so I thought I would just drop you a line to let you know that I am available and willing to take on the challenges that post would provide for me.  I know that we have not met, but I thought we should start off on first name terms as it will show you that I have thoroughly researched the ethos of Your Bank, including taking note of the manner in which Your Bank executives conduct meetings with senior politicians, which was very impressive I have to say.

Barclays Chairman, Marcus Agius, gives evidence to The Parliamentary Committee following the less-than-convincing performance of his outgoing CEO, Bob Diamond

Let me start by making a simple statement that will, I believe, provide most of the evidence you will need to realise why I am the best man to succeed my predecessor in that job:  I love Your Bank.  I love Your Bank because of the people.   History will judge Your Bank as an incredible institution because of its people, and the best way for me to help with that is to be in a position to step-down whenever required.  But I can’t do that unless I am one of those people.

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It’s just a shame that it takes a drinks company advertisement to celebrate them!

That’s an open message to ANY news media people reading this ……….

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Those of us that do not bank with RBS, or any of their subsidiaries, are probably breathing a sigh of relief that the recent computer glitch did not happen at our bank.  After all, how many of us could have coped with the ostensible freezing of our bank balances for the time it eventually took to fix?

But, unbeknown to many of us, and beyond the obvious immediate ground-zero of no anticipated money in one’s Nat West Account, there are potential side-effects that could still cause our own domino to be in line for toppling, even when RBS are not our bank – invisible, radiation-style effects brought about by IT systems automated to collect data for credit rating reports, that could diminish one’s apparent financial health in the longer-term?

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Watching that match on Sunday wasn’t just about the most amazing result – Manchester City winning with virtually the last kick of the season, a kick that impacted so visibly to the solar-plexus of the visiting manager at the Stadium of Light as he waited, this time in vain, for the regular sound of inevitability.

Still twenty five minutes to go, but it’s already too much for this City fan to bear

It was also about the way that the City fans still could not bring themselves to believe: right from the news of Rooney’s goal on twenty minutes, through the relative ecstasy of a half-time lead, then the increasing doldrums of two QPR goals totally against the laws of soccer physics.  Until, of course, those last glorious seconds. Continue Reading