Sharp tongues

Bees are a calming influence...

Public Committees and Margaret Hodge; "What the committee had to understand. Fairhead continued, was that people at her level at HSBC were not paid to be actually personally responsible for anything and it was entirely unreasonable for anyone to expect her to know anything about anything.  This was too much for Hodge, "either you were naive or are incompetent" she declared, " you should consider your position as chair of  the BBC Trust"

When I went to make my first cup of tea of the day - essential, I caught a scrap of conversation on radio 4, comparing non-executives to bidets, everyone was laughing and as the whole image started to roll round in my mind as I slowly  grasped who they were talking about.  Of course non-executives are a bit like a bidet in a strange French bathroom, we are not quite sure of their function, and why do non-executives command such high salaries if they are seemingly 'non', are they the 'favours' if you have been a VIP in public life, the job lottery, high salary/no work...

Of course they were talking about Rona Fairhead, a non- executive on the HSBC bank board, who was another person who apparently like Stuart Gulliver head of HBSC did not know about the Swiss scandal of tax evasion - all the fault of the 'minions' down below.  There is as we know a certain parasitical nature of the rich and jobs for boys and in this case the girls. Fairhead also sits on the BBC Trust board, and picks up a decent salary on that as well.

Sadly the joy of Public Committees with Margaret Hodge in charge may be coming to an end,  as the forthcoming election will probably call for another person. Although there are plenty of barristers and MPs with inquisitorial tongues to continue challenging the lies and untruths, and stupidity of those in power, and are they not a wonderful spectacle to behold, Hogarthian in their challenge ;)

                           Emblematical Print on the South Sea Scheme taken from Wikipedia