RBS posts biggest loss in six years

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has reported its biggest annual loss since it was rescued by the UK government during the financial crisis in 2008.

The bank’s pre-tax loss for 2013 was £8.2bn.

Despite the loss £576m was set aside for staff bonuses, of that sum, £237m went to investment bankers.

There is one phrase that I think should be used to describe this and it’s fucked up.

I really need someone to explain business to me because this makes zero sense, RBS have posted their worst, repeat worst, annual loss since it was bailed out during the financial crisis, posting a loss of over £8bn and yet it could still find £576m to give to staff as bonuses?

Yeah rewarding people with millions of pounds for doing a poor job that’s the way forward I can’t see anything bad happening as a result of that. . . . . .

England may use psychologist for penalties at World Cup

England manager Roy Hodgson will consider using a psychologist at the World Cup in Brazil to ensure players are better prepared for penalties.

Six of the last 10 major tournaments England have qualified for have ended in defeat via spot-kicks.

“We have some confident penalty-takers, but others less confident,” Hodgson told Sky Sports.

I don’t think the players need a psychologist, what they actually need is that memory erasing gizmo from Men in Black, if Hodgson can get his hands on one of those then maybe we might stand a fighting chance in a shoot-out.

Seriously though I think Hodgson should do more than just entertain the idea and start looking for one this instant, and he should start with Dr Steve Peters (inner chimp man) whose worked with the Team GB cyclists and Ronnie O’Sullivan, because there are some players that will be in the squad who will have some very deep scars of being knocked out on penalties multiple times in their England career.

To lose on penalties in six of the last ten tournaments shows just how desperately the players are in need of a bit of extra help. 

Most train users unaware of rights, says rail regulator

Most train passengers are unaware of their rights to compensation after cancellations or delays, the rail regulator has said.

As many as 75% of those using Britain's railways do not know enough about claiming money back, said the study for the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR).

For example, passengers choosing not to travel after a delay or cancellation are entitled to a full refund.

This is an inherently British trait of having rights in place but nobody knowing what they are or when they apply.

Another problem is that if you get someone who is aware of the regulations and what they are entitled to if a company fails to provide a service, usually the company point blank refuses to acknowledge it did anything wrong and blames someone else, and by the time you wrangle it out of them that they are the ones responsible the compensation you get for the effort you’ve had to exert is a joke.

On the rail compensation is usually a voucher, which when you think about it is stupid imagine staying in a shocking hotel and when you complain the manager hands you a voucher that means the next time you stay their it’ll cost you fractionally less, oh thank you so much.

Now the regulators have identified and acknowledged this problem now comes the all important bit, doing something about it.

As that’s another inherently British trait acknowledging a problem and saying someone should really do something about that, when it’s their job to do so.  

Cleaner throws out ‘rubbish’ artwork

A cleaner has mistakenly thrown away contemporary artworks meant to be part of an exhibition in southern Italy.

Works made out of newspaper and cardboard, and cookie pieces scattered across the floor as part of Sala Murat's display were thrown out.

Lorenzo Roca, from cleaning firm Chiarissima, said the unnamed cleaner was "just doing her job".

I like to start off by saying that I think all modern art is rubbish and while I’m not a cleaner if I saw newspaper, cardboard and bits of cookie just lying around on the floor what are you supposed to think it is.

Apparently you’re supposed to assume that it’s all part of a great art exhibition and it should be left well alone because it was made by an 'artist' and therefore must be a work of genius. 

If you make ‘artwork’ very loose use of the term there, out of rubbish then you can’t complain if someone throws it away.

Don’t write England’s World Cup chances off, says Roy Hodgson

England manager Roy Hodgson says his side’s chances cannot be written off at this summer's World Cup in Brazil.

England open their campaign against Italy on 14 June before two more Group D games against Uruguay and Costa Rica.

“I definitely don’t think that we are favourites to win the tournament but I also refuse to believe that we need to be written off,” said Hodgson.

When England go into a World Cup usually there’s been a wave of optimism that this time, despite all the previous failures, this time England will win and usually what happens is we crash out on penalties and never look like winning it.

I was hoping maybe this time round we might try a different approach and state the obvious that we can’t win it, but for some reason Hodgson has decided that we shouldn’t be written off, even though there is a real chance and I mean a real chance, that we might not get out of the group.

This would have been the perfect time to say it’s not going to our year this year and then we can all be pleasantly surprised if England do well, rather than the usual.

I’d like to be more positive about our chances but like I said previous evidence suggests my pessimism is well placed.  

Nick Clegg says Lib Dem-Labour coalition possible

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has talked openly about the prospect of a coalition with Labour after the next general election.

He told a BBC documentary that Labour had "changed" and was realising it might have to share power with others.

The deputy prime minister also said the Conservatives needed to re-engage with "mainstream" voters.

Slow down a minute Cleggy, I think it’s bit early for you to be touting for the possibility of forming another coalition, particularly given the amount of support the Lib Dems have lost, and will continue to lose.

By the time the next election comes round support for the Lib Dems could drop to the point where they won’t be needed to form a coalition.

It’s amazing what power does to your principles, at the last election the Lib Dems rejected joining Labour but now it seems they’ll do anything to make sure they still cling to power in 2015. 

Power of recall of MPs ditched by coalition

The coalition is to drop plans to give voters the ability to dismiss MPs for "serious wrongdoing".

The idea of a "power of recall", where 10% of an MP's electorate could sign a petition calling for a by-election, was introduced after the expenses scandal.

It was included in the Conservatives' 2010 manifesto and their Coalition Agreement with the Liberal Democrats.

The coalition partners have blamed each other amid disagreements over the detail of how recall would work.

This was a great idea; giving the electorate the chance to kick out an MP if they weren’t doing the job, and yet after almost four years the government have now decided oh no we’re not going to do that, all because they couldn’t agree.

The whole point of government is they’re supposed to be working in the interests of the public not themselves, so what if you can’t agree on a few technicalities reach a compromise, granted that usually results in no one getting what they want, but at least this power of recall could have been put into practice.

But no they couldn’t agree so an idea that I’m sure would have got the backing of the majority of people bites the dust and no doubt in a few days another idea that nobody supports will be put in place.

What’s even more frustrating about this is that the power of recall, aside from the fact it would be popular, is that it would have been quite easy to introduce, but one of the coalition partners might have lost face so it had to be scrapped. 

Alex Salmond hits back over currency union

Scotland's first minister has accused the three main UK parties of "bluff, bluster and bullying" over their opposition to a currency union with an independent Scotland.

Alex Salmond was speaking after UK Chancellor George Osborne said a vote for Scottish independence would mean walking away from the pound.

Mr Osborne's position was echoed by Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

But Mr Salmond said the move would "backfire spectacularly".

Well I wondered when Salmond would offer a retort to Osborne’s speech and once again he’s adopted this approach of deflecting, as he’s decided not to answer the tough question of what Scotland would actually do if they couldn’t keep the pound and instead moaned about being bullied.

He also said the move of not allowing Scotland to keep the pound would backfire, but didn’t really explain how that would happen; also I’m curious to know if Salmond has spotted the irony in his comments.

He said that the three main parties were full of bluff, bluster and bullying, yet you could accuse him of exactly the same.

Salmond keeps saying that if he doesn’t get a currency union Scotland won’t pay its share of the UK debt, which could be seen as trying to bully the parties to the negotiating table, and he point blank refuses to say what he would do if he can’t keep the pound and seems to think, despite the growing body of evidence suggesting otherwise, that everything will work out, which could be seen as bluff and bluster.

Toyota to recall 1.9 million Prius Hybrids

Toyota is recalling 1.9 million of its top-selling Prius hybrid cars because of a software fault that may cause the vehicle to slow down suddenly.

The world's biggest car maker said it had identified more than 400 reports of the problem, with the bulk of them occurring in Japan and North America.

No accidents or injuries have been reported over the defect, Toyota said.

When I first read this I was delighted and thought Toyota are removing those hideous Prius eyesores from the roads, but no it turns out that this is the latest Toyota car that has a problem and needs to be shipped back to the factory to be fixed.

What I don’t understand about this is that Toyota is the world’s biggest car maker and spends a fortune developing their cars, and yet they can’t seem to make one that doesn’t have a problem.    

They had that problem a few years ago where they had to recall about 10 million cars because the accelerators in their cars would jam on, then they had to recall almost a million cars because the airbags wouldn’t deploy if you crashed, then their Lexus hybrid had to be recalled because there was a problem with the breaks, and now their recalling two million cars because of a software problem that means the hybrid system could shut down and see the vehicle stop even while it’s being driven.

I do love the ‘no accidents or injuries have been reported’ line yes don’t worry if you own a Prius you could be driving on the motorway at top speed doing what 30/35 and your car will shut itself down and grind to a halt but you’ll be fine.

As I said the world’s biggest car maker can’t seem to make a safe and reliable car, but what is even more surprising than Toyota ordering another mass recall is that last year their sales were up by 2.4%.

Is everyone just a thrill seeker and finds it exciting to own a car that might kill them or is everyone just adopting the mindset of well they must have sorted out all their problems this time, or thinking it won’t happen to me the Toyota I buy will be ok someone else will buy the one that goes wrong.

I really don’t understand how business works, you make several products that have faults and need to be recalled in their millions because they have put people’s lives in danger, yet your sales and profits go up? I really need someone to explain that one to me.

Next I’ll no doubt be reading about how sales of Pirelli’s are through the roof!  

George Osborne to ‘rule out currency union’

UK Chancellor George Osborne is likely to rule out a formal currency union with an independent Scotland, government sources have told the BBC.

It came after the prime minister said Mr Osborne would set out details of the coalition's position this week.

The Scottish government wants to keep the pound in a currency union if there is a referendum "Yes" vote.

Excellent news, I’ve found it quite strange that Alex Salmond seems to think that if the Scottish people vote yes and choose to be independent they should be entitled to keep most of the benefits they enjoy being part of the union now.

Excuse the expression but they should be in for a penny in for a pound, you can’t say we want to be independent but we want to keep this, this and this, and thankfully on the biggest issue of all Osborne looks set to call Salmond’s bluff.

I’ve got to say though I do admire Alex Salmond for chucking all his eggs in the wrong basket and yet pretending he hasn’t, all the poll data suggests that the majority of Scots want to remain part of the UK and now Osborne has ruled out a currency agreement the minority who did support it will drop, and yet every time I see Salmond being asked about the vote he seems as confident as ever that he will get a yes and that everything is going spiffingly well. 

Be interesting to see how he tries to spin his way out of this one.  

ECB: Lack of trust prompted KP exit

Kevin Pietersen’s international career was ended so captain Alastair Cook could create a culture where players 'trust each other', the ECB has said.

The governing body has been criticised for failing to explain why Pietersen, 33, was released early from his central contract after England’s 5-0 Ashes whitewash by Australia.   

But on Sunday, the ECB said it wants to “create a culture” in which Test and one-day captain Alastair Cook had “the full support of all players”.

This non-explanation is just a re-hash of the pitiful crap the ECB has been trying to feed everyone ever since they decided to get rid of Pietersen.

So according to this statement the reason Pietersen was removed was because he didn’t fully trust a captain who presided over one of the most disastrous tours in the history of the England cricket team.

For daring to question a captain and selectors whose record in all formats in Australia reads played 13, won 1 and lost 12, Pietersen should go, really?

I’m inclined to believe the real reason is the ECB and Cook didn’t like their authority being questioned and wanted total control and an easier life for themselves, so they all decided to get rid of the one person in the team brave enough to question their poor decision making. 

Otherwise why would they so steadfastly refuse to answer the question of why they decided to drop one of England’s greatest ever players when he could still play for at least another three years, and why aren't other big name players being forced out the side in a similar fashion? 

I must say before the Ashes started I was a big fan of Cook’s but his performances down under and the way he’s handled the Pietersen situation has left a very bitter taste in the mouth.   

ECB refuses to explain Kevin Pietersen exit decision

England's decision to end Kevin Pietersen's international career is still shrouded in confusion after national selector James Whitaker refused to divulge the reasons for it.

Whitaker would only say it was time to "rebuild" and "reignite the passion" amongst the England players following a disastrous Ashes tour.

Indicating there were legal restrictions in place, Whitaker said: "We are in a precarious situation in terms of what we can say."

This line about there are legal constraints so I can’t say anything is bulls**t, what it really means is there is no justification for us dropping Pietersen but rather than admit that and make ourselves look bad we’ll have the lawyers draw up some bogus agreement that nobody can say anything and that way we don’t have to explain ourselves.

In principal that doesn’t sound too bad, but what Whitaker and co. don’t seem to be aware of is that the questions won’t relent until somebody does offer some explanations, even if it is years later and they'll look just as stupid then as they do now. 

Children and parents ‘unaware of Bible stories’

Widespread ignorance exists among children and parents about the contents of the Bible, research has suggested.

Surveys for the Bible Society found almost three in 10 young people were unaware the story of the birth of Jesus came from the Bible.

A similar number of children had never read or heard about tales of the Crucifixion or Adam and Eve.

This is alarming news if kids today aren’t aware of the contents of the Bible then they won’t be able to see for themselves that it’s full of cock-and-bull stories.

Actually scratch that I think it’s better if they remain unaware and ignorant to it rather than taking it seriously and believing in it.

Hopefully this ignorance continues and Christianity, and all other religions, are phased out and cease to exist, wouldn’t that be nice. 

FA to reconsider Andy Carroll red card

The Football Association will reconsider its decision to uphold a three-match ban for West Ham striker Andy Carroll on Friday.

The club had threatened legal action against the FA after their initial attempt to overturn the ban was rejected by an appeals panel.

But the Premier League strugglers say they will now abide by any decision made by the FA Arbitral Tribunal.

There’s a perfectly easy and logical way to solve this, which is to rescind the red card Carroll got as it was never a red card in a million years and you’d have to be an idiot to think it was.

Chico Flores is the one who should have been sent off and awarded a much deserved golden raspberry for his pathetic acting, as he decided after being slightly caught on the top of his head to go down holding his face as if his eyes had been gouged out.

It’s so stupid as there are cameras everywhere and everyone can see it, apart from the ref who was three yards away, and yet no-one seems to be looking at that side of it, why are players who throw themselves to the ground like five years olds allowed to walk away scot-free? 

Punish them instead not the players they conned the referee into sending off.       

Plastic bag charge ‘a complete mess’

A cross-party committee of MPs says the government's plans for a 5p charge on plastic carrier bags in England are a "complete mess".

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) says the current proposals are "unnecessarily complicated".

Their report says that bans in Ireland and Wales were simpler and have significantly reduced the impact of plastic bags on the environment.

It seems the most simple of things and it seems it would take the minimum of organising to introduce and yet the government have somehow messed up  the plans for introducing a charge on plastic bags. If they can’t get this simple thing right how can we trust them to do anything else?

Instead of just introducing a charge for plastic bags the government is insistent on making it needlessly complicated and having exemptions for small businesses, who have said this is unnecessary and that the best way to tackle the plastic bag problem was just to charge everybody, but no our government don’t seem to want to listen to the obvious and want to do it their own way. 

I mean seriously how do you mess up introducing a 5p charge for using plastic bags, how? 

Kevin Pietersen's England career is over

Kevin Pietersen's England career is over after he was told he is no longer part of the national team’s plans.

The 33-year-old batsman, England's all-time leading run-scorer across all formats, was given the news by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

ECB managing director Paul Downton said: "The time is right to rebuild not only the team but also the team ethic."

This is an incredibly dumb decision, and if Paul Downton and the rest of the ECB management team are serious about this ‘rebuild’ then I can think of a few other high profile names that are due a phone call in the coming days letting them know they can forget playing for England as well. If that’s not the case then this ‘rebuild’ is code for make Pietersen the scape goat and blame him for everything that went wrong.

There are reports that Pietersen isn’t exactly the most popular player in the dressing room but so what he also happens to be the best and isn’t that the point of any sport at any level you play the best you have, instead of forcing them out when they’ve still got at least another three years left at the top.

What if the new coach, that isn’t close to be appointed yet, wanted Pietersen to be part of his side and thought he could get him back to his best.

I’ve said it already and I’ll say it again this is an incredibly dumb decision, and I can’t think of another major cricketing nation that would have dropped Pietersen at this stage of his career, but this is England we’re talking about after all.