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| Originally Posted by Paul Brookes Did the boss of Barclays deserve is massive bonus? I don't know. The companys shareholders obviously thought so though and I'm sure the treasury got a slice of it as well. |
Did he deserve it? That's a hard one - seriously. I don't see how somebody can justify a bonus that's enough money to build a small hospital. Nobody needs that much money.
However, I do understand the need to feel valued. That's why F1 stars get paid so much, otherwise they'd do it for nothing if their rides were competitive.
I doubt the small shareholders think it's a hugely good plan. The renumeration committees (with the backing of pension fund shareholders) undoubtedly do, but there's a huge ammount of backscratching that goes on there. Think of the number of CEOs who've presided over company collapses and then walked away having trousered a few million as a thank you.
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| Originally Posted by Paul Brookes People earning a lot of money do so for a reason. Most are not "lucky", they have worked hard to get where they are - and they pay their way. |
I disagree (to an extent) here. I suspect that most people in the super-rich category have had a very healthy start to life, usually involving the correct school tie. Sure, some then work hard, but the privileged start in life gives them a huge advantage over others. Given equal attitudes, an ex-Etonian will do better than somebody from a sink estate.
Some of the super-rich lie. Look at the way Al-Fayed managed to acquire loans etc.
I absolutely disagree about paying their way. You're obviously not rich enough to enjoy the off-shore status that the truly rich do. See the example above.