To Bankers Everywhere

Tax Payers' Bank Boss Takes Plenty

Hot on the heels of Barclays Bob Diamond receving a handsome multi-million pound windfall, Royal Bank of Scotland boss Stephen Hester has received bonus shares worth £4.5 million on top of a £2 million annual bonus and an annual salary of £1.2 million. The bank is owned by the tax payer to the tune of 83%. Trade union Unite described the bonus as a 'disgrace'.

Barclays Bankers' Bonus Bonanzas

New chief executive of Barclays, the aptly named, Bob Diamond has received a £6.5 million bonus. He recently said the time for 'remorse and apology' from bankers should end. His bonus was dwarfed by other colleagues including Jerry del Missier who got £33 million in shares and Co-Chief Executive Rich Ricci with £24 million in shares.

Mr Diamond's pay deal was labelled 'extraordinary greed' by Labour MP John Mann, who questioned him at a treasury select committee hearing in January. Dave Prentice, General Secretary at at public sector union Unison, said, "The time for remorse is far from over - we want to see bankers accepting they must pay off the debt they caused.'

There will be more cash to come for Mr Diamond who became Chief Executive in January with a salary of £1.35 million and incentive bonus shares of up to £6.7 million next year. Barclays top earner, who is unnamed was paid £10.9 million.

History is Now

As a youngster I had very little interest in history. It always seemed to be for boring fuddy duddies who appeared as old as the relics they drooled over. As a child I used to think that history was what had gone before and that in modern peace time society, there were no historical events. As I have gotten older, I have become more aware of history as being something that is a living, breathing thing. It happened then but it is also happening now. There's just no getting away from it and you might as well embrace it on your own terms. It has of course become easier to embrace history as I have become a passive (and sometimes active) witness to the major historical events have occurred since then. The first moon landing. That miraculous save by Gordon Banks. The three-day week. On the march with Ally's Army. The Thatcher Government. The death of John Lennon. Fred and Rosemary West. The televised murder trial of OJ Simpson. A new millennium. 9/11.

One of the most bizarre moments in living history must surely have been the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq in 2003. We were "treated" to a series of incomprehensible events during that period. We had one of Saddam's right hand men, "Chemical Ali" telling news reporters that they have fought back and held the American invaders whilst in camera shot we see an American tank rolling down the street. Later, in a very simple news conference, the words, "we got him" rung around the world as Saddam was located in an underground hideaway which looked like the size of an upturned telephone box, a stark contrast to the lavish and spacious lifestyle he was afforded by his own dictatorship. The trial by the Iraqi special tribunal that followed contained almost farcical moments with Saddam and his lawyers contesting the court's authority and maintaining that he was still the President of Iraq. Lastly, his execution was captured on mobile phone and released for all to see on YouTube. Technology and history coming together in a ghoulish, but strangely seductive way.

Now, the Gaddafi regime is under enormous pressure and although it appears that his son is trying to promote reform from within by reinventing the constitution, I wonder if it is just too late in the day. Too many insiders have jumped ship. He has lost power but has he lost control? Perhaps the only control the people of Libya will accept is that Gaddafi is toppled in a manner that is "Saddamesque".

Already, American families who lost their loved ones in the Lockerbie bombing are calling for summary execution. Their death calls seem to be gaining some support from Libyan Government defectors who are now claiming the bombing was ordered directly by Gaddafi. They want to see him hang. They might yet have their day. And history will continue to both entice and repel, in equal doses.

Chicken Chasni made with Taz Base

Tonight's tea.

Ingredients:

300ml Taz base gravy

Taz or BE spice mixture, 1 tsp.

¼ tsp. of chilli powder

¼ tsp. salt

1½ tbsp. tomato ketchup

50ml Heinz tomato soup

1½ tbsp. mango chutney

1 tsp. vinegar

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/8 tsp. mint sauce

70ml single cream

pre-cooked chicken for one

Method:

add 200 ml of warm base to the pan or wok

add the spices and salt and stir in well

over a medium to high heat reduce down until there is very little water left and the oil has come through, stirring occasionally

scrape down the brown caramelised residue on the side of the pan back into the mix

reduce the mix right down until it is thick and almost dry

if you add the remaining base when the first reduction hasn't gone far enough then the flavour won't have developed enough and the curry can be bland

add the remaining 100ml of the base

add the tomato soup, mango chutney, vinegar, lemon juice and mint sauce and stir in

add the pre-cooked chicken and stir in

let cook until the sauce has reduced to a slightly thick sauce

add the cream to thin the sauce to the right consistency

Notes:

The Taz base is very oily and most recipes call for 400 to 450ml of the base. I have reduced this to 300 ml due to the addition of tomato soup and cream to finish the sauce at the end.

You can increase the amount of mint if it suits your taste.

Chicken Jalfrezi made with Taz Base

Ingredients:

1 portion of pre-cooked chicken

¼ green pepper, cut into chunks and pre-fried

¼ red pepper, cut into chunks and pre-fried

½ small onion, cut into chunks and pre-fried

4 green chillies, sliced length ways and pre-fried

400 ml Taz curry base gravy

1 tbsp tomato puree, mixed with 1 tbsp water

1 tsp garlic paste or crushed garlic

½ tsp ginger paste or crushed ginger

BE spice mixture, 1 tsp.

1 teaspoon of chilli powder

¼ teaspoon of salt

½ tsp dried fenugreek leaves

1 tsp sugar

2 or 3 tomato quarters

fresh coriander, to garnish

Method:

heat 200 ml of base in the pan

add the tomato paste, garlic/ginger paste, mix powder, chilli powder, salt, and fenugreek, stir in well

reduce this mixture right down until you have a thick dry paste

add your chicken and pre-fried vegetables

add the other half of the base gravy and stir in well

reduce to the level or consistency that you want

add the sugar and stir in

add tomato quarters and garnish with coriander

David Cameron Visits Egypt

Prime Minister David Cameron has called on Egypt's ruling military to 'do more, more quickly' to bring about political reforms during a visit to the country. David Cameron called Egypt a friend of the UK and said "we want Egypt to have a strong and successful future". Mr Cameron is the first world leader to visit Egypt since the resignation of former president Hosni Mubarak after weeks of protests. I'm sure the Egyptian people will be delighted and that it will be life changing for them.

Give him a fortnight and he'll be on the streets of Libya too, jumping on the bandwagon while the dead have yet to be laid to rest.