Off their Northern Rockers

So the executives whose genius brought Northern Rock to its knees are to be rewarded with huge pay-outs and generously topped up pensions.

Around 2000 of the people who worked for the company but paid no part in its downfall get the sack and probably a month's pay if they are lucky.

It's no wonder that those in charge think capitalism is such a wonderful system.

If they had a modicum of decency in them Mr Amplegirth and his cronies would hand over the money to the families whose livelihoods are threatened by their incompetence. But of course they won't. Instead they will lie low for a while until mates in other major companies find them a nice little non-exec directorship at a few grand a month to attend one meeting.

It;s easy to find people to 'condemn' the payouts on TV: "It's a shame and we must learn the lessons," they say, hardly able to hide their grins, knowing they are on the same gravy train, "But what can you do, these people had a legally binding contract."

Meanwhile the lawyers and consultants also walk away with a small fortune for failing to sort the problem out.

The only people who lose are ordinary tax payers (yes it is the state who bails out captilisms' failures) and the staff who have to find another job.

It stinks. And we can't expect it to change any time soon. The fat turkeys certainly won't vote for Christmas and what chance is there that our politicians, busy ordering their £16,000 kitchens and £300 mirrors from Libertys, will even realise there is a problem.

Corruption runs so deep at the top of our society, nothing, it seems, is able to cure it. Except when the Chinese take over the world and we all become Tibetans.