MSE News: Inflation rise means all savings are 'losing' accounts

The problem is that without the taxpayer bailout, all these individuals would have been redundant from a bankrupt company?

While that's a fair point, there is also little doubt that the customers serviced by the Mrs O'Reilly's of this world would still need their accounts servicing somewhere. While I've not really paid much attention to the specifics of the Irish banking situation, there is little doubt that the retail arms of the likes of "bankrupt" HBOS and RBS (the high street branches etc) remained profitable while corporate sides of their organisations died a death.

In the midst of any winding up of a financial organisation those retail businesses would have been seen as prime assets, sold as going concerns and most of the jobs within would have continued under TUPE arrangements with a new owner - who would have been legally obliged to honour a contractual bonus.

Many other low paid workers will be out of a job next year and after, why should low paid bank workers be such a special case compared to other low paid workers having to reduce their standard of living in the years to come.

I make no special exception. I just think it's wrong to break contractual arrangements for political reasons.

It seems to me a pot of 7 or 10 billion goes a long way to paying off the debt the banks owe the rest of taxpayers for keeping them in business. Perhaps bank workers should be grateful they still have a job after so many of their colleagues have already been made redundant?

I know many who are rather jealous of those colleagues who got redundancy! Many who remained in employment have survived a hellish period where ignorant customers have willingly thrown abuse at those sat behind a counter simply trying to do their job in a pleasant and courteous way. It isn't the fault of Mrs O'Reilley folks - give her a break!

As for the debts the banks owe the people? In pure financial terms, I believe around 40% of the "special liquidity scheme" has been repaid with the balance likely to be cleared by 2012. The share prices of the likes of RBS and LBG suggest that the taxpayer is fairly close to holding a paper profit for the capital investment known as bailouts.

In no way do I defend the actions of the banks and their contribution to the Credit Crunch. But pulling a contractual bonus from a low paid nobody who has delivered after being told "do this and we'll pay you that" to make a politician look impressive? It stinks.

other companies that may have been bailed out did not bring the country to it's knees with debt as now

They did. You could also argue that the money invested in saving the banks didn't bring the country to it's knees. The excessive borrowing prior to the "rainy day" called the Credit Crunch was the problem - the banks were merely the straw that broke the camel's back.