Bankers’ bonuses are an easy target. Politicians should raise other excesses, such as footballers’ pay or lottery winnings

Politicians have been falling over themselves to have the toughest stance on Stephen Hester’s £1m bonus from RBS, which he has now turned down. Being tough on bankers’ bonuses is seen as an easy vote-winner, and they are desperate to make political capital out of the public mood. Like anyone with a commitment to greater social equality I don’t dissent from the near-universal criticism of Hester’s bonus. However I can’t help feeling cynical about the outcry. If politicians are so concerned about pay excesses, why don’t they talk about some of the other areas of excess – the obscene pay of footballers, for example, or unimaginably vast lottery winnings.

Full article: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jan/30/stephen-hester-bonus-wayne-rooney