Summary
Diamond geezer: originally London slang for a solid, reliable person, it received an ironical twist when the eponymous TV comedy drama featured David Jason as a jewel thief and professional con man. The expression came to mind with the news that Bob Diamond is to be the new chief executive of Barclays. Perhaps nobody more neatly encapsulates our ambiguous attitudes towards success in business.
As the head of the bank's investment arm, Mr Diamond has made close to pound(s)100m from the sort of debt-fuelled, reward-driven, big-bonus culture that Peter Mandelson dismissed as the "unacceptable face" of banking; the sort of activity that had the global banking system hanging from a precipice in 2008. Two years ago next Wednesday, Lehman Brothers crashed. This appointment is a perverse way to celebrate that anniversary.See the full content of this document
Extract
Diamond: Is He Taking Sparkle Off the Bank?
A year after Alistair Darling promised to tackle bankers' bonuses, 59-year-old Mr Diamond has landed a package that could earn him another pound(s)70m b...
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