If you’re going to commit a wrong today, it’s best to make it a really big wrong, so then you’ll probably get off scot-free. Consider the news of the last week. The financial regulator FSA investigating the RBS banking debacle which cost UK taxpayers £40bn concluded that the bank was run by misguided fools who made bad judgements, but broke no rules, so no action would be taken. Shell’s vice-president for sub-Saharan Africa was revealed as claiming that the oil giant had inserted staff into all the main ministries of the Nigerian Government so that it exploited political channels in the oil-rich Niger Delta to its own advantage; but when Nigeria strenuously complained, no action was taken. It was disclosed that the day before Blair privately assured Bush he would back a US invasion of Iraq, he had been warned by his own Attorney General that an invasion of Iraq would be illegal; but so far no action has been taken. Just three examples in a week, and there are several others as follows. Continue reading →