Golem XIV: Waiting for Something Bad to Happen

[Lauren Johnson]

This video is very enlightening in many ways, and at the same time is mistaken. First, where he is mistaken. His thesis is that central banks (which carry out the policies of sovereign governments), have finally lost the power struggle with private banks. The policy setting functions of central banks have been finally ceded to private banks. I think this has gone on for quite some number of years. The events of the last few weeks are in fact a statement in a near public way of what is already true.

Having said that, the video is well worth your time. In short, the banks are going to get a free hand in re-igniting the subprime housing bubble of the last decade in all its splendor. No regulation, other than what they themselves provide. (Cough.)

[Magda Hassan]

The banksters will hold us all to ransom.

[David Guyatt]

What Golem is talking about is by definition a conspiracy.

As we know such things can't possibly happen...

Anyway, what he's describing is wholesale plunder of the rest of us.

[David Guyatt]

It'll be interesting to see what Golem makes of this:

Mark Carney hails new deal for too big to fail' banks

Bank of England governor unveils new set of rules about the amount of capital that must be held by 30 globally systemically important' banks to avoid further bailouts

• Jill Treanor
  
• The Guardian, Monday 10 November 2014 07.59 GMT
  
• Jump to comments (1)
  

'Globally systemically important' such as HSBC and Royal Bank of Scotland and will be required to conform with a new measure of capital intended to cover all their losses in the future. Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images

The governor of the Bank of England said on Monday that policymakers had achieved a "watershed moment" in their attempts to avoid a repeat of the taxpayer bailouts of the banking system six years ago.
Mark Carney said that new standards being published for banks should ensure they hold enough capital to absorb losses they incur and minimise the impact on financial stability and the need for international bail outs.
"Once implemented, these agreements will play important roles in enabling globally systemic banks to be resolved without recourse to public subsidy and without disruption to the wider financial system," he said.
Speaking in Basel, Switzerland in in his capacity of chairman of the Financial Stability Board, Carney was referring to a new set of rules about the amount of capital that must be held by 30 banks designated as "globally systemically important". Known as G-SIBs, these banks include HSBC and Royal Bank of Scotland and will be required to conform with a new measure of capital intended to cover all their losses in the future.

Carney said: "Agreement on proposals for a common international standard on total loss-absorbing capacity for G-SIBs is a watershed in ending too big to fail' for banks".
The proposals, being published ahead of this weekend's meeting in Brisbane, Australia, were drawn up by the FSB after the G20 meeting in St Petersburg asked for ways to devise a system to avoid future taxpayer bailouts.
The UK used £65bn of taxpayer cash to prop up RBS and Lloyds Banking Group and billions more to keep the financial system afloat during the financial crisis. The government has yet to sell off any of its stake in RBS although it has reduced its shareholding in Lloyds.
The FSB said the new standard for total loss absorbing capital known as TLAC should "provide home and host authorities with confidence that G-SIBs have sufficient capacity to absorb losses, both before and during resolution, and enable resolution authorities to implement a resolution strategy that minimises any impact on financial stability and ensures the continuity of critical economic function".
The level which has been set and will come into force in 2019 assuming it is adopted is for banks to hold TLAC of 16% to 20% of their assets when adjusted for risk.