So, the government has asked the banks to curb bonuses and the headlines scream that bank bonuses are to be in the billions. A bonus is a means of motivation and without motivation people do not necessarily perform at their best. Perhaps a detailed breakdown of what type of staff receive how much in bonuses would be useful rather than headlines that seem aimed to cultivate a climate of jealousy. Plenty of lower grade staff are receiving a bonus that is well deserved for their efforts to smile as the face of the bank that the unhappy customer sees in the branch. so why criticise them? In any event the treasury coffers will cream off as much as 50% in tax form the big earners, so why don’t the headlines crow over how much we will all benefit from these large bonuses? Once again the politics of envy comes to the fore, but perhaps bankers need to use common sense when making these announcements.