Asks Iain Martin,

 “I have been waiting, in vain, for this scandal [the debacle of LloydsTSB acquiring “toxic” HBOS]  to catch fire. But instead the story is fizzling out.

Why? Well, Britons are punch drunk after the past six months. And perhaps the numbers involved are so large that they are difficult to visualise. Fred the Shred's pension, involving sums more easily grasped, was handily leaked by the Government as a distraction.

Yet the chain of responsibility is straightforward. Both Sir Victor and Brown made catastrophic errors of judgment, thinking a great deal of their own interests. The cost to the rest of us will be higher national debt and higher taxes.”

The actual answer is that there were so many depositors and investors who would have lost money by a catastrophic collapse of HBOS, they were happy to see their investments and savings protected even though that might beggar LloydsTSB.  It hardly lies in their mouths to then join vocally in the condemnation of Sir Victor Blank and Gordon Brown’s extraordinary agreement which led to the wreck of a sound bank.  This is not to say however, that Gordon Brown's involvement in this monumental blunder has passed unnoticed.  The electorate's anger will simmer until the General Election, when retribution will be delivered.