On the QT: Nothing a bunch of fives won’t fix

Sid’s mailbox has been full of vitriol over the state of our institutions, which have been coming under severe criticism. And the main question is: what exactly has been achieved by BIBA or ABI lately?

We have alarming levels of broker fees for the FSA and the Financial Service Compensation Scheme, but no one at BIBA has chained themselves to the Houses of Parliament; they just go to cocktail parties there.

And the ABI is clearly run by the life companies – no wonder the Brits have put up such a pathetic stand against the farcical change in rules on gender-based insurance charging.

Sid will not, of course, take sides in the debate, but there’s little doubt we should have one.

Can anyone name the board members of BIBA? Do they even come out during daylight hours? Delving into even more obscurity, can anyone name the members of the ABI general insurance committee?

“Boards take hours but save only minutes”, Sartre once said – or was that Blackpool Football Club manager Ian Holloway?

Meantime, Sid has decided that in the event Messrs Ross and Colosso work out that the best way to decide who leads the new company is through… a fight, Sid could sell many tickets to see such a sight. Indeed, a good fist fight could have solved many disputes over the years – Mayer v Cullum, Meehan v Blackham, Maso v Evans (allegedly, of course). Anyone prepared to take on Hector Sants? No, clearly not.

If you have any disputes you want Sid to sort out with a decent punch-up, let me know – as always, on the QT.

Email Sid: sid@insurancetimes.co.uk