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The real problem at the moment is that the banks - because of their existing culture, which is frankly anti-business, obsession with short-term trading profits, not focusing on the long term - are throttling the recovery of British industry.

There's a loss of faith in the banking system that for so long has been the backbone of prosperity and growth.

The banking collapse was caused, more than anything, by bad government policy and the total failure of bad regulation, rather than by greed.

Often you see big companies, big banks who are eager to embrace crushing regulatory burdens because they drive up everyone's costs.

Banks are concerned the central bank is imposing too many regulations. If the trend continues, we'll swing to heavy regulation. We need to have balanced regulation to encourage the economy.

In addition to their power over government based on government financing and personal influence, bankers could steer governments in ways they wished them to go by other pressures.

We need banks and financiers and entrepreneurs to take risks because that's how economies grow over time.

Banking is a very treacherous business because you don't realize it is risky until it is too late. It is like calm waters that deliver huge storms.

If a bank's too big so that it can't fail without hurting our economy, well then, it's too big.