LONDON'S Green MEP Jean Lambert is to host a public discussion on the future of banking in The City next week.
Leading banker Douglas Flint, Chairman of HSBC Holdings, will go head to head with Green banking spokesperson Philippe Lambert MEP – author of the controversial EU ban on excessive bonuses for bankers.
The event, entitled 'Making Banks Work For Us: , will be moderated by Jonathan Rosenthal, Banking Editor with The Economist.
The event, which will take place at Bishopsgate in the heart of The City of London next Monday, November 4, is free – but places are limited, so it's necessary to register in advance at http://makingbanksworkforus2-eorg.eventbrite.co.uk/
Ms Lambert said: "The economy is in a mess - with unemployment rising, banks failing, public sector pay freezes and access to credit for small businesses drying up - and this has exposed the banking sector as under-regulated and failing to serve society's economic or social needs.
"That's why I have decided to bring some experts to a public discussion on the doorstep of London's financial district to discuss what regulations we need to really make the banks work for us - and which are achievable at EU level.
"We will discuss the separation of investment and consumer banking, the public ownership of the banks, changes to the way banks invest in society and lend money to individuals and small businesses, making the 'Robin Hood Tax' a reality - and limits to bankers' bonuses."
The debate will be the second in a series: the last, with Tony Greenham of the new economics foundation, took place in the summer.