Friday 12 March 2010

RBS+Yanks=Recipe for Disaster

According to the Daily Telegraph, RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) will soon receive yet another injection of capital of up to £25.5 billion of tax payer money, which will take taxpayer ownership up to 95%, following the collapse of the high street bank as a result of the recession which currently engulfes Britain.

As taxpayers, surely we deserve a say in how RBS is run, and who they lend their (our) money to.

RBS have provided the loans for Hicks and Gillett to buy Liverpool Football Club. In simple terms, the Yanks borrowed money off RBS, to buy the club, and are now paying back that loan using money generated from the club, which ultimately derives from the back pocket of your average supporter.

RBS are not acting in our interests. Clearly, the Americans are loathed by Liverpool fans (taxpayers), and must be ousted as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, the only realistic way to oust the Yanks is for RBS to demand full payment immediately, which would force Hicks and Gillett to sell up quickly.

For this to happen we must make our voices heard.

I recently found out about a Facebook campaign, designed to force RBS to end their support of the Yanks regime. The creator of the group has circulated an email, and has encouraged Reds to forward it to people at RBS.

Here are the addresses to send the email: Stephen.Hester@rbs.co.uk; John.HOURICAN@rbs.com; Roger.Lowry@rbs.co.uk; rebecca.oliphant@rbs.com; Public.Affairs@rbs.co.uk

Here is the message (please add the appropriate surname at the start of the email, sign your name at the end and if you're not a British taxpayer, or future taxpayer, then delete the relevant sections of text)

Dear

Having reviewed the company accounts in relation to Liverpool Football Club and Parent Company Kop Football Ltd, of which there is approximately £237m worth of debt; it is clear that the business model operated by the current owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett is unsustainable.

Whilst I appreciate any refinancing package deal is a confidential matter between the Royal Bank of Scotland and the current owners of Liverpool Football Club, it is also a very personal issue for many Liverpool supporters around the world. As a British Tax Payer and a lifelong Liverpool fan, I can assure you that I am not happy that my hard earned money is being used to pay for the purchase of Liverpool Football Club for George Gillett and Tom Hicks.

There is an ever increasing sense of anger and resentment towards the owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, which is likely to turn towards RBS if the refinancing deal is extended in the coming months.

It is my understanding that if the refinancing deal is renegotiated beyond July 2010, then a campaign in protest against the Royal Bank of Scotland will take place which will include billboards with anti-RBS messages encouraging Liverpool fans to boycott RBS in a similar manner to the boycott of the Sun Newspaper (please see below)

http://www.spiritofshankly.com/debtliescowboys.html

http://www.anfieldroad.com/dont-buy-the-sun/

If your objective is "the long term success of Liverpool Football Club" then I urge you to formally refuse any longer term refinancing for Hicks and Gillett, thus leaving the current obligations needing to be immediately repaid.

We as supporters of Liverpool Football Club are effectively paying the loan repayments for Hicks and Gillett, and as taxpayers have a "controlling stake" in RBS. We should therefore have a say in where our money is being invested.

The ball is firmly in your court.

Kind Regards,



Liverpool Supporter


YNWA

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