Here’s a handy tip for any international bankers travelling to a press conference: don’t try to pretend you understand the anger and frustration of ordinary people by telling a cute anecdote about a conversation with a local taxi driver…it could spectacularly backfire, as the above video shows.
At this meeting in Ireland, banker Klaus Masuch begins by telling the room he’s pleased to see how the general public are well-educated on the current economic crisis, and mentions a taxi journey to give the impression he’s on the same wavelength as the Irish taxpayers. But one stubborn old hack isn’t buying it. Watch this heroic (real) journalist get irate, asking why taxpayers must pay back debts run up by financial institutions outside the country.
When the banker is protected by the rest of the panel and continuously refuses to answer the questions, the dogged old journo (Vincent Browne) loses his cool. Of course, he never does get his answer, but sometimes silence speaks a thousand words…
