just let putin arrest all those gangsters. it worked in russia!

frank, queens, usa

"Hi France,
We the people of the United States would like to trade you Barack Obama for 4 good bottles of French wine. "

McCain must only be worth a day-old croissant using that exchange rate, Palin a half-chewed dog biscuit

Twinkie, Sydney, Australia

Nationalize all and lets go back to the feudal system. It's what we want. We like being taken (care of). We will give up everything to feel secure even tho there is no such thing. Perception is everything. Forget about reality.

Jack Tetreault, Lewiston, USA

Aren't bankers stupid?

LIBOR is 6%+ yet bankers still try to rip off savers with poor interest rates.

Why doesn't one banker realise that if they offered a decent interest rate they would attract lots more money and that would be self-guaranteeing. The more money they have the safer they are.

Fred, Moray, Scotland

Our bond with each other is just trust, and therefore to be truthful. Yes, we can do the Jean Luc Picard, no matter what... Human Rights... no more in-fighting.

Mark, London, United Kingdom

Banks want to be bailed out by the taxpayer?

Great!

Let them talk to the residents of Aruba, Jersey, Panama, the Cayman Islands, Monaco, Tonga, Switzerland and the other seventy or so tax-havens around the globe where they have been hiding their profits for god knows how many years...

Graham F, Watford, UK

Some Euro's are predicting - wishfully thinking? - the economic collapse of the US. Appears now that we're all going down together. Curious, though: The Euro is rapidly dropping against the dollar; the cost of crude oil is falling; and the US has discovered it has more oil and gas than it needs.

James Packard, Huntsville, Alabama, USA

Well of course Mr. Fleming from Palm Springas doesn't want any finger pointing. It points directly to Democratic Senator Dodd, Barney Frank, and Harold Raines and the fact that they literally stonewalled and talked through clenched teeth that everything was fine at Fannie and Freddie.

Mike, Newport News, USA

Be careful about these so-called "bail-outs." Will the financial people change their ways or will all of us be asked to "bail" them out again in a year or two? And, do you really want your government nationalizing your financial system?

John, Scottsdale, AZ, USA

This is what you get when you have a global economy. When one country has financial trouble so do the rest. Economies fluctuate. One day the stock market is down the next it's up. Give it time, things will improve. We need to ride it out, not let governments nationalize everything.

Al, Indianapolis, IN , USA

Some of in the US are still hopeful that there will be NO Bailout.

Jeff In Miami Beach, Miami Beach, USA

I say we put away pointing fingers and table national pride. This economic tsunami is global and it's time for the EU to pull together. What has evolved is a triumvirate of superpowers: EU, China and USA. We all must work together to solve these monsterous problems including worldwide recession.

John Fleming, Palm Springs, CA, USA

If you had purchased $1,000 of AIG stock one year ago, you would have $42 left. With Lehman, you would have $6.60 left.
With Fannie or Freddie, you would have less than $5 left.
But if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drank it, and recycled the cans, you would have had $214

Steven, Colorado, USA

14 months into the credit crisis and Brown sets up an action committee - what a joke.

It's in times of crisis that people are tested and all our "leaders" including in the BoE and FSA are seen to be useless - except in engineering themselves fat salaries and excellent pension schemes.

David, London,

These one liners are only so good. So here is mine: The banks spent two years off loading their own stakes in property, pending a property crash, but fuelled the boom while they did it. They borrowed to lend to other suckers (way beyond their 'deposits') and didn't think that would end. Wrong.

John, Oxford, UK,

It was a Dutch plan, and it suggested each country put 3% of their GDP in a rescue fund. Hence the €300billion.
Just a shame the British pride will be too big to ever be a part of a pan-European solution to any problem.
Time for the UK to stop cherry-picking the EU and go it alone.

Erwin, London, UK

To Rob:

Your 700 wont be used in our banks. But your mess is causing our markets to go down too. So sorry if we use our own money to help our own institutions. Yes your economy by default affects everyone elses but does not mean you are right and we have security, we pay for helping you!!

Garry, London,

France is seeking to put 300 billion of your money into the hands of a few private individuals. Wake up.

kev, Manchester,

Nice to hear Europeans are still blaming the US for their own woes. I lived in there for 4 years and all the European governments did was sell a line to their people that it they are powerless and that it is the US' fault every time they got in trouble. The Europe created their part of this mess!

Christopher Patrick, Denver, CO

I am all for allowing banks to be bolstered in these circumstances - BUT i would like to see management of these banks ("Masters of the Universe") subject to criminal prosecution on failure, any failure! That way we may avoid the "moral hazard" issues!

Tim, guildford,

I bet the French want this! All the money will end up in the same place as all the money from the CAP, in the pockets of the French! As long as each Govt supports its own economy there is no need to pool the money.

Dean, Southampton, England

Nothing wrong with the German banks then... Could that be guile instead of greed?

Phil, Atlanta, USA

Rob from ny

Before we start blaming the Europeans lets not forget its largely because the Euro banks lent to the US banks who invested in high risk loans that got them into this position. And that it was a UK bank who recently bought up Lehman saving many jobs over there.

Paul, London, UK

I found the best solution. I've taken all my money out of the bank and purchased a warehouse full of beer, this will always sell, far more secure than gold :-)

Mps, Swindon, UK,

who is going to pay for this? It certainly won't be France/Spain etc - it will be Britain because of it's stupid government who will not stop giving away money that it hasn't got.

Chris, s'bury,

Some French/EU bashing here as per usual. Typical.

Will, Lincoln: Unless you've forgotten Brown's already nationalised two banks. So much for only 'setting up a committee', eh?

I think I agree with the Germans in principle, that this should not be done. But I credit Sarkozy for at least trying.

Rene C. Moya, London/Los Angeles, UK/US

Rob, what military and financial security exactly? Your federal reserve began this problem by pumping dollars into an ailing economy, and trillions of your taxpayers money was spent on so called security that has aggravated aggression around the world.

David, London, UK

It would be far cheaper to get the Americans to clean up their own mess, besides... who wants to see European taxpayers bail out greedy institutions that emulated their US counterparts?

Congress did the right thing, let's hope that they return the Senate's revised bill with a blue slip.

Bruce, London, UK

Isn't this the same guy that was chuckling his behind off about the 'death of Laissez Faire capitalism' in America a couple of days ago?

Jason, Atlanta, USA

Hey Rob NY
Europe was bankrupt for 50 years after WW2 paying back every cent you loaned us. Now it looks like you guys have done it to us again
Cheers

Wolfie, Toulouse, Europeshire

Damn, here I was hoping that European nations hadn't joined in the reindeer games. We caused WWII by doing this once before....and then did not learn our lesson. I was thinking maybe at least some of you guys did read a little history....

Sara, Hastings, US

I don't understand, everybody here is blaming Bush for the banking crises and now we see that Europe has a banking crises. I didn't know Bush wrote the laws in Europe ?

steve, philadelphia, usa

Wouldn't it be simpler to tell the bankers and, oh so intelligent, financiers to clean up their own mess rather than expecting the taxpayer to foot the bill for their greed?

Perhaps they could coolect all their bonuses from the last few years and use that, it is misgotten gains after all.

Chris, Glasgow, Great Britain

we forget that we are essentially animals running round the earth with all these structures etc made up in our minds and computers. nothing is guarenteed other than we will eventually die. life happens, if it hits the fan maybe some of us will go back to the stone age, like half the world still is

stu, london,

The french are very good at taking........they have all or most of EON, take our gas and charge the earth to get it back to these shores. This island has been leaned on once to often, especially by European countries, it's time to say NO and start taking care of it's own.

Jan, Norfolk,

Is any of the elite "mainstream" media journos going to tell us the truth? Truth: the Euro Savings Directive means all wealthy savers have moved their money to new offshore havens eg Panama, Singapore. Therefore, there is very little money left in Europe. It's that simple, folks.

Frank Heyners, Lancastershire,

Hi France,
We the people of the United States would like to trade you Barack Obama for 4 good bottles of French wine.

EKG, NY, USA

Sort it out and guarantee peoples savings!!

liam, Bedfordshire, UK

Fantastic chance to get some integration structures set up with Europe. Britain is gifted in finance and should be at the centre. The Bilberberg will plan things much better and Brown is a finance wizz kid hero to most of them including Sarkosy

john ellis, london, uk

This is getting stupid......someone call International Rescue!!

Andy, Doncaster,

No doubt the Germans and we would contribute but the French would almost miraculously somehow not need to contribute a penny. Despite this the French that commute the brussels would manage to discover that they in fact deserved far more of the pie than would otherwise be expected.

Tom, Epsom,

After years of my dissatisfaction with my own bank -natwest ,i was left with a sense of helplessness in all my encounters directly with the staff.It is great to see the banks squirming for customers. i have already moved my company accounts to ireland earlier this year would urge others to do so too

emmanuel, chelmsford, uk

This idea should only be given serious consideration after the EU accounts have been verified for 5 years in a row.

Nick Beard, Seattle, USA

This has always been my problem with the EU, how to get a speedy debate and resolution at a time of urgent need. Rightly or wrongly Ireland went its own way, but had it waited until the EU got a resolution then six banks and perhaps their depositors would have lost everything. Many lessons to learn.

Brian, Phuket, Thailand

That money should go to the US taxpayer who is going to have to pay for the $700b bailout, some of which will be used to save Europe's failing banks. It's time Europe started paying America for its financial and military security.

Rob, ny, usa

The solution is = merge all British banks into two National banks and we would have only two banks lending to each other . with hefty reserves

Andy Cappell, Midsomer norton Bath, England.

The Prime Minister has begun to set up an emergency committee to take charge of Britain’s response to the crisis.
You gotta love this, at least we are a coupla weeks into doing something--then you have three countries that cannot agree to the order of magnitude what thay are talking about-!!!

Michael, loomis, usa

How can the Irish position be anti-competitive -- quite the reverse it is highly competitive! Different countries have for years had different protection rates and now the British complain! Instead of whining, the banks should make it clear to Brown and the slow-footed Treasury to do the same.

Jamie, Washington DC, USA

I can not just be me that thinks that the French have been 'to quiet for to long', to qoute Al Murry. The effects of the credit crunch are effecting all nations no matter how much they protest!

Matt Dove, Newport, Shropshire

This is a real problem. Ireland is relying on the Euro to issue a guarantee it could never fund on its own, so the rest of Europe is now faced with the choice of what to do to match it.

This is a little like the competitive devaluations of the Thirties come back in a slightly different form.

jon livesey, Sunnyvale, CA/USA

So we are 14 months into this crisis and Brown decides to set up a special team. How does this man substantiate his salary?

Will, Lincoln, UK

This must be the European equivalent of the US Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). An emailer to CNBC suggested a better title for the mortgage relief program was: Securitized Housing Investment Trust!

Alan, Luton,