CITY VIEWS: HAVE YOU SEEN EVIDENCE THAT THE “CHAMPAGNE LIFESTYLE” IS MAKING A COMEBACK IN THE CITY?
GRAHAM GLEN COMMERZBANK
“No, I haven’t – and the best example of that is when I look outside my office window in the evening, the bar just outside is never full. People are still relatively downbeat as they are scared about redundancies, and no one’s got a lot of cash to spare.”
JOHN BYRNE UBS
“Human nature is human nature, so after the initial shock of the crisis, people will go back to their previous lifestyle as needs and wants haven’t changed. The government is to blame, though – if they hadn’t bailed out firms, we’d see a lot more responsibility.”
JEREMY TRINDER WHITE & CASE
“I haven’t seen any signs of that – even if people are letting their hair down more, they’re keeping it very quiet because of public sentiment. No one wants to stick his or her head above the parapet, so everyone is just taking their cue from other people.”