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[Sir Tigger KC]

Take a look at this! The lunatics really are running the asylum!!   

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12661005

It would be nice to get a freebe, but these shares should be held until such time that the government can make a GOOD profit on them to help the national finances.... Maybe it's just me.. :-/

[albitz]

A desperate attempt for popularity from a party which has just come 6th in a by election.

[MICHELINMAN]

The Lib-DIMS  or the CON-DEMS?

or the LABOUR mob, now run by Mr Beans twin brother !!!!!!!!

Who would you choose?

[Varche]

Well it is an idea.

Better would just be to give them to bank staff. That would cheer them up a little and help them perhaps stay in Britain a little longer.

[albitz]

The only sensible option imo, is to wait until the share price recovers sufficiently and then drip feed them into the marketplace.Iirc the Lloyds price needed to be above 50p to be at the level where the taxpayer could (theoretically at least) get their money back.Its currently around 62p, so they could possibly already be selling some of them in the markets. :-/
I cant believe that even the Limpdems are daft enough to be seriously suggesting this.Just trying to improve their standing in the polls I would imagine. If they slip any further they will be classed as minority extremists.

[Mysteryman]

At current prices, every adult would receive shares worth just under £1,000.

Round here, the local off license owner would be able to retire in a couple of years.

[Banjax]

its a better idea than the "tell sid" bt share flotation, plus it would be cheaper, plus its literally giving back to the taxpayer - far too good an idea to be implemented of course, but it certainly diverts everyone from discussing what an utter shambles the libdems are in - their pr must be on overtime at the mo - i reckon the old "legalise cannabis" is up next.....but then i'm not a pr guru on fortunes 

[albitz]

The treasury borrowed the money for the bail out. The treasury needs a return on that money to pay back the debt.
£1000 per adult (at todays very low prices) would make a dent in the deficit. If they wait until the share prices hopefully recover to reasonable levels the return should be a serious amount of money by anyones standards.
RBS share price was almost 600p for years ago. It dropped to about 15p two years ago. It is currently around 44p.
It will be a very long time before it sees 600p again, but if the treasury waits until its somewhere around the 200p mark they will then be looking 58% (116p) of 107,245 million shares - which is a LOT of dosh.

[Nickbat]

Of course, we didn't pay directly pay for the bail out. We're all still paying the same tax as before the bail out (excl. the vat rise), so it's not really a case of "giving the money back to the taxpayer".  As Albs notes, the government borrowed the money, so it needs to find a way of getting a return on its expenditure so it can pay it back. Nowt to do the taxpayer really.