Officially, before employees can file a complaint against their employers, they must first file a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down

But egalitarian did not mean equal: in mixed clubs, boys tended to charge about the place, keeping the girls out of the billiards room and hiding the table-tennis balls.

ECONOMIST: Men and women

In 2009 Judge Miller threw out ERISA claims in the case and granted El Paso summary judgment on the ADEA claim, finding it was barred by the failure of the plaintiffs to file a timely charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

FORBES: Ledbetter Law Fails To Save El Paso Workers' Suit

And, everything else being equal (as they say), that means they would feel obliged to charge their customers rather more for loans and for keeping money safe (cough).

BBC: The cost of making big banks safe

So if Scotland were to become independent, all other things being equal (the ghastly weasel words again), they might either refuse to lend to RBS or charge prohibitively expensive interest rates for doing so.

BBC: Could RBS stay in an independent Scotland?