A leading news website forecast today's annual meeting of Barclays shareholders would be a riot.

If this was a riot, it was the kind of riot you can see any sunny afternoon on the bowling greens of Tunbridge Wells. Oh, there was anger from the shareholders.

But it was directed at politicians, not the board of directors arrayed in front of them. Chairman Marcus Agius (dark blue tie) stumbled over his speech slightly but got rapidly into his stride as the questions flowed. And did they flow? They carried on for over two hours. Agius formed a tight double act with chief executive John Varley (dark red tie).

The first shareholder set the tone: “I talk for all of us when I offer thanks to Mr Varley and the board for keeping us out of the clutching grasping thieving hands of our Government.”

Another investor said he was saddened that the word bonus (which did not apply to Barclays bosses last year) had “become as dirty a word as is the phrase MPs' expenses”.

Hundreds of shareholders turned out — so many that they queued across the courtyard of the QEII Conference Centre and into the shadows of Westminster Abbey. The four police officers present, with identity numbers clearly on display, had nothing to do but chat to shareholders.

Agius knew his job. He not only chaired the meeting with some style and aplomb but he apologised profusely on several occassions. The institutions, who as usual failed to make their voices heard at the meeting, had already ensured his re-election as chairman.

He knew he had to face the small (why are none of them ever tall?) shareholders and take their criticisms, be it on bonuses, Dubai tennis, awkward staff or sponsorship of the Premier League.

He took it like a man. The shareholders, while not cheering him to the rafters, applauded his performance. Then they streamed into the Benjamin Britten room for the real business of the day — sandwiches, cakes and “one small bottle of red or white wine”.