A whopping 900 Barclays shareholders showed up to the AGM this morning.

Although for some of them, it was less about protecting their investment and more about filling their bellies.

In the queue to go through security, an elderly couple told me, "Sometimes they don't have refreshments here, which is awful.

But when they do, they are really nice."

And the foodies dominated the question and answer session too.

"I'd like to thank the chairman for the refreshments today" commented one at the end of his lengthy question.

What about holding the board to account - accounting procedure? Leveraged debt valuations? Any further write downs? That dismal share performance over the last year?

One elderly gentleman was trying to ask a question about share price (in an admittedly slightly verbose manner), only to be heckled with "hurry up its lunchtime!"

That got a laugh and no doubt more than a couple of board members silently felt the same way, but the fact is, this is indicative of an important point.City Minister, Lord Myners has talked a lot recently about investors taking their responsibility to scrutinise and hold company boards to account, seriously.

He went so far, in his speech to the National Association of Pension Funds, as to suggest they had been neglectful up until now, in that respect. (Which felt a little like shifting the blame for the banking crisis!) but perhaps he has a point.

If shareholders see the AGM as a chance to have a free cuppa and some cake and don't even bother to vote on the resolutions at the end of the meeting then how can they complain that those in charge have failed them?

More importantly, their apathy can end up effecting non-shareholder taxpayers too, who have to pick up the pieces and the bill when it's all too late!

A respectful request: Shareholders, earn your lunch!