I ask because of a thought-provoking leaflet I was handed in Norwich on Saturday.
It gives a rather dystopian view of the future of money. It starts with the headline "Cash is Freedom, Use It or Lose It" and then goes on "Government is Planning to Introduce Programmable Digital Currency". Then it claims "all money will be dependent upon the internet - vulnerable to cyber attacks, power cuts and tech failure. Access to your money can be cut off by banks and Government. Every penny you receive will be recorded and every transaction tracked."
Then the leaflet comes down more to basics. "A cashless society will lead to no savings for a rainy day, no selling unwanted items for cash, no tipping waiters or hairdressers, no car boot sales or markets, no fivers for the grandchildren, no coins for the homeless/buskers, no tooth fairy or piggy banks."
I have some sympathy with this list as I don't feel comfortable adding tips to card payments, although I admit that I do it as I carry very little cash around with me now.
But I think where a cashless society will break down is not through some evil mastermind taking over the world but through incompetence and technical faults.
I remember when I used to work in the Blofield Globe pub at weekends way way back in time. Saturday nights were heaving due to karaoke. We never knew it as karaoke as I'm not sure the word had been invented. We just used to call them evenings where customers got up and sang with a three piece resident trio.
There were two bars at The Globe. One was a very reserved and nicely decorated and comfortable lounge where people could have a quiet drink. The other was a very large bar which was raucous and jammed full of people. Us bar people used to take it in turns to have a session in the quiet lounge where we could just relax and serve a few people.
Back in the main bar it was often chaos with people trying to get food and drink. Point is we had to add up all the drinks in our head. Ok in those days the numbers were much lower. I think a pint of beer was about 16p (yes 16p). So a whole round could come to under £1. But often there were super rounds involving shorts as well as beer. You had to add things up in your head as you dispensed the drinks. We didn't have calculators or tills that told you how much change to give. It was all up to you and your head. On occasions, if customers were talking to you at the same time, it all got a tad confusing and the total would go completely out of your head and you would just have to make a vague approximation as often the customer had taken a full tray of drinks away and come back for the remainder.
Today if technology in restaurants, bars etc goes wrong it doesn't seem as if the staff have any idea about what to do. I always add my bill up mentally so that I can check whether I'm being overcharged. If there is a big discrepancy I know it is worth querying.
As for the tooth fairy. Well I reckon he or she is overworked and underpaid. Where in fact does he or she get all the money that he or she dispenses. It must cost he or she millions of pounds every year! Perhaps in the future the tooth fairy will just leave plastic under the pillow.
Getting back to the leaflet - it was full of conspiracy theories that may or may not have some hint of truth in them. There seems to be conspiracy theories on virtually everything at the moment. I even read one that South Norfolk is attempting to replace our sitting MP by another candidate at the next election because of a right wing coup that is attempting to put its own candidates forward for what it seems as safe seats.
This is absolute nonsense. If and when our MP Richard Bacon is replaced it will be due to his inability to represent the people of South Norfolk and the fact that he attends virtually nothing and fails to answer letters, e-mails and telephone calls.
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My obsession for counting is well known. I count paces, I count railings, I count virtually everything. And of course I live for the day when a church board containing hymn numbers all adds up to the same digit eg 2222. It has never happened and I've even thought about nobbling a minister/priest/vicar into preparing a fake board just to keep me happy. If I travel into Norwich I pass an electric display showing how many free spaces there are in various car parks. Of course I have to add these up. "There's 456 spaces today", I will say. Grandson Elliot does the same thing.
I did mention this thing about the hymn board to Hethersett's Methodist Minister on Sunday morning and he had me counting how many people were in the church. He may just have been humouring me. More about this tomorrow.
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On Saturday in Norwich we decided to eat on Norwich market again. There is so much street food available but I was quite embarrassed to pay for my meal. It wasn't a case of it being overpriced, in fact exactly the opposite.
I had a massive bap (careful with what you are thinking here) containing two eggs, two sausages and two rashers of bacon with brown sauce and it cost £3.50, that's the price of a cup of coffee in some shops. Incredible value. After that we went to our favourite Italian Gelato in Opie Street and I had a scoop of Norfolk rhubarb and a scoop of hazelnut. It was only on the way out that I noticed they now have a custard ice cream and a Guinness one. Guess what I will be having next time? I'll give you a clue. It won't be strawberry.
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Exactly what is going on with our beloved football team? All of a sudden the Canaries are firing blanks.
Apparently at Stoke we bored everyone senseless and had just one shot on target in the entire 90 minutes and after the 0-0 draw the manager expressed himself pleased with the performance
It was the same in midweek when we drew 1-1 with bottom of the table Huddersfield. Our football at the moment is dull, boring and turgid. When the new manager took over we were scoring goals galore and were a joy to watch. Then someone at the club obviously decided we should stop playing open attractive football and start being boring - and this is all in the name of entertainment.