Collect Your Shopping At A Tube Station
This story in the Standard describes how London Underground stations will be used as pick-up points for shopping. Here’s the first two paragraphs.
Tube chiefs signed up some of the high street’s biggest names today to start a retail revolution on the Underground.
From next month, Tesco and Waitrose will offer a “click-and-collect” service that will enable passengers to pick up groceries from lockers or vans at a dozen outlying stations.
After the story about Doddle parcel points in rail stations, there would appear to be a delivery revolution starting out there.
And about time too!
Today, I’ll have to stay in as I am awaiting a valuable package from a courier. As they usually come here about 16:00, that will mean a long wait.
My most common package is clothes from M & S, but these days, I Click and Collect, at the store at The Angel and just pick them up when I get the e-mail. As I pass the store, virtually every day on a bus, it is so convenient.
When I get a local parcel delivery point, it will be so good.
Carney’s Sense On An Independent Scotland And The Pound
Mark Carney has pronounced on how an independent Scotland would use the pound. It’s reported here and this is the first few paragraphs.
The Bank of England governor has said an independent Scotland would need to give up some power to make a currency union with the rest of the UK work.
Mark Carney said such a move, proposed by the Scottish government, “requires some ceding of national sovereignty”.
He also said the risks of not having a strong agreement had been demonstrated by problems in the Eurozone.
I think it is more complicated than he says, as would a government of what is left of the UK, want to let Scotland share a currency? There are plenty of politicians, who would want to settle old scores
And would Scotland be allowed to use the pound by the European Union?
I don’t care one way or the other, so long as I don’t have to foot the bill for extra taxes to pay for the mess politicians leave us in! Which of course, they always do!
The Bill For RBS Goes Up
On the first of January, I wrote this post, entitled Will We Ever Get Rid Of This Worthless Bank.
But now according to reports, like this one on the BBC, the bill is going to get bigger. The BBC article says that the bank needs another £3.1 billion for claims relating to the financial crisis. As there are sixty three million of us, that means, that even the granny in the council house and the baby just leaving the hospital will have to find another pound a week.
So next time, you look at your bank account or count the change in your pocket, think of the mess that the prudent Gordon Brown, dropped us in.
Now Lloyds Bank Has Card Problems
What is it with the UK banks computer systems, as Lloyds had problems last night, as is reported here.
Beware for a surge of spam targeting Lloyds customers.
Would a Labour Government Target Smokers?
There are a couple of reports in cyberspace, that Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary wants to bring in more anti-smoking legislation.
I suspect, that many non-smokers and virulent anti-smokers like myself would welcome this, but would the idiots, who still smoke?
According to the Sunday Times, Labour peers are going to try to introduce a ban on smoking in cars containing children this week. I suppose if it passed, judging by the stupidity of the average smoker the coaltion and not Labour, would get the blame.
I actually, think we should go further and ban smoking in any moving vehicle. Partly, this is based on my experience as a child of my father filling and lighting his pipe on the move. On one ocassion he set his trousers on fire!
Canada Bans Marmite
I have some sympathy for the Canadians about this story on the BBC, as I can’t stand the stuff. C, on the other hand, was an addict, and I miss taking her, her morning cup of hot Marmite every day.
Is this discrimination against the British, as there is nothing in the article about banning the similar product from Australia; Vegemite? But according to Wikipedia, Vegemite is also banned.
E-Cigarette Ban For Under-18s
I am unsure about e-cigarettes, as to me, smoking in any form isn’t good for you! Smoking was probably a factor in my youngest son getting the pancreatic cancer that killed him, so that might explain my bias.
But I am pleased to see in this report, that the government is going to ban e-cigarettes for under-eighteens. Here’s the first few paragraphs.
Under-18s in England are to be banned from buying electronic cigarettes, the government has announced.
Experts say it is not yet known what harm the tobacco-free devices could inflict and that their contents could be damaging young people’s health.
An estimated 1.3m people in the UK use e-cigarettes which were designed to help smokers quit.
I’m not sure about the last bit, as those that use them in my experience don’t seem to be quitting. Like most things, they were invented to make money.
Is Facebook Going Belly Up?
This article in the Guardian, quotes researchers at Princeton University, saying that Facebook will lose 80% of its members by 2017.
They’ve compared the growth of the social networking site to an infectious disease.
I think it will have died, as something else will replace it.
Are Things Getting Better?
There has been a lot of discussion about whether things are getting better, with the government that things are on the up and Milliband saying they’re not. This article gives both views, with David Cameron being quoted in this way.
Most British workers have seen their take-home pay rise in real terms in the past year, the government claims.
It has produced figures showing all except the richest 10% saw their take-home wages rise by at least 2.5% once tax cuts were taken into account.
The article says this about Ed Milliband.
Labour leader Ed Miliband said the figures were “dodgy” and ministers were out of touch with people’s lives.
I’m not going to take sides, but as I travel around the country, I see many things.
If I look at my situation, I think it has got marginally better compared to what it was twelve months ago.
I’m getting a slightly higher rate on my savings in Zopa, my energy is slightly cheaper since I moved my energy supplier to Ovo and running my household seems to be cheaper, as I’ve organised myself better. The latter is not down to the economy, but partly due to individuals and companies, launching new products and services.
One thing that hasn’t hit me, is the cost of motoring! Because I don’t!
I’ve just had February’s edition of Modern Railways and as in the last few months, there are quite a few articles about new stations and lines. There’s also been a few examples of new and refurbished trains being built or modified in the UK. But go to places like Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester and the transport infrastructure is much better than it was three or four years ago. Other places like Blackburn have got new stations. And there are quite a few new British-built buses too.
If the experience of the introduction into North London of the Overground, is anything to go by, where people have told me it has allowed them to get to new or better jobs, this new transport infrastructure can only be a good thing.
But if I go to places outside of London, it all seems much better. Surprisingly, there are quite a few bright, new shopping centres.
But then some politicians don’t want to be positive!
Barney Curley Does It Again!
There are gamblers, successful gamblers and Barney Curley. In a betting coup a couple of days ago, the BBC is reporting that he made about two million pounds.
It certainly isn’t the first time! A late friend was a Newmarket bookmaker and was always on the look-out for any of Barney’s money. He managed to avoid any serious damage, but that was more by luck than judgement.
Wikipedia gives a detailed account of the Yellow Sam betting coup.
The major bookmakers thought they had protected themselves against coups from the likes of Barney Curley. But they were wrong!
The Anonymous Widower 