Tony Porter ponders: more warning signs about going cashless and a snub from the new MP

We need to stop this push by businesses and banks into a cashless society.

I have mentioned a few times over the years massive outages of online card payments. All are online even when you’re in a shop, particularly in Australia where they are a few years ahead of us.

I have pondered if that could happen here and, sadly, I have now personally experienced it here in the UK: twice last week.

Firstly, while doing my mother’s shopping in Tesco Stalybridge, all the tills stopped accepting card payments.

I was lucky as I had enough cash to pay for my shopping, but I was amazed how many people, some of whom seemed a tad aggressive to the staff, only had their phones and no physical cards.

The cash machines outside were still working but, without a card, they were of no use.

A man who was a manager of Morrisons, rang his store and the issue was the same there.

I later found out it was a national outage.

Remember every time you use your card or phone to pay for an item the till or card machines contacts the bank to make sure you have enough money and or that the card is not reported stolen.

All well and good, but imagine the situation where cash is no longer a thing.

This happens and no one can do anything. Remember: cash is king.

Another good reason to use cash is that  every sale you make on card is recorded by the retailer, their bank, your bank and lord knows how many other “interested partners.”

Meaning they all know your spending habits and the DWP could ask why you shop at say JD Sports when there is a Sports Direct nearby if you are on benefits or even just your pension.

With cash no one knows other than you and the retailer, who cannot monitor your spending habits unless you sign up to a “discount” card thingy, but that is another whole can of worms.

Meanwhile in Wigan Armed Forces Day saw a state visit by Andy Burnham.

Two of my regulars managed to get a few words with him, though neither was impressed.

I was saddened that he did not take time to visit me in my shop.

The Tarmac at Plantation Gates has gone, erm, undercover, covered by gravel.

A comment on the video I posted online said that after a quick chat with the folks putting it down they were informed this was the finished product.

I do like the metal posts though, they look great.

Meanwhile in Mesnes Park the new tennis courts, “that will be ready for Wimbledon,” look far from that and, to be honest, looking at most of the people in the park a week last Sunday, a cricket pitch or nets would be more suitable, although I have seen more teens around town with skateboards, bikes, etc.

We need to get young Ellis back to push for a skatepark, which would work well left of the bowling pavilion, though there was a guy in a tent there this Sunday shouting abuse at passers-by.