Turns out you've not done so well at that.

[edit] @ Myp

I cannot imagine why, after 261 pages in this thread of you not listening to anything except your own pre-existing political ideology, that people might have lost interest in engaging with your arguments. Quite astonishing.

DOCCY G SAID THIS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

I CAN'T EVEN

The very fact that we're spending pages talking about the spending of public money on post offices instead of say, the Queen's house, or on any one of the thousands of dodgy government contracts shows how controlled we all are by the media.

Well we did talk about the Queen's House. Now we're talking about this. "X other thing is worse" is a very bad reason not to talk about something.

DOCCY G SAID THIS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

I CAN'T EVEN

Goddamnit

Goddamnit

Mostly financial services (banking/benefits/pensions/etc) for older customers in rural areas, I'd argue. There was a big to-do a few years back about how people could use the Post Office as a bank if all their local branches closed; now that's going away. I am not convinced by Cavey's "they can use the internet" for older customers, which smacks of "let them eat cake" condescension to me. Two thirds of our population owns a smartphone. That's an awful lot of people who don't

Is this habit or need though? My mum goes into the bank all the time. She doesn't need to, she's just used to doing it. If internet banking is a step too far, there's telephone banking too. There aren't many legitimate reasons to need to visit a bank branch. Do we really have to wait three generations before we can realise the benefits of innovation?

Is this habit or need though? My mum goes into the bank all the time. She doesn't need to, she's just used to doing it. If internet banking is a step too far, there's telephone banking too. There aren't many legitimate reasons to need to visit a bank branch. Do we really have to wait three generations before we can realise the benefits of innovation?

Is this habit or need though? My mum goes into the bank all the time. She doesn't need to, she's just used to doing it. If internet banking is a step too far, there's telephone banking too. There aren't many legitimate reasons to need to visit a bank branch. Do we really have to wait three generations before we can realise the benefits of innovation?

You could be right, I'm not sure. But I'm leery of drawing too much on only my own experience to answer this question. Again, the Commons briefing paper (which I've only skimmed so far) seems to have some better grounded research on what exactly these rural branches are being used for.

(Apologies if this has been covered already - I've only skim-read the past few pages)
As well as the elderly collecting their pensions, there are also lots collecting benefits via post office card accounts too as presumably some of them don't have bank accounts. Certainly my local branch (which is in a Rymans) is always full of them at the start of the week.

It would be nice if there could be some deal struck where post office account cards could be used at bank cashpoints to make withdrawals - it would certainly ease the staff pressure in branches.

Well, personally speaking, I'm "leery" about vehemently defending something whose actual benefits and purpose is so ephemeral that one has to read a Commons Briefing Paper - in detail - before actually being able to defend an argument, after having already made it.

Well, personally speaking, I'm "leery" about vehemently defending something whose actual benefits and purpose is so ephemeral that one has to read a Commons Briefing Paper - in detail - before actually being able to defend an argument, after having already made it.

But hey, perhaps that's just silly old ideological me.

That deal would be called "getting them a bank account"

Well, unless you're an expert on Post Offices, how else would you know what they do?

just checked most banks do basic accounts, so I am wrong

I really wouldn't worry about it, I'm wrong all the time.

When were you last wrong in this thread specifically?

If, say, I'd made robust statements about keeping X or Y, then it's not an unreasonable expectation to at least have the first clue about why I think such a thing.

When were you last wrong in this thread specifically?

All the time he said, paradoxically.

Was going to say some folks can't get them, as they are financially damaged.

just checked most banks do basic accounts, so I am wrong

No idea. But I've admitted talking rubbish loads of times, both on an off forum, as you know.

From this page, it suggests Post Office Accounts as an alternative to basic bank accounts for those who don't want or can't get them, so I wouldn't say you were wrong.

The PO shouldn't be exempt from being reviewed and improved, but if it is just a cost cutting exercise, as it seems, then it should be scrutinised.

The problem is people saying that the cost is high so let's torch it

I thought the whole point of basic bank accounts were that everyone was able to get one - "basic" being the operative word, it may not include a debit card or other things that come with most normal bank accounts, but it at least gives people a place to store their money.

Unfortunately not everyone can, you can still be refused one. I had personal experience of this last year (not for myself fortunately) but when this person got a job to try and sort themselves out, they couldn't get an account to have their wages paid into (PO accounts only accept benefits - go figure).

CrossCountry said the train involved was only in use because cow strikes had left two other trains out of action.

Cavey is right. The unions are completely out of control now.

Not for me, I have a car and I am mobile.

In small towns and villages, where buses are infrequent (as they are not profit making so services have been reduced) it can be difficult to get to another town etc.

And unlike Tesla’s Autopilot, Otto’s system offers true ‘Level 4’ autonomy. Once the rig hits the interstate, it is entirely capable of the job at hand, letting the human deal with paperwork, thumb her phone, or even catch a few Z’s.

“The technology is ready to start doing these commercial pilots,” says Otto co-founder Lior Ron. “Over the next couple of years, we’ll continue to develop the tech, so it’s actually ready to encounter every condition on the road.”

If he can nail that, Ron says he can make trucking a local profession. “You can imagine a future where those trucks are essentially a virtual train on a software rail, on the highway,” he says. He sees a day when trucks do their thing on the interstate, then stop at designated depots where humans drive the last few miles into town. Drivers, in effect, become harbor pilots, bringing the ship to port.

We were all promised much greater quality of life and more leisure time as automation started to take over. More time to pursue cerebral and worthwhile pursuits to betters ourselves as people and thus as a species. The robots will free our spirits, bodies, and minds!

That's what'll happen, right?

Well yes.

This isn't new, of course. Robots started taking over manual labour jobs in the eighties, and people worried about what we were going to do with all the people displaced then.

Turns out "not a lot".

I'd like to read that - do you remember where it was?

The hand car wash thing continues to confuse me.

Not all hand car washes are hand car washes.

We were all promised much greater quality of life and more leisure time as automation started to take over. More time to pursue cerebral and worthwhile pursuits to betters ourselves as people and thus as a species. The robots will free our spirits, bodies, and minds!

That's what'll happen, right?

This isn't new, of course. Robots started taking over manual labour jobs in the eighties, and people worried about what we were going to do with all the people displaced then.

Turns out "not a lot".