Where are we all going to work?
 

Banks and other retail outlets going self service. More stuff done online - banking, couses, shopping etc. Smart devices which look after themselves and report back to HQ. Artificial intelligence and so it goes on. At what point is somebody somewhere going to say enough's enough? Is it progress to make humans largely redundant save for a proportion whose jobs can't be automated (yet anyway)? If UK PLC we can't pay for the existing pensions/welfare obligations and we're all being told we can't retire when we thought we could, how's it going to be done when increasing numbers of us don't have jobs, let alone the ability to retire?

:shrug:

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

We're going to have to capture some of the economic benefit of automatisation so that it's shared out rather than all going to Google/Apple/Microsoft/Uber. Some things that were previously expensive such as transport can likely be dramatically made cheaper, maybe even provided for free.

Also we might find new industries emerge from this process just as has happened in the past. Especially when it comes to creative industries which at the moment at least seem immune from both AI advances. I would argue the usefulness of humans doesn't lie in our ability to perform repetitive tasks anyway.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

A large number will end up as Carers, not in OAP homes but in our own homes. Social Engineering has been going on, and is being tweaked by things like The Bedroom Tax, changes to Housing Benefits to the under-35's, Child Benefits only for the first 2 kids, closing council-run OAP homes, etc. Homes will become multi-generational, with the youngest looking after the eldest at minimum cost to the taxpayers. Any shortfalls in manning will be filled by the unemployed getting Benefits in exchange for social work.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

We can argue about what's useful but there going to be an awful lot of people with increasingly fewer options for jobs let alone what used to be called careers. Creative industries depend on people wanting and being able to afford what they produce. When push comes to shove, many of them will be amongst the first to suffer I'd have thought.

I'm really just wondering if, in the rush for 'progress', anyone at HQ is thinking much about the ramifications of where we're heading. If they are they're keeping it quiet but I'm always happy to be educated.

---------- Post added at 14:25 ---------- Previous post was at 14:22 ----------

I fear you're right. More and more people will be 'forced' to have 'jobs' caring for other people whether wholly or partially. Then we'll need more people to care for all the carers who can no longer care for themselves let alone anyone else. It's not an especially bright prospect is it.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

i think at some point the adults will have to step up like they did with brexit and end the madness ,the kids will whine like hell it's what they do but they have to be saved from their own stupidity :devsmoke:

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

It's just people rushing to take advantage of developing technology. It's not really an act of design or something that we can stop.

There might be a lot of job losses but the government should start considering solutions to that now and see how automation can benefit society and how we'll spread out wealth generated from machines. Universal Basic Income might be a solution here.

You might be interested in this video which talks about this issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pq-S557XQU

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Well we used to manufacture stuff, but Mrs T put an end to all that, bless her cotton socks.

Anyway you worry too much, try some St Johns Wort.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

That's exactly what a lot of it is but governments are supposed to look to the long term as well as the short. It's asking a lot of our politicians I know but if they're not doing it who is and at what point have things gone too far.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

What can the government do though? Even if they somehow stopped such things here they would fall behind rival countries who would reap the benefits of automation. It's asking them to turn back the tide. The time would be better spent getting them to prepare for what is coming.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

My business cannot be automated, as it involves taking apart airplane parts, from wheels, langing gear & generators, down to dials in the cockpit.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Well they could acknowledge the problem for a start and maybe ask us and even start talking to eachother. They could also do what you're suggesting but are they even doing that? :shrug:

This will affect every country in one way or another and if our planet isn't going to be reduced to a giant ants nest someone's going to need to get a grip. Of course if you and yours happen to be among those who'll still be at the top of the food chain maybe you don't care much.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

there will be some odious little weasel out there planning and scheming to mechanise your job and do away with the needs paying element ie you .

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Well it's not imminent but in the not too distant future, us 'worker ants' won't need mass air transport. We won't be going far when we're reliant on a state 'wage' which I'll bet won't be generous. :erm:

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

I'm more concerned about the idea of automated soldiers..

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

What about Automated Team Members, like me?

:shocking: :sniper:

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

l would rather have the real life ones.:p:

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Mobile Doll :erm:

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Banks are also considering reducing the amount of ATMs as cash in our lovely society becomes less prevalent. I work for a major bank and last year there was a 15% reduction in hard cash in this country.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

We won't have soldiers - we'll all be soldier ants doing what we're told and going where we're allowed.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

I really would try St John's Wort, it might help.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

So when the vast majority of the country goes fully automated, people will no longer have money to pay for the thing that the machines are making. That means the people who own these automated companies won't be making any money too. Sounds like a bad idea to me... We'll probably end up bartering again.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

You sound like you've thought it through far more than HMG has. :tu:

The rich are getting richer/more powerful and there's more people to compete for what's left. Does anyone think the former will look after the latter? I don't. Maybe that's why our glorious leaders aren't highlighting the problem...

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Fortunately, I think this is not likely to be an issue for me.

I have retirement in my sights, hopefully sooner than the state retirement age (which they kindly moved).

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

No well paid, earnings related pension paying, jobs going at CF HQ then?? ;)

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

When I grow up I'm going to be a number. I will live exist in my nice apartment box and be waited on hand & foot by the Glorious Machines.

My day will consist of being woken at a set time, fed and bathed. By carefully controlled eye movements I will set the 10" screen in front of me to display one of the 4,538 3D images of random patterns and sounds that will be my entertainment.

I will have no use for knowledge or learning as it is not needed, my thoughts will be pure and I will harbor no ill feeling towards my neighbours in their boxes. My emotions will be monitored by the Glorious Machines, and at the first signs of anything but joyfull bliss they will administer subtle electrical pulses into my anodised aluminium cranium shell to sooth me.

After 6 hours I will be fed, toileted, bathed and allowed a deep dreamless 4 hour sleep ready for my next adventure.

Once I reach 20 years old, I will be cast into the power vats, where my body will decay into the organic materials needed to supply the energy required for the continuance of the Glorious Machines.

My number will be assigned to another box.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

As more and more becomes automated, the owners of the machines, in order to be able to have low enough overheads to compete with one another effectively, will not be able to afford to pay enough people for the majority to be able to survive. I think the reality is that unfortunately, billions of people are going to literally starve to death. Humans aren't responsible enough to be able to fairly share things without money, and not enough people are cunning enough to be making sure they're operating those machines rather than getting replaced by them. It's going to be messy.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Yep, it certainly will be messy; i'm glad that I had my life when I did

Anyone who doubts how much this will affect society should have a play with this tool:

https://willrobotstakemyjob.com

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Then we don't allow a select few to own all the machines and the wealth generated from them.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

It's already happening and we're letting it.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

I'm more concerned about who is going to own the automated soldiers..

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

A luddite rebellion. That's worked in the past.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Doesn't have to a luddite one, I am saying we make sure we all gain from the technology and embrace it.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

mom of course

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

BigCorp doesn't seem awfully keen to do that right now. They just want to get bigger, richer and more powerful without too much thought for anything else. :shrug:

On a day to day level, I'm trying to do my bit by refusing to bank online or use those pesky self service tills even when directed to them by the very staff whose jobs they'll eventually replace unless we do something about this. Once enough of us stop going to our local banks (but possibly sooner) they'll close, the jobs will be lost and we'll have even more empty units in our high streets...

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

That's what governments are for. I don't really know the complete solution or what's going to happen but controlling what happens rather than trying to stop seems to be the better course.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

... and the bigger/richer these companies are the more influence they have over the governments that might seek to control them. Not the same I know but just look at the influence the NRA has over politics in the US. At what point do giant corporations become too big to govern? Have some already reached that point?

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

:D

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Continuum.

How prophetic.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Yes and how many of our leading politicians wind up serving and beholden to these giant companies in one way or another?

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

i've already taken the plunge i resigned from my job in march now living off 2 company pensions have a third pension pot that i haven't acted on yet and of course there's the state pension when i reach that age i didn't want to be one of those who retires and then immediately dies stress at work was getting ridiculous so off i went , i have spent a lot of time on my boat cruising the broads and generally chilling out got a new grandchild on the way things are going well .

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

:tu:

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Good for you! :tu:

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Maybe there should be a limit on number of employees per company.

Either way, it's pretty clear that neither socialism nor captialism are going to work - and once it becomes a truly global system, people will be calling for a truly global authority and then everyone had better obey or else.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

In days gone by the rich have got richer and taken an ever increasing portion of the cake, whilst the average person has been happy with a enough crumbs to buy an average house & car, raise a family and go on holiday for two weeks a year.

The trouble is that the rich now want to even keep some of the crumbs for themselves too which is causing allsorts of problems and anomalies as awareness & resentment increases.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

:tu:

I fear that's where we're heading. Vast amounts of our personal data is already being held all over the world and as larger companies swallow up smaller ones, that information falls into the hands of fewer, far more powerful organisations.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Well I'm ok.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Me too...

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Same here it seems, I think that's underrating the chances for me though.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs

Automation Risk Level --- Robots are watching

or 70% probability of automation

I bet that means DWP and PIP et al :-(

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

I'm far more worried about my kids and any grandchildren than myself. They're the ones who're going to see the world transformed and for the worse IMHO.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Mmmm, it says Athletes and Sports competitors have a 28% risk of automation and should start worrying ! How's that going to work, robots playing footy ? The bookies would love it, very predictable ! Mind you, looking at the boring Premiership, the robots might already have taken over. ;)

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

A lot of benefit decisions are already done via computer programmes, this is one of the reasons why benefit appeals have shot up.

In an attempt to deal with this plans are afoot to make all appeals paper based. Paper based appeals are usually less successful for appellants.

Exactly.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

It works in Startrek? maybe we are all heading for a high plane of existance where we all band together to better society and money is no longer looked at as needed to run an econemy as we'll all do it to better ourselves lol

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Some countries are to try out a universal citizens income paid unconditionally to every adult to deal with this.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Indeed.

UBI

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

The trouble with social engineering is that there will always be mavericks that not only try but do buck the system.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Problem with UBI is that it financially disincentivises human existence in the eyes of those that would be paying.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

If we can't really afford our state pensions bill going forward with very high employment levels in the UK how on Earth are we going to be able to afford a meaningful universal wage when there's likely to be far fewer people actually earning a decent salary on which to pay tax? :shrug:

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Automation should make a lot of things much cheaper and also generated wealth from automation is subsequently spread out. We would have to structure it differently from how we do now.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

I think that's an understatement. Can anyone seriously see any government being elected on such a premise? The only way I can see this happening is some sort of global crisis (rather like what happened in WWII) the result of which is that governments take 'emergency' control of many aspects of our lives (e.g. ration books). The only difference being that the controls won't be temporary because we can no longer support the sort of lifestyles more and more people around the globe are becoming accustomed to. In the absence of a crystal ball, that's my bet.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Ok so automation puts people out of work, this reduces the amount of disposable income.

Companies can only make profits if people have the disposable to purchase the companies goods.

The more that is automated the less disposable income there will be.

So how's that going to generate wealth?

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

you just won't make overlord with that attitude ;)

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

UBI would be taxable, so that would claw back some of it.

There would be huge cost savings in benefits with most people no longer needing them, student maintenance loans could be abolished and the administration of all these schemes would reduce by a massive amount eg most unemployed people would not need to be signed on, there would be no need for them to be checked up on to see if they're looking for work. Most sick and disabled people wouldn't need to be constantly tested again and again, very few appeals would be made, most of those in work wouldn't need any other top up payments like Access To Work, Universal Credit, Tax Credits, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support. Pensioners wouldn't be forced into a humiliating means test to top up their pension with pension credit etc etc.

Fraud would be virtually eliminated.

The remainder would be raised by a robot tax on employers to share the benefits of automation and help to negate the negative effects.

---------- Post added at 11:44 ---------- Previous post was at 11:30 ----------

But people would have it as a right for simply being over the minimum age decided and living in the UK.

This is one of the reasons why I think we need to deal with immigration as a matter of urgency. Even if it can be proved that the economy needs immigrants at the moment, they will become a burden in future years. Perhaps we ought to be giving out fixed time visas right now.

The only fraud I can think of would be claims for non existent people or those who have died, with all other current fraudulent activity no longer being relevant (eg not declaring savings, income etc) fraud inspectors could concentrate on this activity.

Rather than increasing the tax for those still in employment, it would be paid for by paying less out in benefits, reducing administrative costs, reducing fraud, increasing the tax take by making it taxable income and a tax on employers who save money on their wages bill by using robots.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Any long term space left on your boat mate? I'm not pretty but am a great cook and pretty handy with the old DIY... ;)

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

I don't think anyone knows really but we will have to do something. There are people who think about this a lot, more than us here, and ultimately the issue will be forced on all of us eventually.

The Governments will work it out first will have an advantage but I am pretty optimistic. I think it will free us all up to do more innovative and creative things rather than turn us into a dystopian nightmare.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

He might have a job for you as a ordinary seaman perhaps.:D

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

I used to think that when I was your age. The world's undergone unprecedented change since then and the rate of that change is increasing... ;)

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

So, no more more benefit payments, that's all Jobcentre employees out of work. The payment of UBI could easily be automated so that's a whole load more DWP employees out of work. UBI would only be taxable for those with a job or savings higher than the allowed amount. So automation as well as putting millions out of work will also cut the jobs of those who would usually deal with them. Cool cost savings there.

I agree with you on immigration and think we should also move onto a points based system where those who are really needed should be allowed in but for set periods depending on age of entry and taxes paid or something along those lines.

I forgot to ask, will UBI be a lesser amount than current benefits considering there will be a huge rise in unemployment due to automation?

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Some benefits will still be needed, but the vast majority of income related benefits won't, so you're right in that UBI in itself would result in further job losses. I'm certain that UBI will be automated as more and more traditional benefits are being automated right now.

The actual amount varies between the countries trying it out and has yet to be determined. I personally believe that, in today's terms, we should aim for at least £86, this figure is derived by using the current amount of Jobseekers Allowance for a single person over 25 of £73.10.

The Government has frozen this since 2010; updated for inflation it would be about £86 and prevent anyone going below the poverty line (not including housing costs).

Suggestions have been made to make it cheaper by making it age related eg not payable to those under 21 or 25 and/or making it start out at a lower rate for young people and steadily increasing it as a person gets older.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Logically it can't can it

The wealth is generated by other means, here's a very simple and very basic example:

If you can only afford to pay £50 for an 'item' instead of £80 then you can't buy it, which means a loss to the manufacturer unless he reduces the manufacturing costs to allow operating profit.

You can reduce costs by lowering the quality of component parts, or by reducing the staff. Reducing staff leads to a scenario like yours, but reducing quality leads to a shorter 'lifetime' of the item, which means you buy it once every year instead of every 2 years, and therefore the manufacturer has to double his output. Which also means the suppliers of component parts have to increase theirs too.

Doubling production by using machines leads to a reduction of staff levels (costs), but they have to cover the cost of those machines by ensuring they can sell the product they manufacture . . and here's the good bit.

Advertising. All those people put out of work by machines are now employed in the large (and ever growing) industry of advertising. Take a look around yourselves today, adverts in many varied formats are forever being pushed into your daily life . . . and we're paying them for it

. . . oh, gotta go, the phone is ringing again :D:D:D

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

But the world is better than it was however many years ago that was ;). Over the last 20-30 years people can travel further for cheaper, they can communicate which distant people easier and cheaper almost instantly wherever they are, we carry devices around that allow us to do that or find out almost any information we want at a moment's notice and fewer people are dying of starvation, war, poverty or disease.

Would you have been able to believe some of the oppertunities and technologies that exist today when you where whatever age I am? :D

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

I can remember being told in infant school that by the year 2000 we would be holidaying on the moon, eating pills instead of food, that we'd have flying cars, that we'd have hundreds of TV channels, that we'd have individual portable communication devices like Star Trek and that most people wouldn't have to work as robots would do it all for us etc.

A few predictions have come true, some, like flying cars, are coming a bit later than expected and some a lot later like trips to the moon and some haven't come true thus far like pills as an alternative to food (but many people use pills for recreational purposes instead of alcohol, cigarettes etc).

The robot thing now looks to be gradually coming true.

The whole ethos of the work ethic will have to change, how many of us were brought up to believe that we must work for a living and contribute towards society?

At the moment this Government is intent on making even the most severely disabled look for work:

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/743...k-and-Benefits

Many people would still like to work, so if UIB was introduced there would be more scope for voluntary work eg doing the gardens of incapacitated people, reading to the blind etc or volunteering for charities who have had their funding cut. Hard pressed local authorities could reintroduce services that have had to be cut or stopped due to austerity eg tending to park vegetation.

As Damien said, there would also be more time to pursue hobbies and interests.

Attitudes like this will have to change towards the unemployed:

Maybe for those able to work there could be a conditionality upon UIB? If it was implemented today at £86 and the minimum wage was, say £10 per hour, they could be required to do a minimum of 9 hours per week?

UIB should also help to deal with the misplaced resentment of the unemployed as working people would be receiving the same payment as someone not in remunerative work and those not in paid employment would be working for their income.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

I wonder whether under UBI, market forces would cause the poverty line to become just under the amount that UBI is. So, if everyone received £86 per week, it would become impossible to survive on £86. Likewise, if everyone were given £250 per week, market forces would pick that up so that £250 per week then became just under the poverty line...

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

The poverty line is worked out by taking into account only essential day to day living expenses eg an amount for only one bath or shower a week!

It could be set at any rate that any country desires, the poverty line idea is just my suggestion as a minimum to make it work.

As it stands, since David Cameron froze most benefits in 2010, many people are now living below the minimum that they need to live on eg a single healthy claimant is getting JSA of £73.10 per week, when uprating for the effects of inflation would have meant that they would be getting £86.01; a shortfall of £12.91.

In addition, they now have to pay between 20 and 30% towards their Council Tax and various amounts towards their housing costs.

The Government lied and said that the disabled would be protected from this, but the first £73.10 of their money has been frozen and some have also lost a further £30 a week if not in the Support Group.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

No when I was much younger the were those who were telling us that the retirement age would come steadily down and we'd all be worrying more about what to do in the increasing years of retirement but none of the opportunities and technologies you refer to are likely to involve providing more work for humans than the companies responsible for them can get away with. In fact the driver for these things is all too often to shed people. In the west at least, humans are expensive to employ and need all sorts of benefits, protections etc. that machines don't. I'd hazard a guess that I'm at least twice your age but that's only a guess. ;)

Unless our employers are going to hire people so they can pay them wages in order to buy their products and services, I don't see where the jobs you allude to are going to come from, I really don't. :shrug:

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

If people become much poorer they will have less to spend.

If employers use robots to cut costs, they will have have to pass these cost savings on to reduce the prices.

There would be a real danger of 'negative inflation' which would be disastrous for the economy.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

This isn't exactly a surprise is it:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-42052234

Somewhere in amongst all the profit/loss calculations surely the value to people of dealing with other people needs to be taken into account and maybe government needs to create incentives on order to ensure this. I never use self service tills but that choice is slowly being taken away. Do we really want to be slowly reduced to dealing with machines and robots in almost every area of our lives? :shrug:

I was listening to an expert on AI the other day being interviewed on Radio 4. She made the point that the days when machines only took away jobs from the lower paid and manual workers are long gone. Even over paid BBC radio presenters aren't safe...

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

You'd have made a very good Luddite ! Times and the type of work people do change.

If you run out of work you can always spend all day posting paranoia on forums.... :D

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Personally we detest Automated checkout machines and will avoid them at all costs.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

i would rather stand in a queue for 20 mins to get served by a human

---------- Post added at 10:27 ---------- Previous post was at 10:25 ----------

about the NHS :shrug:

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

We went into a Tesco supermarket about 4 years ago and thus had quite a lot in our trolley and once finished we went to the normal checkout and a lady came to us and said you will have to use one of the automated checkouts and our reply was a curt no thank you as we want to be served by a human operated checkout and sadly she still did not budge thus a rather blunt polite reply to her was well if you don't serve us we will leave our trolley here and go elsewhere and seconds later came her reply back that she was going to get someone quickly to serve us.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

I actually don't mind machines, in fact I own quite a few . . car, washing machine, vacuum, lawnmower etc . .

However the idea of machinery replacing people to generate profit for better machinery to replace more people does seem to be a tad concerning when you look at the long term.

I have this vision of humans eventually doing 4 hour shifts, running in large hamster wheels simply to generate the power needed to keep the machines operating :shocked:

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Yes don't we all but to anyone with a brain cell or three that prospect ought to be of concern, especially those who spend their lives telling us that life outside the EU will result in financial ruin, the collapse of the NHS and mass unemployment in the UK. Maybe they're just paranoid though eh?... :D

---------- Post added at 18:33 ---------- Previous post was at 18:19 ----------

:tu:

Whenever they suggest we use the automatic tills I tell them I prefer chatting to a human being. It's very sad that they have to push people to use the machines that will eventually replace many of them and I do think a compromise can be reached by which jobs can be preserved without turning our backs on technology. There'll need to be the political will to do it though and if there isn't the future doesn't look great for a whole lot of us.

---------- Post added at 19:09 ---------- Previous post was at 18:33 ----------

EU migrants and fax rolls are in short supply you know. The NHS is dependent on both... :rofl:

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42192641

Every time I go into a bank they try to persuade me to do my banking online so this is not really a surprise is it. They'd very much like there to be no branches and if they carry on like this that's what'll happen. Still I suppose there'll be more room in our high streets for nail bars and coffee shops...

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

What I don't want is machines/robots that talk/argue to me. Shades of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy..Or according to the late great Dave Allen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PinfbvkbwZk

BTW it is Dave Allen so some mild swearing involved.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

i joined the giro bank i think it was in the 80s no premises all done over the phone now it's been taken over by santander i still use the telephone banking system although they do now have branches [ the old abbey national] that they also took over ,i went to transfer some cash to buy another boat and was met with a total brick wall by the manager , so i wen't home got on the phone and transferred the money in a matter of minutes .

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

... and they're making it easier/faster to do online and or by phone for the very reason that they want to shift the responsibility/risk to us, close down branches and shed staff. They close branches so more people bank online then use that to justify closing more branches.... :spin:

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

I'm with a bank that's mobile only, cool stuff though.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Yes very cool until it all goes wrong and you have no other choice... :erm: ;)


Anyway back to RBS, I believe we the taxpayer still own the vast majority of it so oughtn't this be a case where the wider public interest is taken into account?

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Hope you don't ever have to deposit any cash then. Then again that's what all this is about, turning us into a cashless society so that they know what we've spent and where.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Yep. No more cash and we're under real control. They can turn our lives on and off if they so wish. They can almost do it now.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Well, if you’re with First Direct (online bank), you can deposit cash and cheques at HSBC branches.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

I remember a TV series, I think in the seventies, based on a book called "1990". With Edward Woodward in the lead roll as an investigative journalist.

Where the state had the "Public Control Department" and the "Authorised Systematic Harassment" project to deal with dissent: The slow removal of everything that made life bearable. The daily brown envelope through the door that removed benefits and privileges, drip by drip. Your job, health services, school allocation, where you had to live etc. If you stepped out of line....

We walk that road at our peril.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

It doesn't seem quite so far fetched as it used to sadly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_(TV_series)

All very Momentum...

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Just think of the original Star Trek series when some of the gadgets we saw seemed like light years away but alas are very much mainstream now.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Worthing seems quite well off in the tables. :)

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

https://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/eerily...erica-11938392

All this faux furore about equal pay for newscasters will fade into oblivion once these beauties are "employed"by the bbc,sky,etc.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

No more "Prima Donnas" in the newsroom then.

Re: Where are we all going to work?
 

Hard to tell between the robot and some of the "live"robots on tv today.