Reaching for the off button

In the last blog, I made reference to fuel demand statistics, provided by the AA, and questioned their validity. I am indebted to one of my chums,who has a petrol station, and has spent a considerable amount of time this week trying to bottom this. In so far as we can tell, the statistics are highly selective, and not capable of extrapolation. However, the gist of the point applies; going in to Knutsford tonight, unleaded was 123p per litre.

The good old days…….

Meanwhile, the staff of the AA are to stage a strike, covering the next Bank Holiday, the first in their history. They are unhappy with changes to their pension fund, surely a time bomb theme going forward, but for the ultimate customer focused business to go on strike is bizarre. I can still remember when the patrol men (because that is what they were) saluted each passing member. Now, they would get Repetitive Strain Injury, with all that arm waving, but it has clearly become a job, and not a service, anymore.

National insurance……..

Meanwhile, the Election rumbles on. We seem to have spent a week debating the great National Insurance issue, a sum of £6bn, in an economy thought to be worth £1500bn, according to the BBC. Whilst I am aware of that famous quote, “A Billion here, and a Billion there, and pretty soon you are talking serious money”, this is no more than a rounding error. Since the Government is not yet the total size of the economy, asking for a 1% saving does not imply wholesale bloodshed. Indeed, in Q4 2009, the NHS took on another 20,000 staff, to bring the grand total to 1.6 million people.

Only Wal-Mart employ more. And they account for 5% of total Chinese GDP.

I have to admit that I am now bored of the election; called on Tuesday, we should have been allowed to vote on Thursday, last. I do not see that people are going to be swayed in the interim, but, knowing that we are going to have to pay for the “misjudgements” of the past, there is a certain relish in seeing the wheels fall off the bus. 

Feedback……

Closer to home, this is now Blog No. 4, and whilst it has yet to go on the Mercater website, it has been “tested” on a wide audience. Thank you for those comments; some want more content, some less. I think I will carry on, in this vein; there is an off button, very powerful.

Especially when listening to politicians.