The Fight Against 'Cashism'

 

Over the torrid past 21 months, Britain has changed almost beyond recognition - and not really for the better.

One of these horrid Covid trends is what I call "cashism"  - the refusal by some retailers to accept The Queen's coinage.

To be fair, this little bit of political correctness started before coronavirus had been heard of by most people. 

I recall a trendy coffee shop in Bermondsey Street, London, refusing to take cash in 2019.

It is interesting that it is the right-on establishments that seem to think that banishing real money is a good thing to do. 

I well remember the look of shock on the waitress's face when I told her that refusing to accept cash was discrimination against the poorest of the poor - adults without bank accounts. 

As well as children.

Yet, when retailers get it into their heads that something is fashionable, politically correct and "worthy", all logic goes out of the window. 

You see the same happening with bags. Some charity shops are now charging 10p for a paper bag, even though the Government's tax on plastic bags does not ask them to do this. It's a scam, plain and simple. The charity shop is profiteering on the back of political correctness, charging many times the cost of the paper bag and defenestrating good customer service.

But to get back to cash, it is painful that something that is so important to many people - and vital to the vulnerable - is being discarded under the slippery cloak of Covid. 

Caffe Nero, for instance, will not accept cash in most of its branches. Neither will Starbucks - and many the other so-called hospitality businesses. 

Often the lame excuse offered by staff is that cash spreads Covid-19, even though that is not the guidance from the World Health Organisation or the Bank of England, which points out the risk is no greater than touching any other surface. 

Newspapers have been inundated by complaints from their readers about this nefarious practice, another disgusting milestone on the decline of Britain's retail sector. 

Parents have had to make dashes to restaurants to pay the bill for their teenage kids when the restaurateur has refused to take cash for birthday parties et cetera.

Many others are being excluded entirely because of this blatant discrimination. 

For me, it indicates once again how political correctness is being used for corporate greed and the pandemic is being taken as a reason to attack freedom and push discriminatory political agendas.

It just goes to show how selfish society has become.

I am tempted to form the Anti-Cashist League (ACL) to fight cashism. 

It is important that when you are refused your right to use cash in an outlet, you make a complaint. 

In Northern Ireland, for instance, coffee shop chains have been forced into a U-turn by the people - and take cash again.

And it is great to see a bit of spirit occasionally, with right-minded shops refusing to take debit and credit cards.

Good for you!