McHugh’s Miscellany-Cash was once King, but even that freedom is being eroded

While the great majority of the Donegal population are increasingly buying and trading in situations  where cash is not exchanged or even accepted, the revelation that your good old vehicle NCT test will have to be paid in advance through a card or postal order may be the straw that breaks the camel's back in terms of Big Brother being able to track and monitor every aspect of our lives. 

Heretofore, you could make your appointment in advance by phone and pay on the day of your test by cash. 

You were not actually out of pocket until the day that your car was actually being tested. 

And it is not as if the waiting lists for tests are going to magically disappear because of the proposed changes. 

The big shops through digital technology already know your shopping habits and it will not be long before the deliveries, based on your past purchases, simply arrive on your doorstep, for they already have a vast knowledge of your shopping habits and perennial needs. 

Your social media is already monopolised by complicated algorithms that dictate the running order of what appears on your screen, nudging you into areas so subtly, that you don’t even realise you are clicking onto the same links, as the catch all appeal on the heading, draws you ever in. 

Meanwhile rumblings have also been made about the vagueness of this NCT introduction and from whence it will start. 

But again, it was never about the consumer or customer calling the shots, was it?

Indeed, if there is any economies of scale or savings resulting from this, you can bet your bottom dollar, it will not be for the local staff wage increase and who invariably, will face the frustration of the customer if and when this goes ahead, through absolutely no fault of their own, 

Sometimes these things are kite floaters and depending on the outrage of the public, the proposed changes are withdrawn with a miserly apology. 

However the situation is now so far advanced with an increasingly AI generated backdrop merging with this cashless society, that it will happen, unless there is a great furore. 

What is equally startling is the gullibility of the masses, whether that is moving through the shop and purchasing goods without the need for any human interaction at the till or the removal of face to face interactions and the human contact on the end of a telephone help line. 

The requirement for people to think for themselves is also being eroded and rather than being run over by some zombie apocalypse, these systems are all merging to actually turn ourselves into the zombies, minus the stupid walk and frothing mouths variety that are depicted in the movies. 

The funny thing is that every time we are sold a pup in relation to this, they talk about convenience for the customer and the greater ease it is to part with your hard earned credits. 

I am certainly no naysayer who advocates or condones conspiracy theories, but who is this greater beneficiary of this so-called cohesion 

This is not about refusing to embrace a cashless society, but the simple erosion of the little independence that we have left as humans. Offering us fewer choices with OUR OWN money.

The reality is that we are now effectively paid in credits and with those credits we pay our bills, we buy our food and nothing physical will exist to show the fruits of our labour. 

This is about keeping the masses under control, the elite maintaining power and keeping everyone in their place. 

Fiat currency as your Euro, Dollar and sterling are also known are mere promissory notes issued by Central governments or institutions, but you still had the option of tucking a few away over time for an emergency situation. 

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Maybe those that put their cash in tangible items like gold and silver are onto something, as they still have an intrinsic value. 

In some countries you simply cannot go in and remove all your savings from your bank account, unless the institution approves the withdrawal. 

Again, I just urge you to think about these things, agree or disagree with them, but don’t be dragged in sleep walking through the fundamental changes occurring in an increasingly glutinous society, that wants to extract that schilling, euro or credit token from you at all costs, under the duplicity that they are doing you a favour …