Discussion Group
The discussion Group meets in members houses in the afternoon of the third Thursday of the month. They choose a different subject for discussion each month and some members research the subject before the meeting.
A sample of our discussion topics - Psychology of boredom; Is it acceptable to lie?; Importance
of colour in our daily lives; Can we trust the police?; What is society? What is English Culture? ; Truth? ; Relevance of Monarchy ; Colour in Life ; Psychology of Boredom ; Policing ; Green Spaces ; Humour ; Mental Escape Routes ; Free Speech ; Suffragettes ; Climate Change ; Animal Welfare.
We meet on the 3rd Thursday of the month.
At the March meeting we discussed “Are we becoming a cashless society?” We talked at length about how we use cash. There are many instances where cash is invaluable – top pay workmen, for people who don’t have a bank account. Handling cash is essential for the development of children’s mathematical concepts. In 2022 £3.6 billion of rent, £694 million of council tax, and £2.35billion for gas and electricity was paid in cash.
Surprisingly youngsters are now using cash machines more as it helps them to budget.
A cashless society would rely on a complex network of digital systems which would be vulnerable to cyber attacks. If these systems were hacked it could have a devastating effect on the economy.
Cash payments are anonymous. Digital methods of payment are stored in a central server.
Even allowing for inflation there was a greater amount of cash in circulation in 2022 than in 2020. The average withdrawal from cash machines has risen to £82 compared with £65 pre-Covid.
The government has no immediate plans to withdraw cash; we think it is here to stay.
Ruth