Ballie Traveller Update: Barclays Bank, Coronavirus, and Wales Floods

Ivor Bundock, The Bally Traveller is back at it again.  Here is the lastest Ballie Traveller Update covering the news this week, including the new role of Big Brother that Barclays Bank wanted to play, as well as all the latest news about Coronavirus, the Floods in Wales, the question of Jeremy Corbyn’s legacy, and the dilemma surrounding unskilled workers.  So here’s the latest news update:

Ballie Traveller Update: Barclays Bank and the Big Brother syndrome

Barclays Bank became Big Brother for a few days last week. Thinking that it was back in George Orwell’s 1984. A new software monitoring system was made operational last week, designed specifically to track employee time away from their desks. This included toilet breaks amongst other things. According to Barclay’s spokesman, it was set up to determine employees’ effectiveness. The spying exercise didn’t go well. The staff backlash was so severe that the bank terminated the use of the software after just one week. I wonder what that little exercise in futility will eventually cost us all in bank fees. Someone will pay.

Ballie Traveller Update: Coronavirus

It just won’t let up. There are now reportedly 50 countries that have been affected by the virus including the UK, and the paranoia is reaching fever pitch. On the UK news today, there were discussions about the possibility of closing schools. This makes no sense. If the virus is no more deadly than flu, shouldn’t we be comparing occurrences to the number of flu cases around the world and worrying about both? The stock markets are taking a huge beating and the more frenzy that is whipped up by the media simply means more economical destruction.
What will happen to the UK economy when schools are closed? Surely parents will have to stay home and mind their offspring, resulting in business closures and the inevitable slide into recession. When will we learn to stop being overly dramatic and causing our own destruction?

Ballie Traveller Update: Water, water, everywhere and far too much to drink.

With a good portion of Wales underwater, experiencing their fourth, once in a hundred-year event since 2010, life is quite miserable for the affected inhabitants. The government (of course) are being blamed for the lack of flood defence measures. Boris has been criticized for not visiting the struggling communities. Not that he has the power of Moses to hold back the water with his staff and make any difference. He’s in London, trying to run a country. Global warming is the reason. Not the government.
I assume 2.4 million years ago, a bunch of shivering caveman sat on a ledge surveying the approaching ice sheet that was their first glimpse of global climate change. They probably also wondered and babbled amongst themselves as to how it could be stopped.
Not much has changed between then and now, except that we believe we can take on nature and stop the advancing global warming. Quite presumptuous I think. I’m sure we could slow it down by a year or two, but we can’t compete with the odd volcano blowing its lid off from time to time and upsetting our efforts. We do take life so seriously, considering; none of us will be getting out alive.
There was one amazing and heart-warming story of survival came from Coleford in Gloucestershire. A woman was rescued by two men after having stood, submerged from the waist down, on the roof of her motor vehicle for 12 hours.
Let’s hope that with spring approaching, the country will have a respite from the flooding.

Ballie Traveller Update: Corbyn’s Legacy

There was mention in the press this week as to what Corbyn’s legacy will be. Really? What legacy?
This man will simply not go away. He won’t endorse any of the current front runners for Labour leadership which is no doubt a good thing for them. He has also indicated that he would be happy to secure a cabinet job. He just keeps pressing the big red labour party’s destruct button.
I’m sure he doesn’t want to be relegated to the backbenches, after having sat in the prime opposition slot opposite the PM for so long. No one would want that.
Just go and take a long holiday Mr. Corbyn and for your own long term benefit and that of your party, maybe we will all be able to forget your name.

Ballie Traveller Update: Unskilled workers – Bad choice of words.

These two words have stirred up much debate in the corridors of business.
The Collins English dictionary’s definition of an unskilled worker is:
“a worker who does not have any special skill or training. Skilled workers who are in short supply are likely to be able to obtain higher wages than unskilled workers”
That’s a bit rough if you’re someone like Sir Richard Branson or any of the 5.9 million entrepreneurs in the UK. Imagine being the founder of the Virgin brand and be called unskilled.
Immigration and free movement of people has been the thorn in the side of the successive UK governments for a while. With the first Brexit hurdle out of the way, immigration is now target number one.
With the “Unskilled” European seasonal and care workers being effectively barred from the country in future, apparently, there are several unskilled British workers languishing around, (roughly 1.4 million) ready to leap on the employment wagon and fill their shoes. Interesting statistics: considering that this number includes pensioners and people unable to work for various reasons.

It will be interesting to see how this transpires.

Check out the previous The Ballie Traveller Update here. For more news updates click here.