Life is getting more complicated with every passing day. Things that seem simple and should be simple are being smothered in more and more complications and red tape. Answers to straight questions are rare and lead to a growing sense of frustration. Trying to get someone to answer a phone is almost an impossibility as dreaded answering systems take over and encourage the caller to press different numbers for different services.

Whether one wants to phone the bank, get a better price for car insurance or check why there's no water in the taps, there's never a human on the other end of the phone. Public service certainly doesn't do what it says on the tin. Of course, sometimes the simple reason for this is under-staffing and recruitment moratoriums, but that’s of little consolation to the caller.

Another worrying aspect of this growth in complication is the continuing erasure of cash from our society. Personally, I’ve contributed to this movement away from coins and........

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