Our man Dowd has an article in the Telegraph today.
A cashless society gives the government the power to see your every transaction, and if the government can see your every transaction, then it can control your every transaction.
If it disapproves of what you buy, it can prevent you buying or penalise you. It can use that power for other ends too, at its discretion. If you say the wrong thing online, or disobey an order, it can use that power against you and compel you into compliance. A cashless society is creepy.
Strip away the techno pretence and what you have is an unholy alliance of corporates who want to rip you off and elitists who want to control you.
Not forgetting the restaurants who don’t give the ‘service charge’ to the staff.