Monday, August 21, 2006

National Socialist Westminster Woman...

I'm not a fan of the so-called "Quick Till", the facility in Nat West that supposedly saves you time as people are limited to one transaction at that end of the counter. The problem is that people invariably sneak in two or three transactions, pleading ignorance but knowing full-well what they're up to. They also like to hold up the entire process by engaging the bank staff in inane chat. So, many a time, I'll just stand in the main queue anyway, knowing that I may well get in and get out just as fast. Today, however, I joined the Quick Till queue as there was just one customer at the counter. And bugger me if she wasn't talking for a good five minutes. So, with nothing else to do but tut, I started to eavesdrop. And, it transpired, the woman was a raving racist. "The problem with all foreign countries is the natives, of course," she said proudly, collecting her transaction receipt without, miraculously, slipping in a Nazi salute. "I know what I'm talking about. I've lived in Australia. A beautiful country. Or it would be without the all those foreignors." Our jaws dropped, while the two members of staff (one, as ever, was in training) looked a tad embarassed and just looked aghast. Eventually, with a Fourth Reich meeting to attend, the woman goose-stepped away. Keen to diffuse the situation when I got to the counter I asked: "Is this the counter at which to vent racist spleen?" There's a lot of this casual (and not so casual) racism in Hull. It's disgusting.
The new city centre Tescos (sorry, amazing leisure development) is coming on apace. A few days away from town and the changes are obvious. There are more and more men leaning on shovels and sleeping throughout the day in JCBs as six towering cranes swing stuff through the air. I'm not sure what all that white steel is destined to become but it all looks quite fancy. The new Hull Truck, of which there is absolutely no sign as yet, it's still just a fenced-off hole in the ground, will be built to the right of this structure.

Listening: Young Knives - Voices of Animals & Men

2 comments:

Stephen Newton said...

Are you saying the bank staff understood you were being sarky? I think we should be told.

Dave W said...

Yes, you're right, vital missing information. They laughed. I laughed. As the woman was talking we'd exchanged some shocked looks with the staff. Of course, someone might have overheard what I said, misunderstood what was going on and have blogged about it when they got home.