Two Minute Hate #1

One of Orwell's best ideas was the Two Minute Hate. Rather than Emmanuel Goldstein, today's subjects of Two Minute Hate are commentators from the BBC's 'Have Your Say' , responding to the decision of a branch of HSBC to limit its services only to wealthy customers:

"And about time too. Why should I have to queue behind some addled old pensioner who wants a 30 minute chat as the price of her meagre pensions deposit?

It's hardly as if they're only talking about the rich- I imagine that £75,000pa is not wildly above most Dorset people's salaries."

"The trouble is that some poor people expect to be treated as if they were wealthy and this is absolutely ridiculous. If being wealthy doesn't give you priviledges, then what's the damn point of being wealthy?"

"In both banks and Post offices they should ban pensioners and the unemployed from 12 until 2. These people have all day to cash their giros or witter on about nothing to the person behind the counter. I only have a limited time to attend to my business."

"The so called poor get lots of services the rest of us can't get like tax credits, welfare charity handouts so why can't those with cash who are supporting these people anyway have a few perks?"

"I have an ingenious idea. To get served in a bank between 12noon and 2pm on a weekday you need to be dressed for work. This means NO OLD PEOPLE dithering, NO STUDENTS drawing out £5 and NO PEOPLE CASHING THEIR BENEFITS (a different HYS altogether).

These people hold up the queue so that workers have to use their WHOLE lunch break to pay in a cheque"

"If anyone wants to outlaw that they can relocate to North Korea and live there happily everafter."

"More banks should do this. It would cut the queues at lunchtime.

I am constantly amazed at the number of people who apparently don’t understand how business works or are prejudiced against the sucessfull, or both."

"Im fed up in this country of the attitude that everyone that has money is corrupt and doesn't deserve extra priviledges.

One word to most people posting here. Jealousy."

"why should those with a lot of money have to mingle with the riff-raff of society who use the banks to cash their giros."

"Quit taking up my bank's time with paying in benefit, and leave us serious investors to the real banking (i.e. that which HSBC welcome and actually need, unlike your business)."