Who do they think they are?

I don't like hypocrisy. In fact, I hate it. I instantly lose respect for anyone when they do or say something that is undeniably hypocritical.

With this in mind, you can probably guess the reaction I had to the LloydsTSB customer service representative who was trying to explain to me why it was that their employer had prevented me from making two online payments, both to football tipping services.

I think I stayed remarkably cool - for ten seconds or so - but then the bluster and crap that I was subjected to became too much to bear. It probably wasn't Dawn's fault that my payments had been declined, but by golly was she going to cop an earful!

The bank had taken it upon themselves to act as my moral Protector you see. They obviously did not want me to succumb to the evils of gambling. I believe that they had conjured an image of me rising from the coal face in a South Yorkshire mining town, picking up my week's wages of two and sixpence, sinking a pint or two in 'The Carthorse' before stopping off at the bookies on the way home to fritter away most of what little remained of the family's income for the week on a couple of nags at Pontefract. Waiting at home for me would be my long-suffering wife (that bit's true, I guess), having to feed eight mouths with whatever pittance was left. The six kids would have to make do on cabbage soup for the week again, and two of them were showing signs of scurvy. And it was all my fault - all this was the direct result of my irresponsible gambling habit.

But hope was at hand. Those moral crusaders, the banks, had decided to intervene. And so it was that two of the finest football services in the land had to wait for their subs for next season whilst I sorted this mess out.

Seriously, the bank told me (through Dawn), that seeing attempted payments going out to "gaming" services had alerted them to potential breaches of security, and that said "gaming" services was on their list of undesirables. I pointed out that if they cared to look over my statements, every other transaction was either to or from a bookmaker. I also pointed out that this was the third time they had frozen my account, and that my levels of frustration were becoming dangerously high.

Dawn didn't sound too impressed with my reasoning. In fact, she sounded bored. Talk about red rags... I was off. How dare the bank attempt the moral high ground. I rather forcefully suggested that it was the "gamblers" employed by the invesment banks and those of the investment arms of the high street banks that had cocked up so magnificently that the world was facing it's biggest economic crisis in living memory. That it was because of the pension fund's "gamblers" making such a balls-up of investing my money for my future that I had to seek other sources of income to try and ensure that I don't spend my retirement in abject poverty. Stick that up your moral arse, I suggested to Dawn.

"Have you quite finished, Sir?", she said. "I've cleared your account and you will be able to make your payments now, Sir".

Hypocrites!


Today's Betting

The next time I decide I'm going to write a post sticking up for one of the services that is going through a lean spell, I shall stop a while and think. For it seems that by doing so for ProBandit the other night, I placed upon them a curse that inflicts a plague upon the ProBandit house. Today was a shocker for them.

Northern Monkey and The Market Examiner provided no returns, and Winning Racing Tips - which recommended an each way double - saw the first horse scoot home but the second finish a distant second, so a small loss there too.

A decent tip from On The Nose though (Suited And Booted ew - Lingfield - 14/1) which finished third and a return of just under a point.

Leaving the best until last though, PJA NH came up with the winner (Diamond Mm - Worcester - 8/1) and third (Bon Spiel - Worcester - 10/1) in the 9.10. Saved the day a little, that.


PJA NH: Staked 2.75pts, +3.375pts.
Northern Monkey: Staked 1pt, -1pt.
The Market Examiner: Staked 2pts, -2pts.
ProBandit: Staked 2.25pts, -2.25pts.
On The Nose: Staked 1pt, +0.9pts.
Winning Racing Tips: Staked 0.8pts, -0.118pts.

Wednesday 13th July: Staked £259, -£33.12
Running total: -£501.49 (roi -19.08%).

Day off tomorrow. Any chance of sun?