Express & Star

Peter Rhodes on a new boom industry, white roses on show and guaranteed sunbeds - at a price

Cash for cars

Published
What price a sunbed?

I REFERRED recently to a blogger who blamed the Brexit vote on "cabbage munchers in Norfolk," showing that regionalism is not so different from racism. People who would never dream of making a joke about someone's nation, creed or colour happily slag 'em off for living in a certain county or region. A reader emailed this week to point our that coastal erosion largely affects Yorkshire so "the quicker the better." I'm guessing he wouldn't say the same about Ireland.

BUT then our idea of what is acceptable changes so quickly. I have recently seen the term "coloured people" - once absolutely verboten - used in two online discussions, apparently by educated and aware people. Shifting sands?

INCIDENTALLY, did you spot the symbol the stars wore at the Grammys to show their solidarity with the campaign against sexual harassment? It was a white rose which also happens to be the symbol of Britain's right-on capital of liberal, gender-neutral and progressive thinking. Yorkshire. Put that kettle on, luv.

I'D be interested to hear your experiences with the booming cars-for-cash industry. I was idly trolling (in the old-fashioned sense, naturally) through pages of reviews by people who had sold their cars to these companies. Most were satisfied and glad to turn their old bangers into cash, even if the sum paid was disappointing. But others felt they had been badly treated and lured into a deal by wildly inflated valuations given online. I could not find a single case where the seller had received the valuation price. In some cases, the final amount was hundreds of pounds below the valuation. Clearly, these firms are not charities. But they are dealing with people who, in many cases, are in no position to argue and are desperate either for money or, in some cases, a parking space. The abiding lesson from all these tales is not to believe offers made by strangers. Sadly, there is a human tendency to believe good news. We buy any cobblers.com.

AFTER the death of Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad was announced, I received a flurry of emails from folk joking that he ought to be buried in a flat-pack coffin. Maybe I'm getting old but it struck me as in rather poor taste.

YOU have to admire the brass neck of Thomas Cook this week in blatantly turning sunbeds from a holiday entitlement into a paid-for extra. We were presumably supposed to cheer the travel firm's introduction of guaranteed, pre-hired sunbeds at holiday resorts. "The end of the battle for the sunbed" crowed one headline. But at £22 a time? It is outrageous. How long before they start charging you for a seat in the dining room?

WHY did Carillion go bust when, according to the annual audits, it was looking good? In the wake of the massive company's collapse, an inquiry has been ordered into the auditing. Good luck with that. One definition of an auditor is a person who, when asked the question "What is two plus two?" answers: "What do you have in mind?"