¿Que?

We live in a world besotted with the speed of communication. If you’re not getting your Internet at 40 Mbs per second then you’re being short-changed. If you don’t get the latest news on your Blackberry within five seconds of it happening, you’re out of touch.

But if you deal with bureaucracies or, perish the thought, lawyers, you’ll find that quaint Dickensian ways still live on - and thrive.

Which is a long way of saying I’m sorry that there’s been no news to give you about the Staff Travel Campaign. I could have filled these pages with explanations of what has caused the delay but frankly why bore you? Time enough when I publish the dénouement for those titbits of idiocy - titbits which sadly include ABAP itself.

The only note of topical interest might be found in today’s pronouncement by the Man Responsible at British Airways who is quoted in The Independent as saying of the proposed BA+Iberia merger, "If people are concerned about jobs, I have to say that long-term job security can best be achieved through strengthening BA through a merger like this."

Two things might strike you as significant.

First is the conjunction "If..." - only the Man Responsible (who you’ll recall fired two others to expiate that responsibility) could imagine that in these times especially there are people who aren’t concerned about their jobs.

Secondly, note that the Man Responsible doesn’t say whether the jobs of which he is so certain are British jobs at BA or Spanish jobs at BA.

One thing on which you may put next month’s pension with certainty is that the job of the Man Responsible isn’t in jeopardy.

Fact: Spain has the highest unemployment rate in Europe and 5.8% inflation.

So, when you next telephone Retirement Services or Staff Travel, don’t be surprised if the person dealing with you sounds like Manuel from Fawlty Towers - it probably is.