Editor Andrew Parkes has a number of thoughts every week, here are just five of them.

1. You’ve got to hand it to bankers, they might be the most arrogant, non-caring, rip off merchants you’ll ever meet, but they’ve made damn sure they’re Teflon-coated. And, having let them get away with it for years, who are the real mugs? This week I was told the monthly charge on my current account will rise 150 per cent. But will I change banks? In all honesty, probably not.

2. Having moaned about bankers I tried another system for making money last Wednesday evening when, for the first time in my life, for reasons I won’t bore you with, I found myself inside a central London casino. Two things amazed me – the first was that I came away £52.50 up, the second was that at 4am the place was absolutely mobbed. The clientele was 90 per cent Arabic and most of them were students. Very different to my student days.

3. Up until a moment ago I considered myself one of the very luckiest people around. Thanks to my brother I had a ticket for the England v Australia game this weekend. Now, the website he booked it through has been taken over by the Government’s Action Fraud agency. Perhaps not such a golden ticket after all. I wonder which pub we will find ourselves in to watch the game?

4. Have you put your heating on yet? Personally I haven’t and every day the groans from my 17-year-old son gain volume. It doesn’t seem like yesterday that I was in his shoes, ie: the moaning teenager being told to put on a jumper. Have I become an adult? Is it because I pay the bill? Or am I just a tight-fisted git? Ask my wife.

5. Finally, if only my life was really as exciting as points two and three might make it sound. It would be great. Note to self – get out more.

Send in your 5THOUGHTS by email to aparkes@ london.newsquest.co.uk Send on Twitter to @parkestheeditor Send through Facebook to facebook.com/ newsshopper