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God has very particular political opinions – John le Carré     M is whizzing round the Cheltenham Waitrose, throwing sugar snap peas, prawns, rice noodles, ready-sliced peppers and pumpkin soup into her half-sized trolley Oh, and milk   L is setting out the exercise books and children’s drawings ready for parents’ information evening   Z swaps his Oyster cards in his wallet before leaving the house, switching to his other, pre-reg card for the journey from home to the party meeting It means he misses out on the daily cap but hey   Y has never registered her Oyster card – even though it makes claiming back her work receipts a PITA – because she doesn’t trust the government It’s a total waste of time, because the government can already track her via her smartphone, but she doesn’t realise that (The other reason it’s a waste of time is that she’s not as interesting as she thinks she is)   J, who trusts the government even less, doesn’t have an Oyster card He pays through the nose for his privacy, and he can’t use the buses Mostly he cycles In the new year the cash option is being taken away from the underground, so he won’t be able to use that either Ah well – it’s not like he has to be anywhere   Z leaves his main phone at home and takes the second handset, with the battery and SIM-card removed and taped to the housing He pulls up his hood   On her way to the tills M passes a young man still wearing his green lanyard over his sweater She nods at it, and he takes it off, stuffing it into his bag   L goes through her bank statement while she’s waiting, and thinks about cancelling her union subs – there is less pressure to belong these days, and she has never made use of them, can’t see any reason why she would She just has to get around to telling payroll, because she pays by automatic check-off   Z also pays by automatic check-off He has no problem with his employers knowing he is a member of the union Indeed, it would