Long live the cheque!

In 2009 the UK Payments Council announced the end of the cheque.  On 12 July 2011 they announced that the cheque was not going to be scrapped, as they could not find a suitable alternative for making payments.  Surely they should have had an alternative payment method lined up in 2009, before they announced the demise of the cheque?  No wonder the Banks are in such trouble.  They really haven't a clue what they are meant to be doing.