In order for any democratic society to function peacefully and without feeling the need to resort to violence, there has to be complete confidence in either the fairness of laws and policies or the process by which they can be challenged. Essentially the inherent unfairness of the Community Charge or Poll Tax as it became known, led to the outbreak of mass civil unrest because large parts of society could see no legitimate means by which it could be challenged.
Am I the only person who can see some very similar parallels with what is happening in Bristol? Here we have the might of Tesco's being able to completely ignore the wishes of a large part of the local population and proceed to open a convenience store, despite months of campaigning and lobbying of the Local Planning Authority.
Of course it could be said that the democratic process has run its course and the duly elected local representatives on Bristol City Council decided to allow the development to proceed following due consideration of all the facts. The trouble is we all know that Bristol City Council, just like every other Local Authority trying to fight the relentless spread of the supermarket giants, is basically shit-scared of the likes of Tesco's. They simply feel that they can't take the risk of having to fork out council taxpayers money on payment of costs when they will inevitably lose any Planning Appeal. So they just do what all the others have done and concede defeat.
The difference here is that a section of the community has decided to take direct action and attack the premises. Now I don't condone this in any way, just as I did not condone the Poll Tax riots that led to many people being arrested and charged with serious offences. But there is something very seriously wrong with our democratic process when some people feel that the injustices are so great that they have no other option but to commit violent acts. I know there's an argument that says it's just a protest that's been hijacked by the violent anarchists and anti capitalists, but I guess that can be said about almost any contentious issue, march or demo. Underneath I think there is a basic feeling of frustration at what looks to be a very unfair process that many ordinary people feel unable to influence and it's tragic if some become criminalised through direct action against property as a result.
But it strikes me that it may not just be that Tesco can seemingly trample over a community's wishes and manipulate the planning process with impunity. Surely there must be something more about Tesco's that can engender this degree of anger amongst the normally peaceful citizens of suburban Bristol? Could it be connected to the arrogance and smugness with which they recently announced profits of £3.5 billion on the back of policies that effectively trample over many farmers and suppliers?
Could it be the cynical way in which they slipped out the news of more changes to their infamous 'Price Check' scheme aimed at proving they are cheaper than ASDA? The announcement that the scheme was being reduced from double the difference in price to just paying customers the difference was made on the very morning of the Royal Wedding. A classic 'burying' of bad news by Tesco's PR people. The scheme had already been capped at £20 per month when many customers had proved that ASDA was indeed cheaper on many items.
Or is it somehow rooted in history? I just can't help forgetting that it was Dame Shirley Porter, the daughter of founder Jack Cohen and beneficiary of his shareholding, that became Leader of Westminster City Council. You will no doubt recall that she notoriously avoided a bill of £42 million pounds owing to the residents of Westminster as a result of 'gerrymandering' by fleeing to Israel and pleading poverty. I guess that's where the slogan 'every little helps' might have come from.
Apologies if regular readers feel this post is a little 'off subject' and displays some personal animosities. I guess it's a little of both and I blame the recent holidays. Having said that, as I write this, news is coming in that the government are intent on 'scaling back' the degree of involvement by the private sector in supplying public services. Surely such a u-turn can only be as a result of widespread public disquiet and in part illustrated by the recent TUC peaceful march?
Ha! I remember Shirley Porter's return from Israel being reported in the "Standard" It was at the time when Israel got involved in another war with Lebanon and Hizbollah were firing missiles into Israel. I remember saying to the newspaper seller "Funny she has found the money and wants to return"
ReplyDeleteReally, this is complete bollocks. We're toalking about a shop here.
ReplyDelete'Tesco can seemingly trample over a community's wishes...'
No. A small but vociferous part of that community. How many people in the district resorted to violence? 1%? Certainly a figure less than your IQ.
This is not just about a shop and it's naive to make such an assertion.
ReplyDeleteGood posting and in many respects true. I would disagree with people having 'no other option'. Don't shop there. Let those that do, do.
ReplyDeleteAnd maybe some of the 'protestors' can spend the time they have saved not protesting, looking for work.
They must perceive a demand or Tesco would not have opened a store. If nobody uses the store it will close. Simple really, no need to riot.
ReplyDelete“Could it be connected to the arrogance and smugness with which they recently announced profits of £3.5 billion on the back of policies that effectively trample over many farmers and suppliers?”
ReplyDeleteMost farmers would shake Tesco’s hand off given the opportunity to supply a big supermarket. Also there is nothing new about big multi nationals negotiating tough deals - Unilever (Birds Eye peas) and British Sugar (to name but two) have been doing it in East Anglia for years.
My family source much of our own food from our smallholding and what we can’t produce one of our neighbours, who practice husbandry of which we approve, probably can. However I would defend the right for people to shop at Tesco or any other supermarket should they so wish. As Old Codger and Anonymous point out Tesco are opening the shop because there is a demand. Tesco will have done their market research.
The mob, far from consisting of a cadre of democracy respecting people who were forced to take “direct action” as you seem to imply, I would guess actually comprised of a mixture of hooligans, fascists and the demented who apparently wanted to burn the place down because they didn’t approve of the shop/wanted to see a good fire/riot. How many of this lot wrote to their MP and made their point do you think?
Well thanks guys for all the comments - even the one about me having sightly less intelligence than I thought - one of the great joys about blogging of course is that if you take the risk and post - you have to be prepared for the responses, good, bad or indifferent.
ReplyDeleteAt the risk of possibly stating the quite obvious, Tesco's would of course be happy to open a store virtually everywhere and it's only the operation of our feeble planning system and to a lesser extent competition rules that prevents such excesses. Tesco's has one of the largest landbanks of all the big supermarkets, not just to feed growth but also it could be said for the purpose of stifling competition.
Some people feel this is very unfair - it is of course about to what extent capitalism can be allowed free reign. Normal lobbying often gets nowhere in being able to influence the planning process in such cases and I did say the campaign against this particular shop had been hijacked by extremists. I don't live in Bristol and have no idea how many were involved. I just saw some parallels and did a bit of pondering....
I don't think anyone was having a go at you personally, as you say, some blogs have consequences. What you have done is provoked debate; never a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteStill loving your blog :)
Jim please don’t give up on the blog. Also please allow me to distance myself from Anonymous’s offensive remark regarding IQ.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Tesco I am also suspicious of the way in which they build stores, in the case of my home town in some water meadows close to the town in which I had played as a child, but they struck a deal with the council. If you don’t like them don’t use them. I don’t use supermarkets for anything I can obtain from a greener source. An important point is that I can afford to buy – or use my own (free range chickens by example) produce, this not available to everyone. I quake to think at how cheap poultry is reared for Tesco, however it’s all some people can afford.
Tesco is what they are because people use them in great numbers, like it or not they offer the sort of goods people want at a price they can afford. Where do you buy your petrol?
Yes they buy up land and use their muscle but in this they are no different from any large company. I worked many years for multinationals and I have to say that, in general, they were good employers- they had to be.
Some alternatives to burning Tesco down are: get an allotment, join a pressure group like Chicken Out, become active politically, write to the local press regarding local issues and so on.
Oldgit - thanks for that - I haven't taken anything you said as personally insulting. I have a reasonably thick skin - you have to have that to be a PO - and I did realise that blogging might inevitably involve the odd 'troll' here and there. It's still disapointing though that responses can be ill considered and sometimes involve abuse - something that says more about the intelligence of the abuser than abused of course. In essence I am very old fashioned and believe all our lives could be improved by observing common decencies no matter who we are dealing with.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Jim