You know, I was absolutely delighted to read last week in the Scotsman that local shops in the middle class slums of Edinburgh are about to get a hearty kick up the backside. Yes! At long last Sainsbury's have decided to intervene in this part of the market in a great move that will see horrible wee local shops put to the sword - together with their salmonella sandwiches and mouldy books. So it's goodbye to the small independents, hairdressers and junk shops that make places like Morningside, Marchmont and the Meadows look so old and tatty.
After years of focusing on the construction of fabulous clean out of town superstores that we can all drive to easily, supermarket chains are now looking to local, metro-style stores for their expansion, and in many cases, the independents are alarmed. Well who cares about them? Knocking three or four filthy little shops together into one seems like progress to me. What's more, the food will be properly packaged instead of lying out in a open tray and being home to twenty blue-bottles for the past week. Disgusting!
Here's another great idea - what if Sainsbury's or ideally Asda knocked down a whole parade of local shops, built a metro style store and used the rest of the site for car parking? Now that is a 21st century approach to town planning and the sort of thing that will leave local councils wishing they had thought of it. It's the sort of thing that Scotland's dynamic property development industry will be only too happy to provide and planners will nod it through of course - well they have nothing else to do these days thanks to the goons at the RTPI in London.
4 comments:
Yes, but wouldn't you agree that there is a lot WE can do as CONSUMERS? If only we would all all stop buying from these slum shops in the first place. I for one won't buy so much as a carrot unless it's been celophane wrapped and transported from Eastern-Europe by microlite. Am I the only one that cares?
To Guardian: yes, I care too - especially when I see a disgusting picture like Dave's one of the dead mouse stuck in that otherwise perfect White Sliced loaf, no doubt taken in a pesky corner shop that the overstretched Environmental Health officers struggle to keep under control.
To Dave: congratulations on this highly professional investigation. I will be commending your work to my friends in authority - so you will see immediate action as a result.
Bestest,
Tim
Thank you Guardian and Tim R for your expressions of support - much appreciated. By the way Tim - that's a rat not a mouse but who cares. And Guardian, you are not alone.
With every best wish
Dave T
Dear Dave
whilst on the subject of conglomerates taking over the world, I am confident that even as we speak you are rushing up to Aberdeenshire, full of excitement and anticipation, to inspect Mr Trump's local improvement plans now available to the great scottish unwashed ( and anyone else who can afford the train fares)
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