United Kingdom VI: Summer Lovin'

[Dogg Thang]

If the economy is so unstable that it depends on Pret coffee, then it's a bad and unsustainable model and has to change.

Spoiler: it is.

[Neon Ignition]

Taking knowing and intentional action that will ultimately result in the avoidable deaths of others.

Firmly in Trump's UK now and there'll be some panic if he loses in November.

[Cassius_Smoke]

Do I care that some multi-national corporation that doesn't give a crap about the people it employs isn't making its already rich executives richer?

No.

For individual employees, losing your job isn't fun (I know, I've been through five redundancies in my working life), but economies change and the move away from city centres and reduced communiting to me seems to have far more benefits than it has negatives. Companies adapt, jobs adapt and people adapt - new forms of employment emerge to replace those roles that disappear. New strategies are born out of neccessity and things eventually balance out.

If the economy is so unstable that it depends on Pret coffee, then it's a bad and unsustainable model and has to change.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[Dogg Thang]

It is kind of mad to think that there are people in government who have decided that the most important role you can play for the country in the midst of a serious pandemic is to buy a sandwich. You can do your job at home? Not good enough. Go buy a sandwich, mate. Need to stay safe? Nope, buy a sandwich. But the second waSANDWICH! There will be someone alive today, someone healthy, who in a few months time will be dead because they did what they were told and went out to work and bought that sandwich.

[wakka]

Won't someone think of the Prets?!

Totally agree that we are in the midst of a big shift generally in how people work and live and what city centre spaces are used for. To be honest, it's probably one of very, very few silver linings to the whole grim situation.

The Conservative line that we all need to pull our socks up and get back to how things were in January is making them look like King Knut*. It's not going to happen.


*of course we all know that they are all a bunch of knuts anyway

[Hirst]

This seems to really be rattling those landlords, because I had some Looney Tunes type reply to me on Twitter (he doesn't follow me) after I'd posted this:





Funny how the general Conservative consensus of "companies should be able to do what they like with little government interference" and "market forces should dictate what happens" don't apply when we are talking about commercial landlords, clearly one of the most beloved and precious things in this country that must be protected at all costs.

[QualityChimp]

I love how you didn't rise to the bait!

Can't get how some people are so happy to unquestioningly lick the boots of politicians, millionaires and businesses.

[Asura]

Honestly, apologies for any of the landlords here - but I'm really hoping we'll see a housing crash, a really, really hard one. I might finally afford a house, and some of my prior crooked landlords might even lose theirs!

[Hirst]

The thing is, they can try to scare people by saying about mass unemployment, pension funds being destroyed, financial crashes and what-not but if the system already isn't working for you then who cares? My pension is going to be a joke and I doubt I'll even get it. I've had more "once in a lifetime" financial shocks than hot dinners. My job stinks. They can't scare me with the stick when the carrot is long gone.

If some big landlords lose their shirt, at the very least it'll be something to laugh about while I eat cold gravy burgers out of the tin. But it might even go some way towards fixing this country and its obsession with a handful of folks owning large areas of land/property. It could be the collapse of a rubbish system that worked really well for a handful of people and screwed everyone else over to varying degrees.

[Cassius_Smoke]

Instead of money going to big city centres, it'll be going to local shops and cafes near where people live and now work. All that money spent in pret must be going elsewhere, either in to savings or spent on other things. Money doesn't sleep.

[Zaki]

I'd just pack a sandwich at home. **** this government! (and the people who voted for them)

[Hirst]

Instead of money going to big city centres, it'll be going to local shops and cafes near where people live and now work. All that money spent in pret must be going elsewhere, either in to savings or spent on other things. Money doesn't sleep.

Exactly. This isn't about supporting shops in city centres who live off passing trade, it's about supporting big landlord party donors who own most of the city centre property and don't want to see their rents drop. The convenience stores, cafes and what-not will just run out their leases and move elsewhere, probably to outskirts of the city centre and suburbs where the people have gone. I imagine the shops in those areas are now thriving compared to before. Might end up meaning we have better local communities as people will be able to get stuff done near their house instead of needing to pile into a car and drive across town to the big supermarket.

City centres will no doubt see their rents drop and - shock horror - they might actually become more interesting as opportunities open up for people who want a try at starting a physical business. Rents will be lower, terms will be more favourable, landlords might even have to do things like keep the property up to scratch. We might even see things like local markets return. Loads of our big name stores started with market stalls and markets were forced out in the name of big landlords, who could pay more. My local market was gradually strangled (deliberately) until it was sold to a corporate developer who replaced it with a retail park of chain stores (going bust in the middle and having to be bailed out by the council). Same thing is (was?) gradually happening with Leeds market, they've built a huge John Lewis opposite the outdoor market and I can't see that lasting much longer before it gets gentrified out of existence when some other luxury rival wants to open up some place to sell gaudy overpriced junk to vapid twerps.

If the Conservative government want me, an ordinary chump, to do something and are citing things like "emotional well-being" and "people will lose their jobs" that only makes me double down in not wanting to do it. They've never cared about anything but lining their own pockets so I know full well they're feeding me a line. It's all about me putting my money in the pocket of their donors and I'm not stupid enough to fall for it. God forbid some of the poor sods might see their fortunes reduced to mere tens of millions, my heart bleeds for these parasites.

[teddymeow]

But what about Pret? Don't you care that Pret are losing money?

No. Their sandwiches are pretentious tosh!!

[Nu-Eclipse]

Honestly, apologies for any of the landlords here - but I'm really hoping we'll see a housing crash, a really, really hard one. I might finally afford a house, and some of my prior crooked landlords might even lose theirs!

As somebody who is also currently scraping to save to get on the property ownership ladder, I'm totally all in for this.

[CMcK]

As somebody who is also currently scraping to save to get on the property ownership ladder, I'm totally all in for this.

Yeah house prices are fooking insane. I’ve just bought my post separation house and it’s pretty much the same size as the house I lived in 15 years ago prior to moving in with my ex. Except the new place cost me three times as much. Madness.
I don’t want to see ordinary peeps in negative equity but prices do need an adjustment.