Thursday 30 December 2010

Supermarket Domination

The Panorama programme "What price cheap food?" was shocking viewing to say the least.The programme high lighted the rise of the four supermarket giants Asda ,Tesco ,Morrison's and Sainsbury's. There is now a race on to build as many supermarkets as possible in 2011 and all four giants are battling for the biggest market share in the UK .I have to admit the way supermarkets conduct business disgusts me to the core!
This programme was a real eye opener!

Supermarkets destroying our countryside


DAIRY GO ROUNDS ,PIG TOWERS AND SLURRY LAKES

 As a result of supermarket greed the US now boasts the biggest dairy farm operation in the world.This massive "dairy go round" produces 220,000 litres of milk a day.Around 8000 cows are kept in barns each in it's own pen complete with silage,straw,water and cooling fan.The cows  are milked three times a day and never venture outside onto pasture.Slurry effluent is contained in huge slurry lakes and then pumped onto arable land.Once the land was saturated with slurry the effluent then contaminated rivers  which resulted in wildlife being destroyed.There was also many reported incidences of water contamination which caused local populations to be poisoned after drinking tap water.This type of factory farming will be coming to Britain very soon in the village of Nocton near Lincoln.
In the Netherlands there are plans to build pig skyscrapers.The dutch are the number one pork exporters producing 16.5 million  tonnes a year.Due to land shortage in Holland this seamed an ideal solution for pig farmers to meet the demands from the supermarket giants.In the US pig farmers pump pigs with steroid injections and within six months you've got a fully grown pig..."FROM SQUEAL TO MEAL".Many prominent celebrity chefs have campaigned against these disgusting factory farm methods including Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall.They tried to encourage the consumer to choose free range,animal friendly reared meat and organically grown fruit and veg.Sadly sales of organic and free range products have  fallen by 13% due to the economic down turn.
Due to the supermarkets screwing down prices, many small family run farms have been forced to sell up with 30 to 40% leaving the industry every month.One farmer who had a contract to supply carrots to a supermarket chain ended up ploughing his crop back into the ground after a supermarket buyer demanded he lower his price right at the last minute or he would choose an alternative supplier.This is a common tactic used by supermarkets to get lower prices from the supplier.All these buy one get one free promotion lose leaders do not come out of the supermarket profits the loses are passed onto the supplier.This puts the supermarket into a win win situation!
Every fruit and vegetable had to meet a strict cosmetic appearance regardless of whether the crop was fit for human consumption or not.So due to this ridiculous practice there is a lot of perfectly good food going to waste. An apple grower said the supermarket would only ever accept around 70% of his crop.Each apple had to be perfectly red all over, anything else was rejected.

SUPERMARKET MONOPOLY


Empty shops now common place in the UK'S town centres



I think supermarkets have been allowed to grow too big and they wield too much power and influence.They should have been strictly regulated and should never have been allowed to sell anything else other than groceries.The farmers and producers should have been protected by an independent commission that sets prices that are fair and sustainable.The effect on the high street has been devastating.Every town up and down Britain where there are large supermarkets the shops are closed and boarded up.What annoys me about supermarkets is they promise local businesses they won't sell anything other than groceries and then as soon as they've opened the doors then a few clothes sneak in,then a few electrical goods and before you know it they're selling just about anything.This puts the small independent at a disadvantage straight away because they don't have the same buying power as the supermarket.Tesco have now moved into the small convenience store market with their Tesco Express stores.These stores are very similar to the classic corner shop.By 2015 nearly all independent convenience stores will have shut up shop for the last time.
Supermarkets nearly always gain planning permission.They will offer councils "sweetners" to win them round like the promise of a new school or police station.As council budgets have been drastically cut ,local authorities are easily tempted by these "sweetners" and planning permission always gets the rubber stamp of approval at the end of the day!

ASDA COMES TO MELKSHAM


The new Asda takes shape, expect mayhem during rush hour on the a350

Digging the foundations for the new Asda






In the small market town of Melksham in Wiltshire there are already five supermarkets,yet the council agreed to yet another one.This time it was Asda. Nearly all town councillors where  behind Asda.So what was in it for them I wonder? The council have been planning on moving the canal through the town again,this will require funding from somewhere..Asda perhaps? A meeting was held in the town hall about the new Asda in 2009,this wasn't publicised and the councillors didn't inform any of the local traders.The only way I found out about it was through a local man that takes an interest in local affairs.He informed all the local traders yet only one or two bothered to turn up.One of the objections to this new supermarket was the amount of traffic congestion it would create on the A350 during rush hour.Between the hours of 5 & 6 pm this road gets extremely busy ,this road will be mayhem when the new Asda opens for business. Another reason for building a new supermarket was it will bring new jobs to the town.An Asda representative was asked "How many of these new jobs will be full time positions?".As was expected he couldn't answer the question because there won't be any full time jobs..One landlord who rents out shop premises to local businesses thought Asda coming to Melksham was wonderful news.I wonder if he'll still hold that view in a years time?I mean who in their right mind would won't to start a retail shop business in the town centre now.The towns on its last legs as it is.With Asda coming it will be the final nail in the coffin! It will suck every last bit of life out of the town centre.I honestly can't see Peacocks staying in Melksham not with Asda and Sainsbury's both selling cheap clothing.I can remember Melksham twenty years ago it was a busy town with lots of independent shops now its like a ghost town.All it has to offer now is takeaways,charity shops and estate agents.Go to any town in the country where there are large supermarkets and the effects are exactly the same.

CAN WE FIGHT BACK?


The bargains you put into your trolley really have come at a price! The supermarkets have destroyed livelihoods, encouraged factory farming, decimated town centres and have brought about a monopolization of grocery shopping.Once all competition is put out of business there will be less choice for the consumer and the supermarkets will hold the trump card.They will be able to charge what ever they want for their goods.There are still ways we can fight the supermarkets.Instead of buying meat from supermarkets why not give your business to a local butcher.Where the meat will have been reared and slaughtered localy and will be much better value for money.You could also try using local farmers markets or farm shops for fruit,veg and poultry.Try to use your small local shops more for everything else.Small independents usually offer knowledgeable advice and will go that extra mile for you.
If you are lucky enough to still live in a town that hasn't been blighted by supermarkets then there are groups you can join which will give you all the advice you need to fight planning applications.Check out the link on the right  for Tescopoly.


   

Sunday 12 December 2010

The Battle For Barking

In the general election of 2010 the BNP had high hopes of securing an electoral victory in Barking and Dagenham.In 2009 they made a significant break through in the European elections with  Nick Griffin and Andrew Brons being elected as MEPS for the north of England.They also held 12 council seats in Barking as well as a member for the GLA Richard Barnbrook.The BNP was never out of the news you couldn't pick up a newspaper at that time without some coverage of the party.A lot of people I spoke to said they would vote BNP and I believed they where heading for a breakthrough that would send shock waves through this rotten establishment in Westminster.Lets face it immigration was the number one topic on every voters agenda.Since Labour reigned over us for thirteen years the flood gates where left wide open and in this short time many of England's cities and towns have been changed forever.So with this in mind I really thought the BNP would get their first ever MP's,but sadly it never came.So what went wrong?



THE MORE4 DOCUMENTRY

More 4 hosted a very interesting documentary called the Battle for Barking which went on the campaign trails of  the BNP's candidate Nick Griffin and Labour's candidate Margaret Hodge.The BNP had some genuine activists who truly believed in their cause and I particulary liked Richard Barnbrook and Lawrence Rustem.They had vigour and determination. When canvassing on the door step they kept their cool,listened and where polite.At times certain members of the general public where very hostile towards the party with some swearing,spitting and threatening violence against BNP activists.While watching this documentry it was not hard to work out who where the real enemies of free speech and genuine democracy.Bob Bailey was sworn at,threatened with violence and then to add final insult spat on.This was an absolutely disgusting act by an out of control thug.Mr Bailey put up with a lot of grief and being spat on was the final straw that broke the camels back.This thug got a taste of his own medicine and I don't blame Bob for retaliating.If you behave in a disgusting manner like that you deserve retribution.
There seemed to be a lot of support for the BNP with an estimated 70% of voters canvassed said they would vote for the party in two wards.I think this rattled Margaret Hodge and when she started knocking on doors the message was too much immigration again and again.She came across as a devious manipulator that would stop at nothing to hold on to her position of power.When white voters complained about mass immigration and the ever changing face of the borough she pretended to listen to their concerns and address their fears.As soon as she was back at HQ she told other party activists she had no intention of doing anything about immigration at all.One resident was reduced to tears for the fact she had been left with her family in a block of flats for 17 years while immigrants where housed within two years.Margaret canvassed every part of the immigrant community she could in an effort to mobilise the immigrant block vote.I think the Labour party deliberately moved migrants into this borough to stop any chance of the BNP winning in this area of London..WITHOUT A DOUBT!The lies and distortions spread by this cretinous politician was tantamount to inciting racial hatred.She told a black congregation that the BNP wanted rid of all coloured people and would drop them out of aeroplanes into the sea.She went to a mosque and told the iman to instruct the faithful to vote Labour because the BNP are nasty nazis that don't want them there.

COMMIE THUGS AND A CLAPPED OUT 80'S HAS BEEN




The Labour crusade to prevent the BNP from winning was colossal . Hundreds of the unwashed where bused in courtesy of Searchlight's Hope not Hate ,the odious  "Anti Fascist" UAF and dozens of Trade Union activists all joined the skirmish.Now when you have hundreds of wild eyed left wing thugs roaming the place threatening patriots and desperately trying to sway the vote in their favour,then it was quite clear this was an election that wasn't going to be fought fairly.I can quite understand locals being scared of being identified as a BNP voter when you have lunatics like the UAF spouting hatred and threatening violence.Even old Billy Bragg turned up to make a nuisance of himself.He had a go at Richard Barnbrook in his usual bully boy style of shouting down your opponent and waving the finger.Good on Richard for behaving like a statesman and not stooping to the level of the gutter that the left revel in.
No matter how much in your face colonisation this borough had forced on the local population, the locals went for Labour and the BNP came third on polling day with 6620 votes behind the Conservatives.Labours Margaret Hodge romped home with a massive 16000 majority.Lawerence Rustem commented  "Let the people reap the benefits!" and Bob Bailey couldn't even wait to hear his result and left in disgust.

I think to be honest the most the BNP could have ever achieved was a good second place and they could have held on to their councillors if they'd have done things differently.Putting up Nick Griffin as the parliamentary candidate was a bad move for many reasons.Nick has too much baggage that attracts a huge media circus for all the wrong reasons.Previous associations and soundbites have always come back to haunt him.The general public will never trust a politician to run the country that praised the Waffen SS,shared a platform with KKK wizard David Duke,promoted holocaust denial,marched with the NF wearing White Power tshirts and went to Libya in an attempt to form an alliance with Colonel Gadaffi.It's all on You Tube for the world to see.So no matter how hard Griffin tries to convince people he's changed people just won't believe it.The BNP would have had more success standing Barnbrook as the parliamentary candidate, he hasn't got the baggage and he is well liked in the area.
They should have fought the campaign on housing issues not the Bring The Boys Home campaign.Getting our troops out of Afghanistan is an issue I agree with but its a national issue not a local issue.People are more worried about issues that effect them first hand.Fighting for the rights of locals to be housed would have been a massive vote winner.

MARMITE GATE & THE EHRC FIASCO
A hell of a lot of money was squandered on pointless publicity stunts like adding the marmite jar to their election broadcast.A ridiculous prank that ended up with an out of court settlement.The battle with the EHRC over the constitution's whites only membership criteria .As soon as the BNP started winning elections and growing in popularity it was obvious the establishment would challenge this rule,knowing that the BNP would be stubborn enough to fight the challenge in court.The EHRC saw this as an opportunity to bring bad publicity to the party and cripple it's finances right before the general election.They should have amended this constitution well before the run up to the election without any media fuss or drama.This would have removed the stick the establishment used to beat the party with and it would have saved the party a fortune.If you want to save your country then you have to play within the rules and play politics.Ideology and principles are all very well but they won't get you elected.

ALL GONE QUITE UP NORTH!


The BNP didn't do brilliantly in the rest of the country either.They stood a lot of candidates but it didn't lead to a breakthrough.The party could have saved a lot of money by standing fewer candidates in key areas.They did well in the North of England in the Euro elections ,so why didn't they concentrate their efforts on winning a seat or two up north?Places like Oldham have always been great hotbeds of support.I think they missed an opportunity and the north was neglected.
Many people who voted BNP probably voted in protest because they where so disgusted by the mainstream parties and felt there was nowhere else to go.Many activists have given up and left nationalist politics altogether.Some members started the Reform Group in a bid to change the parties constitution and make it more accountable to it's members.This move failed miserably because Griffin moved the goal posts.A contender needed over 800 signatures to trigger a vote.Richard Barnbrook ended up with the boot because he dared to give the Reform group his backing.
The BNP is now a party run like a cult with Griffin as the messiah.Griffin says he will give up his post as leader in 2013 when the next Euro Election comes round.I doubt very much he will hold a democratic ballot for a leadership challenge,he will probably have some sycophant lined up to take over the position or a family member.

WHAT IS THE FUTURE FOR THE BNP?


Unless it makes some drastic changes the BNP will either go bust or end up a small fringe party like the National Front.A lot of it's best people have either left or been expelled.It needs to be run like a proper democratic party with leadership elections once every four years or when a vast majority of the membership lose confidence in the leadership.Party accounts should be transparent and published so the membership can see where all the money is being spent.They need to move away from the obsession with racial and ethnic identity.Ethno  nationalism is not a vote winner.As soon as politicians start talking about "Race and Nation" it scares off the public.People associate that kind of rhetoric with the old National Front and Hitler's Nazi Party.It's far too late to turn the clock back to how Britain was pre 1948.Most people are against mass immigration,they want it stopped and they want strict controls in place.What they don't want is mass deportations of people that don't fit a racial profile.Nationalism needs to ditch all the destructive hatred that has kept it out of power for years and look to the future with a new brand of patriotism that is saleable to the general public.Nationalism should be about embracing British culture,fitting in,paying your way and being a good citizen.I have absolutely no problem with people who have immigrated to Britain in the past and have worked hard and done their very best to fit in.It's about integration.Immigrants who break the law,can't support themselves or try to impose their culture on the rest of us should be deported.As the old saying goes "When in Rome do as the Romans do!"
Sadly I think the BNP 's image has been so badly damaged I cannot see it ever recovering.The way it is run puts off any good people with talent joining.With all the debt that has mounted up due to costly court cases the party is now 250,000 in debt.It won't be long before it goes into administration and then wound up.

IS THERE A FUTURE FOR NATIONALISM?








Most definitely! The English Defence League has made massive progress since it was formed last year.It does not stand candidates in elections but what it does do is raise the issue of militant islam by organising massive demos in towns and cities across England.This issue has been tip toed round by mainstream politicians for years and the situation is getting worse.Many people have joined their cause that have never been involved in politics in their life.It seems people are now starting to fight back!If the EDL ever did form a political wing that stood in elections I think they could do very well.

Former members of the BNP have now set up a new party called British Freedom Party or Freedom for short.They believe in cultural nationalism rather than ethno nationalism.They want to get Britain out of the EU and regain our sovereignty .Any one is welcome to join Freedom as long as you embrace the British way of life.They have a very professional looking website put together by Simon Bennett which posts interesting articles on a daily basis.All their policies are listed and you can join an on line forum to discuss current affairs and party policy.I think with the right people at the top this party could surprise us.
Visit Freedoms website here British Freedom