Doesn’t it make you proud? The Plucky British?

Celebrating St George’s Day by starting a revolution demanding that the availability of cheap brioche be denied to them?

Brave Trustafarians rejecting the gated communities in which they grew up and demanding a kettled one?

Fighting the Agents of the State with just their bare petrol bombs?

Scorning the generous housing benefit that humiliated their parents and holding out for the right to proudly squat in someone else’s rat infested derelict property indefinitely?

Existing below the poverty line on the insulting social security – and still managing to be ‘too fat to work’ ten years later.

The Guardian has published some absolute plums today.

“96% of the 700 people surveyed said they didn’t want another supermarket.”
“Our objections clearly outlined how opening this Tesco store would pose a threat to public safety.”
“Our community is well known for having people who, if they are silenced, will act in a way that will ensure they will be heard.”

Ending with an out and out threat to public safety:

“Bristol City council has a clear choice now: continue to let Tesco trade and risk last night becoming a regular occurrence or support the community it is supposed to represent and tell Tesco to leave.”

655 people threaten to firebomb Tesco again in the name of democracy.

“We don’t want no cheap brioche”.

As the rest of Europe turns its eyes towards Britain today as we raise our National flag in homage to Saint George – you can hear the laughter from Cracow to Calais.

Ian R Thorpe April
23, 2011 at 17:14

I like to eat brioche. I like to buy resonably priced brioche. I like the
brioche I buy to be edible.
More reasons to shop at Morrisons.
Has
anybody bothered to find out how many of the protesters were opposed to Tescos
world domination plans and how many were just complaining about the shite they
sell.

Zaphod April 23, 2011 at 23:25

Tesco’s shite is good enough for the likes of me. Own brand, too. Others
are welcome to go elsewhere. Is there a problem?

JuliaM April
24, 2011 at 10:15

I doubt any of the bottle-throwing scum had ever bought anything
anyway, no matter where. Far more likely to shoplift it.

sconzey April 23,
2011 at 15:45

“655 people threaten to firebomb Tesco again in the name of
democracy.”
Honestly: I’m not seeing the contradiction. The propensity
of democracy to devolve into armed paramilitary violence is well document, and
indeed we’ve seen it recently in the Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria.

Fabian the
Fabulous April 23, 2011 at 13:07

Tescos are not a benign force, and not necessarily good neighbours –
whether or not there’s a demand for them. Same goes for other supermarkets,
probably.

JuliaM April 23,
2011 at 13:30

I’ll take Tesco over the sort of neighbours that smash the place up and
set fire to my bins, thanks…

Katabasis April 23, 2011 at 13:53

Amen to that Julia.

There aren’t many things citizens are still able to do on this Island,
however legal and democratic means for preventing a store opening or
continuing operating via your local council is still one of those things.
Why doesn’t the council reflect this supposed “96%” view…?

Katabasis April
23, 2011 at 12:58

One of the best parts of this is that the “96% of the 700 people surveyed”
was a survey carried out on Twitter….

Anna
Raccoon April 23, 2011 at 13:39

Let me guess – the hashtag was #thegreatunwashed? Or #tooidletowork

Cascadian April 23, 2011 at 20:50

Does anyone know the twitter group that did this survey?

I would like to determine if the the local MP, Kerry McCarthy-Liebours
twitter czarina was signed up.

Just a hunch

Ed P April 23, 2011 at 11:55

There’s endless amusement in the shopping attitudes of anarchists. Surely
true anarchists knit their own yogurt, grow their own veg and never, ever dip
even a toe into the murky world of capitalism? So I think Tesco is seen as
provocative temptation, setting up shop opposite the glorious seat of the
revolution. How dare they take the piss out of these fine people in this
blatant way!

gladiolys April 23, 2011 at 11:54

Maybe not so niche, Julia:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1542634/Cameron-as-leader-of-the-Slightly-Silly-Party.html

JuliaM April 23,
2011 at 11:59

And that has what to do with a handful of soap-dodging would be
‘anarchists’?

gladiolys
April 23, 2011 at 12:11

Once more, apologies for being utterly incoherent. I understood you to
be saying that “sheer delight in destruction” was the “niche outlook” of
“a handful of soap-dodging would be ‘anarchists’”.

The link I posted in reply was intended to point out that “sheer
delight in destruction” is maybe a wider “niche outlook” than you had
indicated.

JuliaM April
23, 2011 at 13:29

From that article: “The Bullingdon modus operandi is to book a
restaurant under a false name, smash it up, and throw large amounts of
money at the upset owners — a form of behaviour which dates back to
Victorian times.”

I guess the cheque from the Bristolian rioters is in the post to
Tesco, then?

gladiolys
April 23, 2011 at 13:56

Just because you pay for it, that excuses ““sheer delight in
destruction”, the point you were originally making? Well, I’ll accept
mitigate, but it’s still criminal and “anarchist” (again, your
original word). I’ll accept they probably had a good personal hygiene
regimen.

Aaah, now I get it! Money excuses everything!

Saul April 23, 2011 at 13:30

It only counts if it fits the sterotype of the feckless and workshy.
Toffee nosed nancy boys are exempt.

JuliaM April 24, 2011 at 10:13

The word ‘reparations’ shouldn’t be one understood solely by
‘toffee nosed nancy boys’, should it?

Gloria Smudd
April 23, 2011 at 10:52

I never buy Tesco brioche!
Passion fruit or butternut squash,
Runner
bean, juicy pear –
I’ll buy it elsewhere!
For the Co-op’s where I buy my
nosh.

JuliaM April 23,
2011 at 11:06

It’s catching!

Engineer
April 23, 2011 at 11:15

The skill of constructing a verse,
Is one that I’ll have to
nurse.
When compiling reports,
The clients’ retorts,
Tend to make
me averse.

Livewire April 23, 2011 at 11:16

When stomach’s demanding it’s nosh
There’s no time to start acting
posh
It takes what it gets
Including the pets
And hamster goes
under the cosh

Disclaimer: Genuinely kind to animals

Gloria Smudd
April 23, 2011 at 14:02

I can’t really see what’s the matter
With a perfectly-cooked hamster
platter
But to keep yourself lean
Go for low-fat cuisine
And
don’t deep-fry old Hammy in batter.

Saul April 23, 2011 at 14:18

My Hamster was extremely artistic
His exercise so very
simplistic
Fell asleep at the wheel
Got clipped on the heel
And
became another sad traffic statistic.

Gloria
Smudd April 23, 2011 at 14:47

With my own pets I tend not to bond
Which is good, for in fact
I’m quite fond
Of a feline-based dish
Which is all you might
wish
If you like Chats au Briand…

Engineer April 23, 2011 at 10:51

I’m ashamed to say I had to look up what brioche was. Having done so, I’m
not really surprised they rioted – it’s quite obvious that they wanted Lardy
Cake instead (though why they didn’t just ask the manager to stock some is a
bit beyond me). Still, as my mate from Swindon once said, they’re a funny lot
in Bristol….

Livewire April 23, 2011 at 10:20

Hooray it’s such fun in a squat
There’s Tarquins and Emmas a lot
With
Che on the wall
It’s a debutant’s ball
And hampers from Daddy they’ve
got

Livewire April 23, 2011 at 11:01

Bristolians greet with “Mi’ Dear”
But their cred is now down let’s be
clear
Turned the land of Brunel
To a firebombed hell
And a populus
stoned on cheap gear

JuliaM April
23, 2011 at 11:06

/applause

gladiolys April 23, 2011 at 10:02

Another explanation?:

http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2011/04/morning-after-day-after.html

Anna
Raccoon April 23, 2011 at 10:30

Ah, I see it all now – the police ‘didn’t understand the politics of the
area’ and blatantly tried to ‘enforce the law’ – how disgraceful, no wonder
the residents rioted.
When will our national police force understand that
there are no-go areas for them where the law is as the residents wish?

JuliaM April
23, 2011 at 11:05

Or even ‘as a vocal few of the minority’ wish..?

gladiolys
April 23, 2011 at 11:10

I don’t think it’s that simple. I don’t live in that area, I don’t know
what the local politics are and I don’t feel I can say anything worthwhile
about it. The pieces I have read would indicate this is more than just
“anti-Tesco”.

Other blogs seem to be saying “a plague on all your houses – police,
hippies, politicians, squatters, ecocampaigners, whatever”.

If that is representative of the larger public (who knows?), then what
interests me is where do we go from here? Do we fragment into smaller and
smaller interest groups that are largely determined by economics, and then
maybe principles, and what happens when those fragments come into
conflict?

JuliaM April
23, 2011 at 11:41

“I don’t think it’s that simple. I don’t live in that area, I
don’t know what the local politics are and I don’t feel I can say
anything worthwhile about it.”

Everyone can have an opinion. Blogs allow you to see what those
opinions are, and you can judge for yourself whether they seem legit to
you, or not.

“The pieces I have read would indicate this is more than just
“anti-Tesco”.”

Well, indeed. There’s also the sheer delight in destruction, of course. Frankly, I
suspect that’s even more of a niche outlook that the ‘No Tesco!’
one….

Richard B April
23, 2011 at 09:38

If the people really don’t want Tesco, there will be no customers
and the place will close within six months. It’s called economics. On the
other hand, if the shop thrives we know the truth of all those ‘surveys’.
Petrol bombs not needed either way.

Engineer April 23, 2011 at 10:46

Spot on.

woodsy42 April 23,
2011 at 09:33

Makes you proud to be English – or maybe not.

Disenfranchised of Buckingham April 23, 2011 at 09:14

Zaphod that’s spot on.

gladiolys April 23, 2011 at 09:12

If democracy fails you (which would appear to be the implication of the
Guardian piece), what are people supposed to do?

That’s a genuine question, by the way.

JuliaM April 23,
2011 at 11:04

Then the ones who don’t want to shop there should boycott it, and if they
truly are in the majority, they will succeed. Simples!

But they aren’t in the majority and what’s more they know it!

gladiolys
April 23, 2011 at 11:18

All very well, Julia, but I live in an area where the competition is
between Tesco Metro and Sainsbury’s Local. Not even a Lidle or an Aldi. If
I want to boycott them, it’s bus rides for me – more expense. There is no
alternative, except an expensive artisan cheese shop frequented by
tourists (and thus kept afloat).

Economics does govern where people shop – you should see the pensioners
gathered around the aisles in my two shops when food on its last sell-by
date is being marked down. Only large suppliers, like Tesco and
Sainsbury’s do that, and they squeeze out the independents. You just then
get a self-interested duopoly, where quality suffers, consumers suffer,
suppliers suffer and the only ones who really profit are the companies’
shareholders.

JuliaM April
23, 2011 at 11:38

“If I want to boycott them, it’s bus rides for me – more expense.
“

If you want something badly enough, you’ll sacrifice for it, as will
others. If you won’t, well, that should tell you something about your
cause, shouldn’t it?

“Economics does govern where people shop – you should see the
pensioners gathered around the aisles in my two shops when food on its
last sell-by date is being marked down. Only large suppliers, like Tesco
and Sainsbury’s do that, and they squeeze out the independents.”

So Sainsbury and Tesco are providing cheap affordable food for ‘the
poor’? Why, the utter bastards!

“You just then get a self-interested duopoly, where quality
suffers, consumers suffer, suppliers suffer and the only ones who really
profit are the companies’ shareholders.”

And the people buying that cheap, affordable food. Don’t forget
them.

gladiolys
April 23, 2011 at 11:50

I didn’t make myself clear. Apologies. You say: “Then the ones who
don’t want to shop there should boycott it”. I’m saying those
pensioners queuing don’t have that choice. Or would you expect them to
“sacrifice for it” and try to carry home bags full of shopping on a
bus?

“Sainsbury and Tesco are providing cheap affordable food for ‘the
poor”… food they are not buying out of choice, food that is cheap
because it meets minimum standards. When pensioners’ savings are now
buying less because of inflation, you think that’s all they deserve?
“Affordable” food. Let them eat cake indeed.

Pat April 23, 2011 at 17:59

I think the consumers would suffer more were one of the supermarkets
to close- and if that happened and the remaining one took advantage,
well that would present ann opportunity for fresh competition.

Thornavis
April 24, 2011 at 22:47

“Food that is cheap because it meets minimum standards”, what does
this mean ? I can see no evidence that Tesco or Sainsbury produce is
is in any way inferior to that offered by any other store, it’s rather
better than some, the Co-0p in particular. How could cheap food be
supplied to those on a low income in any other way than meeting
minimum standards, whatever they may be ? If you can think of some way
of providing very high quality food at low prices I’m sure the
supermarkets would love to hear about it.

Time
Traveller April 23, 2011 at 21:55

gladiolys – it’s also a good question. And I’m afraid that while the rest
of us sit and blog about greedy politicians, reckless bankers, arrogant
local authorities and all of the other dictatorial, interfering, meddling,
bureaucratic state institutions riding roughshod over our lives, the Bristol
rioters – whatever their motivation may have been – provided the only real
answer. I thought Richard North’s piece on the disturbance accurately
portrayed the tension central to your question.

I came pretty close to apparently senseless violence myself this morning
when I read about the £100 million windfall to the energy companies via the
simple expedient of mothballing power stations and sacking their workers. No
doubt we’ll grumble about it before obediently coughing up yet another £100
mill and then continue to lay into the feckless, the workshy and the taxes
we contribute to the welfare bill…

Time
Traveller April 23, 2011 at
21:57

gladiolys – I don’t know why this appeared here – it is, of course, a
response to the question you posed earlier.

Zaphod April 23, 2011 at 08:56

If civil war erupts over this, I’ll be on Tesco’s side.

I vote for Tesco every time I shop there. That’s real democracy!

Anna
Raccoon April 23, 2011 at 09:18

Tesco’s, naturally, have a vested interest in investing money in an area
where ‘nobody wants them’ – it’s called Reverse Capitalism. They practice it
all the time……

JuliaM April 23,
2011 at 10:55

As was endlessly pointed out on Twitter yesterday, if there truly IS a
majority in favour of having no Tesco, then they’ll go out of business
there, won’t they?

But what they are really afraid of is being exposed for the
unrepresentative tiny minority that they really are…

Saul April 24, 2011 at 09:37

There you go again with this Twitter nonsense. Why do people hold what
is ‘endlessly pointed out on Twitter’ in such great store. It would appear
that anyone who scours twitter all day for their information, has nothing
else better to do.

JuliaM April
24, 2011 at 10:11

Twitter allows instant communication – for keeping an eye on trends
as they happen, it’s top-notch. Blogs are great for more introspective
stuff, but they can’t beet Twitter for the instant reaction.

That’s why.

Saul
April 24, 2011 at 10:15

More like knee jerk reaction.

Kingbingo April 23, 2011 at 08:48

People get up at 7am to work hard and pay insane amounts of tax so that
other people can be paid to be feckless underclass.

It is so depressing.

So very depressing.

Gildas theMonk
April 23, 2011 at 08:28

Is it St George’s day? I didn’t even know!

Anna
Raccoon April 23, 2011 at 08:57

Google thought it was, even changed their ‘doodle’ for it, but apparently
it’s been moved to May 2nd they just didn’t tell the diary people………Google
have now withdrawn the doodle…..

Anna
Raccoon April 23, 2011 at 09:20

Depends on your inclinations Gildas – apparently Holy Saturday falls on a
different day for Papists…..all very confusing for Quakers. I’m sticking
with today.

Gildas
theMonk April 23, 2011 at 09:26

There does seem to be some confusion. Not sure what that indicates
about national consciousness! The story of how a Turkish knight became the
patron Saint of England might be worth a post by someone…?

Anna
Raccoon April 23, 2011 at
09:28

Sounds like a Sunday Sermon to me….

Engineer
April 23, 2011 at 10:43

“…how a Turkish knight became the patron Saint of England…” – well,
it’s the multicultural society, innit?

**ducks swiftly under table**

SadButMadLad April 23, 2011 at 15:09

And Ireland’s patron saint St Patrick was English.

Gildas
theMonk April 24, 2011 at 10:25

Aha! St Patrick was not English; he was British!

Pat April 23, 2011 at 17:56

St George was originally patron saint of soldiers. Somewhere about
1300 the English monarchy decided that he would make a better patron
than pacifis St Edward the Confessor.

Furor Teutonicus
April 23, 2011 at 08:17

XX As the rest of Europe turns its eyes towards Britain today as we raise
our National flag in homage to Saint George – you can hear the laughter from
Cracow to Calais. XX

WTF has St George to do with Britain?

Michael April 23, 2011 at 11:33

St George for England! St Pancras for Scotland.