Current Affairs

[Ray Scully]

Interestingly Sky News is reporting "Boris Johnson and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen have agreed their negotiating teams will continue talks next week" Now a strong likelihood that a deal unsatisfactory to both sides will be cobbled together?

[Ray Scully]

That's OK, the yanks will very soon get tired of the endless negotiations with the EU, and be only too happy to come and talk to a more sensible union.

Perhaps the EU would be a tad more accommodating especially if they see an opportunity to stitch us up

Well if it takes them as long to stitch us up as it does for them to agree a trade agreement, then we have little to fear for the next decade or so.

I applaud your optimism John

[barney]

We went to our big Asda this morning.
Can anyone explain how they can be selling their clothing range while we, as a small independent have been forced to close our door?

It’s 100% safer in our shop than a supermarket.

It very unfair.

It will cost us about 10k

We may make some back with Xmas but there’s no guarantee of that.

It stinks in my opinion.

[Onelife]

We went to our big Asda this morning.
Can anyone explain how they can be selling their clothing range while we, as a small independent have been forced to close our door?

It’s 100% safer in our shop than a supermarket.

It very unfair.

It will cost us about 10k

We may make some back with Xmas but there’s no guarantee of that.

It stinks in my opinion.

e

Shop-em Barney......they are breaking the rules if they are selling anything other than essentials food etc?....baby goods excluded l believe?

[Mervyn and Trish]

I'm opening a book on what comes first. A UK/EU trade deal or Trump's concession of defeat speech.

[Ray Scully]

I'm opening a book on what comes first. A UK/EU trade deal or Trump's concession of defeat speech.

What odds are you offering please

[Mervyn and Trish]

You'd need to ask OL technical stuff like that. I just plan to keep all the money.

[Onelife]

We went to our big Asda this morning.
Can anyone explain how they can be selling their clothing range while we, as a small independent have been forced to close our door?

It’s 100% safer in our shop than a supermarket.

It very unfair.

It will cost us about 10k

We may make some back with Xmas but there’s no guarantee of that.

It stinks in my opinion.

e

Shop-em Barney......they are breaking the rules if they are selling anything other than essentials food etc?....baby goods excluded l believe?

Hi Barney....just checked it out and it would appear supermarkets in England can sell none essential items......its a joke and typical of a government that doesn't know it's left hand from its right.

As you say...This stinks

[Mervyn and Trish]

Maybe you should stick a few tins of beans on the shelf Barney and declare yourself an essential food store?

[Onelife]

You'd need to ask OL technical stuff like that. I just plan to keep all the money.

I think most decent bookies would steer clear of those two rogues

[Onelife]

Maybe you should stick a few tins of beans on the shelf Barney and declare yourself an essential food store?

I'll rush him through a change of use application for a tenner

Thinking about it, I bet you get more grubby hands going through supermarket clothing than ever you would in Mrs Barneys Shop

[Mervyn and Trish]

I have to confess that Trish bought a new dress in Sainsbury's today . My excuse is Mrs Barney doesn't have a branch here and in fact the only independent ladies clothes shops round here are high end. Or put another way bloody expensive!

[david63]

Don't we all love a gracious looser? - answers on a postcard as the baby throws his toys out of his pram!

[david63]

I don't understand why garden centres are classified as "essential" when in the spring when everyone wanted plants they were not!

[towny44]

We went to our big Asda this morning.
Can anyone explain how they can be selling their clothing range while we, as a small independent have been forced to close our door?

It’s 100% safer in our shop than a supermarket.

It very unfair.

It will cost us about 10k

We may make some back with Xmas but there’s no guarantee of that.

It stinks in my opinion.

e

Shop-em Barney......they are breaking the rules if they are selling anything other than essentials food etc?....baby goods excluded l believe?

Hi Barney....just checked it out and it would appear supermarkets in England can sell none essential items......its a joke and typical of a government that doesn't know it's left hand from its right.

As you say...This stinks

So Keith you would prefer that Jeff Bezos and the Amazonians make more profits, at the expense of good old english supermarkets how could you.

[Bensham33]

There is a lot of unfairness for this lockdown. My grandsons age 10 and 12 had their football training cancelled yesterday. How can it be safe for them in their classrooms but unsafe for them to run around in the open air. They really enjoy their football and think this very unfair, they simply don't understand this. I for one have to agree with them.

[Onelife]

e

Shop-em Barney......they are breaking the rules if they are selling anything other than essentials food etc?....baby goods excluded l believe?

Hi Barney....just checked it out and it would appear supermarkets in England can sell none essential items......its a joke and typical of a government that doesn't know it's left hand from its right.

As you say...This stinks

So Keith you would prefer that Jeff Bezos and the Amazonians make more profits, at the expense of good old english supermarkets how could you.

The good old-fashioned independent supermarket/shops took a nose dive when the likes of Tesco’s, Asda and Sainsburys hit town, indeed you could say they were the forerunners to the Amazonians of this world.

[towny44]

Hi Barney....just checked it out and it would appear supermarkets in England can sell none essential items......its a joke and typical of a government that doesn't know it's left hand from its right.

As you say...This stinks

So Keith you would prefer that Jeff Bezos and the Amazonians make more profits, at the expense of good old english supermarkets how could you.

The good old-fashioned independent supermarket/shops took a nose dive when the likes of Tesco’s, Asda and Sainsburys hit town, indeed you could say they were the forerunners to the Amazonians of this world.

Business is the survival of the fittest Keith, looking back to a rather fake, IMO, golden age of corner shops and hovis boys on bikes, and soppy soundtrack music, is never going to replace the price and convenience of modern supermarkets to the modern family.

[barney]

In Great Torrington, the Only shop that isn’t an independent is the CoOp.
Just imagine every independent decides enough is enough and call it a day.
That’s fifty one shops gone and a dead town.
The CoOp would obviously also close because nobody would bother going there.
So ultimately, we’d have a town without a single retail outlet.

That’s why it’s important to shop local as much as possible, even if it costs a few quid more.

Alternatively, chuck a few more billion into Jeff Bezos pocket.

[towny44]

In Great Torrington, the Only shop that isn’t an independent is the CoOp.
Just imagine every independent decides enough is enough and call it a day.
That’s fifty one shops gone and a dead town.
The CoOp would obviously also close because nobody would bother going there.
So ultimately, we’d have a town without a single retail outlet.

That’s why it’s important to shop local as much as possible, even if it costs a few quid more.

Alternatively, chuck a few more billion into Jeff Bezos pocket.

If I lived in a sleepy little West Country village I may indeed shop locally, but living on the edge of a medium sized town, where the nearest independent small shop is a car ride away and further away than the nearest Sainsbury, then if ever covid disappears I will revert to shopping at Tesco, until then I will stick with my on-line Sainsbury deliveries, and the internet for anything else.

[Kendhni]

We have to accept that the High Street, as we know it, is in its last throes. Some will mourn its loss others will simply accept that retail, like everything else, moves on and evolves and you either evolve with it or you simply die. The world is changing and COVID has played a part in accelerating that change. Personally I very rarely use the High Street any more (for various reasons), occasionally I would drop Julie off for a browse but usually she returns home and gets me to order the same stuff online, usually I can find vouchers or discounts somewhere. We do however support our local satellite shops and malls - again I wonder how many more years these will last.

Similarly it is long overdue that we dump currency, there is no need for coinage or paper money any more and, like cheques, should be resigned to the annals of 'how our forefathers used to it', along with abacuses and counting stones.

[Kendhni]

Interestingly Sky News is reporting "Boris Johnson and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen have agreed their negotiating teams will continue talks next week" Now a strong likelihood that a deal unsatisfactory to both sides will be cobbled together?

There is no doubt that Johnsons's bluff has now been well and truly called and he is now in damage limitation mode. He knows he needs a proper deal from somewhere which is why he spent so many years cosying up and kow towing to Trump, but the American clown leader has now been kicked out (finally).

Johnson now has to start building new bridges with Biden (and I see he has already started that - which is good news). However when it comes to the UK Biden has shown that his 'loyalty' is more balanced towards the ROI and therefore Europe. He has made it clear that one of his primary focuses will be to strengthen ties between America and other countries, we just need to find out how far down the queue the UK will be there. On the plus side the senate had already laid out much of the details of a trade agreement with the UK (which was obviously biased towards US needs), it is likely that he will run with that because it did get cross-house approval.

[Stephen]

Why wouldn't you shop online.
No travelling, no rip off parking charges, no weather and crows to contend with and all at the press of a button in the comfort of your own home. Most of the high street properties are now a mixture of bars, coffee shops, restaurants and hairdressers now anyway.

[Manoverboard]

Do I want to park at the bottom / top of the High Street then walk up and down in the rain while Mobietta picks it up / puts it down / holds it up to the light / tries it on etc and then decides not to buy it. That remains her method, barring Covid, mine is to find it online and buy it. The High Street will have to re-invent itself as indeed many are doing.

Seemples

[barney]

Many high streets are already reinventing themselves .... as ghost towns.

We’re fortunate not to live in suburbia but a vibrant local community. We cherish that after years of the south east.
Instow has one shop and four pubs.
It’s pretty close knit.

Great Torrington is a proper old fashioned town and community.
It has the highest percentage volunteers in the country.
The vast majority are community minded and look out for each other.
Usually, there’s a free Xmas dinner arranged for those older folk on their own at the town hall.
All supplied free and cooked and served by volunteers Xmas lunch time.
The local businesses put up the money for it.

Then there’s the Cavaliers who raise tens of thousands for local projects.
This is on top of the usual Rotary, Lions and Freemasons.

When all the local shops go due to the internet, who’ll take over.
Amazon ?