Zippy Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 Original article appears in The Citizen: 'The Cotswolds are beautiful, and now a honey trap for tourists, because people fled them centuries ago for economic reasons. And that should be repeated with cities such as Hull and Middlesbrough now according to an article in business magazine The Economist. In an unsigned editorial called City Slicker, it said government money shouldn't be wasted on trying to revitalise places like Hartlepool and Burnley. Instead people should be encouraged to move to areas where they will be more successful. The piece added of struggling towns and cities: “That so many well intentioned people are trying so hard to save them suggests how much affection they claim. But these kindly efforts are misguided, governments should not try to rescue failing towns. Instead they should support the people who live in them.That means helping them to commute or move to places where there are jobs – and giving them the skills to get those jobs.”' So, should the Government give up on revitalising failing towns and cities - and if so, what are the consequences for those people living there? Or, should we accept 'economic Darwinism' and accept that the poorer places will have to eventually die off because they aren't strong enough? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loose Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 Anonymous piece eh? I'm not surprised. How would people born in the North be able to afford housing in the South? And this article proposes increasing the already overburdened over-priced demand? Perhaps it may happen thru sheer evolution, this "thing" that happened centuries ago. Or maybe you repeat the successful re-vitalisation that has happened in Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool. Sounds like another ill-informed idea by someone who doesn't realise it's not all grim oop north anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missunderstood Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 Perhaps the author of this juvenile piece of crap would like to explain why cities in so called third world nations like India and China are now flourishing economic powerhouses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horace Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Perhaps the author of this juvenile piece of crap would like to explain why cities in so called third world nations like India and China are now flourishing economic powerhouses. Because Western entrepreneurs, having to pay inflated wages to unionised labour in their own countries have taken their money to India, China etc and set up factories where people work for peanuts. Eventually such places will end up with overpriced labour and the cycle will turn to other places. p.s. I am a fully paid up member of the "working class" with an impeccable family history of doffing our caps to the mine owners and saying thank you for allowing us to risk our health creating wealth for them down t'pit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missunderstood Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Because Western entrepreneurs, having to pay inflated wages to unionised labour in their own countries have taken their money to India, China etc and set up factories where people work for peanuts. Eventually such places will end up with overpriced labour and the cycle will turn to other places. p.s. I am a fully paid up member of the "working class" with an impeccable family history of doffing our caps to the mine owners and saying thank you for allowing us to risk our health creating wealth for them down t'pit Could it be possible that the so called inflated wages paid to unionised labour are because the entrepreneurs profit margins are to high, and the British worker just doesn't wish to be driven into third world poverty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cup of tea Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 I agree, it's okay to allow people to work in poverty in order to maintain profit margins then which only a few people benefit from then? We should get children to work in these factories. gets the price down even further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loose Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 I agree, it's okay to allow people to work in poverty in order to maintain profit margins then which only a few people benefit from then? We should get children to work in these factories. gets the price down even further. What? Pass on the cost savings to the customer? Not on your nellie, more for shareholders I say! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cup of tea Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 What was I thinking? - Should have said cost and margin! Towns only fail because we allow them to - destroying the industrial base in the country hasn't helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missunderstood Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 What was I thinking? - Should have said cost and margin! Towns only fail because we allow them to - destroying the industrial base in the country hasn't helped. If your measuring a towns success by the amount of empty shops, then all of us that do the bulk of our spending in supermarkets or online should accept our share of the responsibility. IMO quality of life provided by green open spaces and community facilities are equally important in calculating a towns success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy Posted October 14, 2013 Author Share Posted October 14, 2013 That is true, Alan Also new retail developments (out of town or away from the established Commercial Business District) do not help. Gloucester being a good example - the city centre shops are mainly discount shops with the more 'upmarket' shops going in at Gloucester Quays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cup of tea Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 I think it was inevitable that online shopping was going to happen once the Internet was born, we have allowed the supermarkets to destroy local shops though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy Posted October 14, 2013 Author Share Posted October 14, 2013 Could not agree more, Cup of Tea. The book 'Tescopoly' makes very interesting reading about the creation of the Supermarket State. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cup of tea Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 There was also a film about Wall Mart in the States, I couldn't remember where I saw it so I had to use Google. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wal-Mart:_The_High_Cost_of_Low_Price I'd imagine it's the same sort of thing as that book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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