Afternoon coffee at Harris + Hoole

Harris Hoole

I would have gone to Glutton & Glee in Tunsgate, but got delayed, and they close at 5pm. This sadly is where indie coffee shops lose out to the chains, who stay open until 7pm.

And so it was Harris + Hoole aka Tesco.

To be fair, the coffee is good, the staff are very pleasant, but it is 49% owned by Tesco and it is a tax-dodging chain even though it does its best to look and act like an indie coffee shop.

The coffee is sourced from Guatemala (this has changed since the last visit). It is not Fairtrade, but they do claim, they buy from farms that are to that standard. Problem is, who audits the claim?

I have sympathy with them not wish to deal with Fairtrade. Not because they do not wish to maintain standards, but a lot of people are telling me dealing with Farirtrade is a bureaucratic nightmare.

The ambience is awful. Loud pop muisc from a moronic pop radio station, noise from espresso machines, people shouting to make themselves heard (and nearly empty), hard surfaces, makes it very noisy and impossible to relax or have a quiet conversation. It may be better upstairs.

Nowhere to sit outside. North Street is the wrong street. They ought to have located in one of the side streets.

Harris + Hoole claim they do well in reviews. Reviews by who, compared with who? Compared with Costa or tax-dodging Starbucks, one would have to be really bad to do worse. Compared with Cafe Mila in Godalming or Stokes on High Bridge and several other indie coffee shops in Lincoln, I do not think so.

At the end of the day, fresh sandwiches, sausage rolls etc are thrown away. I have passed by in the past and seen two black sacks thrown out.

This is appalling food waste, which costs the company money to dispose of.

I have suggested, towards the end of the day, sell off half price, give away with a tea or a coffee, or simply give away.

And if there is still food left over to be thrown away then arrange for collection by a local charity, to be given to the growing army of homeless and destitute.

Pret a Manger, aka McDonald’s, just around the corner, does make such an arrangement. I had a chat. They did not know who does the collecting, and apparently it is not every day. Pret a Manger not as fresh as they claim? I have asked that they ask whoever does the collecting, please have a chat with Harris + Hoole, and see if they can arrange the same deal.

This is something local jobsworth should be doing, linking people up, reducing food waste, helping the destitute, but that would require imagination and vision, not box ticking.

• Customers criticise ‘indie’ image of the coffee shops part-owned by Tesco

Conversion of Wey Inn to Tesco supermarket

Wey Inn

Yet another pub lost, or will be.

The Wey Inn is sitting derelict, sold to Tesco.

What shocked me, and I double checked to make sure, no planning consent is required for change of use.

A change in the planning rules is needed.

Why are the local planning officials saying there is nothing they can do, when this is simply not true?

Is there a pub protection policy in place, if not why not? Adopt the excellent Cambridge pub protection policy, also look at Islington.

There are many old pubs in Godalming. If not listed nationally by English Heritage, are they listed locally as buildings of local historical importance, if not why not? Is there a policy in place on buildings of local historical importance?

Listing as an Asset of Community Value?

Link up with the campaign to save The Wheatsheaf in Tooting Bec.

Check out all the useful information on Tescopoly website, including advice on planning and cases studies where people have stopped pubs being destroyed by Tesco.

What is the local Member of Parliament doing? Is like Sadiq Khan supporting the campaign? Or is like Gerald Howarth, who stitched up a deal behind the backs of local people to demolish The Tumbledown Dick for a McDonald’s Drive-Thru?

Sadiq Khan went to the boss of Tesco, and received assurances they would not be taking over the Wheatsheaf. Gerald Howarth behind the backs of local people, went to McDonald’s and stitched up a deal to demolish The Tumbledown Dick for a Drive-Thru.

Waverley Council must issue an Article 4 Direction.

Article 4 removes ‘permitted development rights’ for a property – meaning that any proposed change of use has to go through a planning committee. Currently, no planning consent is required for change of use.

This means, without an Article 4 Direction, if Tesco or anyone else wants to change the use of the pub to a supermarket, the planning committee currently has no grounds to prevent the change of use to a supermarket – but with an Article 4 Direction – elected local councillors get to have a say.

Other local authorities like Lewisham and Islington have stood up for local residents and pubs and granted Article 4 Directions. Godalming should expect no less from Waverley Council.

Article 4 saved Catford Bridge Tavern

When the Catford Bridge Tavern pub in Lewisham faced a supermarket takeover last year – with the planning application to change the pub into a shop already lodged – the community still came together and saved the pub.

Lewisham Council used an Article 4 Direction to stop the pub becoming a supermarket and now the residents of Lewisham are able to continue to enjoy their popular local pub.

Granting both an ACV and an Article 4 Direction can happen very quickly if there is willingness from the Council, but Article 4 must be the priority.

Waverley Council should follow the excellent example of Lewisham Council and use the powers they have and act on behalf of the local community they are employed to serve and save The Wey Inn.

The fate of the Wey Inn only serves to illustrate why Fair Deal For Your Local is so important.

Kent: The County that said No to Tesco

Saxmundham is a small market town in Suffolk. Its main name to fame is the town that said no to Tesco. The local council consulted with local people and said no to Tesco, enabling the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, to thrive.

Contrast with the Rotten Borough of Rushmoor (as it is known locally), where half of Farnborough town centre was destroyed for an unwanted Sainsbury’s superstore and in neighbouring Aldershot, the edge-of-town centre Westgate (or Wastegate as local retailers call it) is laying waste to Aldershot town centre.

• Aldershot town centre retailers meeting

Kent appears to be acquiring a reputation as the County that says No to Tesco.

• Tesco expansion plans halted across Kent

At long last, local councils are listening to what local people are saying, that they do not want Clone Towns, do not wish to see their town centres full of identikit shops, boarded-up shops, betting shops, same old corporate chain coffee shops serving rubbish coffee and factory cakes, nor do they want to see their pubs destroyed for Tesco supermarkets or turned into a tacky McDonald’s.

Guildford has said no to an Aldi superstore (though Aldi has threatened to appeal).

• Aldi to appeal over Burpham supermarket refusal

Totnes said no to Costa, the local council said yes, but local people had the last laugh and have driven Costa out of town with their corporate tail between their legs.

• Costa pulls out of Totnes

Even the Rotten Borough of Rushmoor is starting to heed local people and has put in measures to stop the derelict Tumbledown Dick being turned into a Drive-Thru McDonald’s.

Tax dodger Boots turned into a field hospital

Boots field hospital

Boots: We won't buy your cuts

Ambulance for protesters attacked by police

A man washes his eyes after police used CS gas on tax protesters

Tesco Every Fiddle Helps - tax dodging brands taken off the shelves

We don’t want a meal deal, we just want a fair deal! — Boots chant

The staff at Boots were fantastic and took us inside and gave us free treatment. My eyes were really streaming and my face hurt but I was most struck by the violence used by the police. I have been on a lot of demonstrations and have not seen anything like this before. — Gordon Maloney, UK Uncut protester attacked by police

In the last weekend of January we saw the first big weekend of action of the New Year against tax dodgers. Sunday dawned with The BSRC knocking on the doors of Tesco, Boots, Vodafone and the Arcadia Empire of Sir Philip Green. The last big protest was last year on the busiest shopping weekend in the run up to Christmas.

Boots was turned into a field hospital.

Why Boots? Boots is a tax dodger. Boots is owned by a hedge fund. The head office for Boots is in Switzerland. On further investigation the head office is a letter box, but that is sufficient for Boots to dodge UK tax. False Economy estimates that the tax they pay on their profits has fallen from around 33% to 3%.

Why a field hospital? The ConDem Government are planning massive changes to the NHS (National Health Service), changes the public has made clear they do not want. But the ConDems seem as deaf to the wishes of the public as the repressive regime in Egypt.

The field hospital came into its own when police officers decided to pepper spray protesters. The Met must learn tactical policing from the Security Police in Egypt. What did they do, watch the coverage from Egypt then decide they too wanted a bit of the action? An ambulance had to be called to give medical aid to those assaulted and injured by the police.

Well done PC CW 2440 who thought it a clever idea to spray peaceful protesters with pepper spray, but such an idiot was he that he pepper sprayed himself in the face!

But thanks to the Boots staff who were so appalled by the police tactics that they went to the aid of the injured protesters. Thanks also to Ben’s Cookies next door who gave milk to wash eyes and help neutralise the burning.

Tweeted by @BootsMealDeal:

We at Boots are disgusted by police behaviour today.

Why did Boots then remove all their tweets from twitter?

If nothing else the police thugs who used pepper spray on peaceful protesters should be charged with assault. Since when has posting leaflets through a door been criminal damage?

If you were a witness to the pepper spray incident, then please write down what you saw as a witness statement and send a copy to UK Uncut and gbc@riseup.net.

Anna Williams who saw the incident said:

I condemn the violent behaviour of the police who have attacked a peaceful protest against tax avoidance, with three people being taken away in an ambulance.

This is yet another example of political policing that is about protecting corporate interests and not those of ordinary people. We will not however be intimidated off the streets! We have a right to protest when the government are making unnecessary cuts that will hit the poorest in our society the hardest.

What is wrong with the Met? If there ever was a need for an inquiry into a police force, then it is the Met.

– unlawful killing of an innocent bystander at G20 protests
– cover up of the G20 killing
– police brutality at student protests
– police infiltration of activist groups
– sexual violation of activists by undercover cops

Before today’s protest, Sir Hugh Orde, president of Acpo, had warned that police could adopt more extreme tactics to counter the growing wave of protests. It would appear he was true to his word!

Orde has criticised the lack of willingness of new protest groups that have sprung up around the internet, such as UK Uncut, to engage with police before protests. He said if they continued to refuse to co-operate, then police tactics would have to become more extreme. He seems to fail to understand that in this country we have policing by consent. Or does he think he is in Northern Ireland? The role of the police in a democracy is to safeguard the right to protest. The only violence on the day was when one of his thug officers decided to assault peaceful protesters who posed no threat to his officers.

It is not good enough to throw our hands up in the air and say ‘Oh, we can’t negotiate because there is no one to negotiate with’. There are lots of people we can talk to, but they need to stand up and lead their people, too. If they don’t, we must be clear that the people who wish to demonstrate won’t engage, communicate or share what they intend to do with us, and so our policing tactics will have to be different … slightly more extreme.

Brutality was not limited to the police. A security thug attacked a protester. The security thug refused to give his name, was not carrying ID as required by law. If anyone was a witness to the attack, has film footage, or knows who he is, please contact UK Uncut.

Vodafone (£6 billion unpaid tax) were targeted and their stores occupied. Their Oxford Street store in London was once again occupied.

Vodafone acceded to the repressive regime in Egypt and shut down their network, giving yet another reason to shut down Vodafone shops. When the Egyptians finally take back control of their country they should seize the network from Vodafone and hand to another network operator. I suggest Grameen Bank in Bangladesh who operate the largest mobile network in Bangladesh. It can then be run as a social business for the benefit of the Egyptian people, not as a cash cow for tax dodger Vodafone.

Tax dodger Tesco Every Fiddle Helps, were targeted. Not content with destroying our towns, leaching money out of the local economy, Tesco dodge their taxes. Tesco avoid over £100 million in tax despite making £3 billion in profit

In Lincoln a small Guerilla action emptied the shelves of Tesco.

– Kraft owns Cadbury’s and have moved HQ to Switzerland to avoid around £60m in tax, despite Kraft making £590m in profit in 2010
– Walkers crisps: potatoes, workers, factories & Gary Lineker. All British, except the profits held in Switzerland to avoid tax

Please note Green and Black chocolate are now owned by Cadbury’s. The leveraged buy out of Cadbury’s by Kraft was financed by the taxpayer-owned bank RBS.

Shame on the BBC who once again had a news black out on the day of action. But space could be found for an item on a has-been boy band who will be at the Eurovision Song Contest!

In the Lake District thousands of people turned out to oppose the sell-off of our woods and foreests.

Yesterday was a day of protest in Manchester and London by students and trade unionists. The action in Manchester was notable for the carpetbagger NUS President Aaron Porter being chased down the street by fellow students! And police please note: No kettles, no violence!

UK Uncut will feature on Newsnight BBC Two at 2230 GMT Monday 31 January 2011.

Note: An edited version of this article posted on Indymedia UK was censored raising once again questions as to the credibility of Indymedia UK. Indymedia UK has already been exposed as bunch of liars with their false claims that they do not retain the IP addresses of those who use the site.

– We are all in it together
– Bringing the Hospital to Boots
– Press release: UK Uncut condemns political policing at peaceful protest
– CS spray used on UK Uncut protest
– Police use CS spray on tax protesters
– Video appears to show police using CS spray on tax protester
– Clamping down on UK Uncut
– UK Uncut strikes high street stores
– UK Uncut protesters force closure of Boots store in Oxford Street
– Poll reveals widespread suspicion of NHS reforms
– UK Uncut: The Twitter Network Revealed
– Pics: #ukuncut shut Ox st Boots in NHS cuts action
– Police pepper spray #ukuncut protesters
– UK Uncut, the start of something beautiful
– MPs’ defiance at Grizedale forest protest
– Britain’s woods and forests for sale
– Bailgate Pound