I've predicted the possibility of riots before as ordinary workers are asked to pay the price for the appalling mismanagement of the economy by the banks, the Bank of England, and the government.
The fact that some City bankers have gone back to paying themselves prodigious bonuses is not only irresponsible in the current circumstances, it's provocative and incendiary in the extreme.
So, as UK Uncut, a new activist group, started to target 'tax dodgers' such as Goldman Sachs, Barclays, Lloyds, RBS/Natwest, I welcomed the move. I was even quite sympathetic even when its targets started to include targets closer to home, like Vodafone, Top Shop, Boots and Fortnum & Mason.
We've had activist investors change the face of retail. Why not a role for peaceful but vocal demonstrations from ordinary citizens to force companies and individuals to do the right thing?
What I didn't expect was for riots to erupt concerning a Tesco Express in Stokes Croft. But let's be honest. This wasn't really a battle over the tax contribution of Tesco, even if Tesco's stated "contribution and collection of £3.3bn in taxes" is offset somewhat by tax wheezes over stamp duty on its enormous property investments.
A UK Uncut spokeswoman gave the game away when she said: "What happened in Bristol was about the impact of Tesco on one high street, but people realise there is a national issue."
As anyone who's visited Stokes Croft knows, it's not the "bohemian" suburb described by some sections of the media this week. It's edgy, deprived. And the people who perpetrated this violence weren't the liberal types you find in Islington or Camberwell. All of which makes Tesco's plans to enter the bearpit, and invest in the community, actually commendable.
Nor are the perpetrators of these crimes "bohemian". Armed with petrol bombs and meting out terrifying violence, they're anarchists and criminals. End of.
The fact that some City bankers have gone back to paying themselves prodigious bonuses is not only irresponsible in the current circumstances, it's provocative and incendiary in the extreme.
So, as UK Uncut, a new activist group, started to target 'tax dodgers' such as Goldman Sachs, Barclays, Lloyds, RBS/Natwest, I welcomed the move. I was even quite sympathetic even when its targets started to include targets closer to home, like Vodafone, Top Shop, Boots and Fortnum & Mason.
We've had activist investors change the face of retail. Why not a role for peaceful but vocal demonstrations from ordinary citizens to force companies and individuals to do the right thing?
What I didn't expect was for riots to erupt concerning a Tesco Express in Stokes Croft. But let's be honest. This wasn't really a battle over the tax contribution of Tesco, even if Tesco's stated "contribution and collection of £3.3bn in taxes" is offset somewhat by tax wheezes over stamp duty on its enormous property investments.
A UK Uncut spokeswoman gave the game away when she said: "What happened in Bristol was about the impact of Tesco on one high street, but people realise there is a national issue."
As anyone who's visited Stokes Croft knows, it's not the "bohemian" suburb described by some sections of the media this week. It's edgy, deprived. And the people who perpetrated this violence weren't the liberal types you find in Islington or Camberwell. All of which makes Tesco's plans to enter the bearpit, and invest in the community, actually commendable.
Nor are the perpetrators of these crimes "bohemian". Armed with petrol bombs and meting out terrifying violence, they're anarchists and criminals. End of.
No comments yet