Brixton news, rumours and general chat: Summer 2019
- Thread starter BusLanes
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CH1
"Red Guard"(NLYL)
I've found another type - BRIGHT GREEN. http://bright-green.org/2015/07/07/...rucial-task-is-to-sort-the-good-from-the-bad/
This 4 years old article by Jonathan Bartley seeks to harmonise his ethical/religious stance with political activism.
Jonathan Bartley is opposition leader on Lambeth Council - ie leader of the five-strong Green group.
He has an interesting back-history of punditry on the TV ethics show The Big Questions and ran an ethical Christian think tank called Ekklesia.
He was involved in the Occupy demonstration at St Pauls, and previous to that apparently confronted David Cameron over false claims in the 2010 Tory manifesto over the right to main-stream education for disabled children.
That is Jonathan Bartley.
Wikipedia compares and contrasts Dark, Light and Bright types of Green here: Bright green environmentalism - Wikipedia
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
Thanks for giving this group publicity. They have being doing stalls around Brixton tube for ages. Admire their tenacity.
Its good to see a left group bring up the question of Brexit and racism.
My ( anecdotal) chats with Black British Brixton people is that they saw the referendum being pushed by the racist anti immigration right in this country.
So this group imo are in chime with a lot of local peoples view.
Explains why my Coldharbour ward- which is one of the most deprived in London ( ie its a "left behind community") were 80% Remain.
I rarely go on politics boards threads on Brexit. The default view being Brexit is good for the working class and anyone who opposes it is not proper lefty.
This is what the group say:
I think they have a point. The working class in this country is also one where race is important.
editor
hiraethified
Screening this Sunday. Shame that we seem to have lost so much of this community solidarity in Brixton Pullenites – how a community saved an estate from demolition, free screening, Sun 22nd Sept in Clapham
editor
hiraethified
Specsavers in Brixton seems to have done a formidable job in cutting back staff and increasing queues.
Makes you wonder what the point of booking an eye test appointment at a set time is if they then make you wait in a long, slow moving general queue.
Also: why do they keep moving the interior around?
#moan
Makes you wonder what the point of booking an eye test appointment at a set time is if they then make you wait in a long, slow moving general queue.
Also: why do they keep moving the interior around?
#moan
I would imagine there is a joke in there somewhere except for the fact that you sound mightliy pissed off, and that it is generally unacceptable to mock the afflicted.
trabuquera
Modesty Bag
^same moans apply to the Ferndale Road Post Office - its 'upgrade' seems to have made the queues worse, the process of doing anything *more* confusing, and the tempers even shorter. Spent 14 minutes in a queue for one of the self service machines on Saturday - I only wanted to pay for and post one large letter ... blatantly understaffed, badly managed, not given the resources necessary to deal with demand.
editor
hiraethified
It's been bloody awful since Squire & Partners waved their fat wad around and bagsied the old PO building for themselves.
editor
hiraethified
Hotdesks and 'pods' available if that's your thing
Hot desk membership: £135pcm.
Office pod: 14.50sqm, £787pcm.
Studio (available 1 October): 48.81sqm, £2,649pcm.
https://www.meanwhilespace.com/single-post/2019/08/02/Studio-Space-Available-Tripod-Brixton
Hot desk membership: £135pcm.
Office pod: 14.50sqm, £787pcm.
Studio (available 1 October): 48.81sqm, £2,649pcm.
https://www.meanwhilespace.com/single-post/2019/08/02/Studio-Space-Available-Tripod-Brixton
aka
Brixton Hill
That's the POs fault not S&P. Plenty of space they could have gone to.
aka
Brixton Hill
Yes. Any development would mean the PO moving/shrinking/closing/whatevs. Plenty of things to blame on S&P, PO moving isn't one.
editor
hiraethified
We'll have to disagree to disagree then. My impression was that Squires wanted the whole fucking building for themselves so made an offer to the PO which involved building them a new shiny PO further along the road. Which they did, and it's shit.
Oh, and I'm right. It was part of the same development by Squires:
Squire and Partners get go-ahead for new Brixton ‘Department Store’ home
T & P
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Post Office Ltd is in the middle of a well known and reported cost cutting drive that has included the closure of countless branches and reduction of staff/ services in many others. If Squire hadn’t moved in, another business would have and Post Office would have still sought to release capital/ cut costs by ceding some of their premises. Sadly, they would have only been too happy to do so.
The very busy and popular PO branch in South Kensington has just closed down despite massive opposition- even the ‘main’ branch in Clapham Junction is being sold to a private operator to save money. It is about seven hundred times more likely than the PO instigated the move to reduce the size of the Brixton branch than it was demanded by S&Q as a precondition, or that PO did not want to downsize but was forced to do so.
As aka says, S&P can be scrutinised or criticised for a number of things, but the reduction of the Brixton PO branch size sure isn’t one of them.
If the Post Office has decided to close the branch altogether, as they have done all over the country, I assume S&P would have also been blamed automatically as well?
The very busy and popular PO branch in South Kensington has just closed down despite massive opposition- even the ‘main’ branch in Clapham Junction is being sold to a private operator to save money. It is about seven hundred times more likely than the PO instigated the move to reduce the size of the Brixton branch than it was demanded by S&Q as a precondition, or that PO did not want to downsize but was forced to do so.
As aka says, S&P can be scrutinised or criticised for a number of things, but the reduction of the Brixton PO branch size sure isn’t one of them.
If the Post Office has decided to close the branch altogether, as they have done all over the country, I assume S&P would have also been blamed automatically as well?
editor
hiraethified
Thank heavens you're here to defend Squire & Partners, who in your eyes played no part whatsoever in the closure of the existing large Post office (which swiftly became part of their lavish multi-floor landmark HQ) and the subsequent shunting of the PO into smaller premises (coincidentally designed by Squire).
In fact they even include the PO as being part of their Department Store portfolio:
I reckon they waved their fat wad around, made the PO an offer they couldn't refuse and the people of Brixton have suffered ever since.
Oh and look: they used the same 'community space' bullshit that the rich socialite used to justify the uber-partying zone in Brixton Village:
Admire the luxury: Squire & Partners Transform an Edwardian Department Store into their New Headquarters | Yatzer
Only he didn’t say that did he ?
I realise in your world view - everything has only one cause, and that squires are the latest of a long list of your gentrification villains.
However railing against squires here when the post office is closing and downscaling post offices nationwide is laughable.
As T&P says above - if it hadn’t been squires it would have been someone else.
Alex
aka
Brixton Hill
Why would S&P want the PO to stay? Not their problem. POs problem, and they (the PO) totally biffed it. Any ire should be directed at the PO.
editor
hiraethified
"Out of interest can you give examples of the plenty of things to blame Squires for?"
Are you going to answer his questions?
As for me, it's blatantly obvious that Squire & Partners were the driving force behind the relocation of the PO. They even designed the small space for them to squeeze into and declare dit part of their Department Store flagship.
Saying that would have gone somewhere else anywhere is pure groundless speculation. There's plenty of large POs around the UK that have stayed exactly where they are.
T & P
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The only speculation is to suggest S&P forced the PO to downsize, when Royal Mail and Post Office Ltd and in the middle of the biggest cost cutting and branch clousure excercise in history, with up to 2,500 branches at risk of clousure and many more being sold off as franchises.
One in five UK post offices could close in next year, survey finds
Post Office workers protest against franchising of branches
Branches as busy if not busier than Brixton's have been closed down altogether, and many others have had the number of counters reduced. It is happening everyfuckingwhere.
You might believe S&P is responsible for this particular branch's downsizing, but given the national trend it is not just pure speculation, but rather unlikely as well.
One in five UK post offices could close in next year, survey finds
Post Office workers protest against franchising of branches
Branches as busy if not busier than Brixton's have been closed down altogether, and many others have had the number of counters reduced. It is happening everyfuckingwhere.
You might believe S&P is responsible for this particular branch's downsizing, but given the national trend it is not just pure speculation, but rather unlikely as well.
editor
hiraethified
Brixton has already had several POs close in recent years so unless you can provide some proof that the main office in Ferndale Road was about to imminently close or be downsized, all you have is pure speculation.
Given Squire's full, hands-on involvement in the whole scheme, to say they didn't force the PO's hand is frankly rather bizarre. It's not like they haven't got form for waving their vast wad around and persuading businesses to relocate around their flagship multi-million store if it suits their needs/PR.
What do you think of their claims that their super-swish offices are a 'community hub' by the way?
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
I know Brixton society have gone back to using the Vida Walsh centre for meetings as its cheaper
editor
hiraethified
We've got fake community spaces/hubs popping up all over Brixton these days.
There's the non existent one in Squire & Partners, the non existent one in Lost In Brixton and the totally non existent one that was supposed to be built on the site of the Canterbury. Pop Brixton probably had one too. Have I missed any others?
Angellic
Well-Known Member
I was there recently and was seen in reasonable time. On returning a few days later, again no problem. Hadn't noticed the interior changes but my appointment was long overdue. And my eyesight's improved!
editor
hiraethified
My prescription has gone down from -2.50 to 1.25 but at the expense of my close up vision which has got a bit worse.
But that's getting old for you!
editor
hiraethified
This weekend - all ages!
Open day at the Brixton BMX Club in Brockwell Park, this Saturday, 21st Sept, 2019
Open day at the Brixton BMX Club in Brockwell Park, this Saturday, 21st Sept, 2019
This is a legitimate thing to criticise squires for, you don’t need to make up grievances about them trying to close the brixton Post office.
Alex
editor
hiraethified
They didn't try to close it. They were directly instrumental in moving the PO to smaller premises so that that they could bag the bigger space for their showcase offices. This is documented fact.
Anyway, we can agree to disagree on this if you like. Now are going to give examples of the 'plenty of things' to blame Squires for?
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