Fairtrade Fortnight - Page 4

Madhatter · 13-03-2006, 21:59

The co-op is a moajor retailer of fair trade in this country and I d on't think the products are that expensive. As for the council doing it, A) councils have to be seen to be doing the right thing, wasting money is one thing but paying a bit extra for planters made of recycled materials or fair trade coffee is acceptable to most people because they should be setting an example, BUT only as long as it's only slightly more expensive. B) they're supporting this fair trade town thing by doing this, which will promote the town. Any badge promotes a town, fair trade town, britain in bloom winner, book town, antique town, as do events, some events even create a badge for a town brerton teddy bear festival or Witherley scarecrow festival for example. A badge raises the profile of a town, promotes a town, encourages more visitors, more tourists, raises the residents pride in a town, civic pride.
Also you need to start looking at ways to promote your town to tourists, your a small town inbetween a group of big towns, your a perfect tourist town, you just need to make use of what you've got and get direction.

Madhatter · 13-03-2006, 21:59

The co-op is a moajor retailer of fair trade in this country and I d on't think the products are that expensive. As for the council doing it, A) councils have to be seen to be doing the right thing, wasting money is one thing but paying a bit extra for planters made of recycled materials or fair trade coffee is acceptable to most people because they should be setting an example, BUT only as long as it's only slightly more expensive. B) they're supporting this fair trade town thing by doing this, which will promote the town. Any badge promotes a town, fair trade town, britain in bloom winner, book town, antique town, as do events, some events even create a badge for a town brerton teddy bear festival or Witherley scarecrow festival for example. A badge raises the profile of a town, promotes a town, encourages more visitors, more tourists, raises the residents pride in a town, civic pride.
Also you need to start looking at ways to promote your town to tourists, your a small town inbetween a group of big towns, your a perfect tourist town, you just need to make use of what you've got and get direction.

chav1 · 13-03-2006, 22:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillGreene

the shops will close and gradually the centre of Accrington will die.

already happened , unless pound shops and charity shops are classed as the life and soul of a thriving town center

Madhatter · 13-03-2006, 22:36

depends what the charity shops sell. we've got one thats a book shop also selling dvd's and videos. It's part of our Atherstone booktown which is at the moment 5 bookshops, soon to be 7, and eventually about 15 shops. The idea is to attract tourists, the tourists will attract some unique shops to the area taking up more empty shops, not that we've got that many empty shops. Also it will create hotel trade, the major hotel has already been renovated refitted and a new extension will be complete. All this will create extra jobs, extra trade , extra footfall that will help keep the shops that provide our daily needs. To keep shops you need the footfall, no footfall, no trade. If footfall is low you need something to increase it. It's no good waiting till your town centre is derelict, cos then you will have a struggle. I think HBC need to wake up a bit.

Bagpuss · 13-03-2006, 22:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tealeaf

My best advice to everyone who has read this thread is to ignore it. "Fair Trade" is a scam to get people to cough up far more than they need to in purchasing their everyday foodstuffs. It is already bad enough being in the Common Market and having to fork out twice as much as neccessary for food.

All this racket does is to pay for for various middle class soft southern lefties as they jet off on three month trips to various exotic places to seemingly negotiate higher prices for inefficient peasant farmers' produce. (In reality, it is a holiday junket).

You may as well just stick your money in the Oxfam tin; It's the same thing - sod all of it will get to the third world poor - 95% of the additional money will be spent on over-inflated salaries, travel & marketing, while the other 5% will line the pockets of the usual corrupt local bureaucrats.

Spend your money down the pub instead.

In total agreement with you Tealeaf, I've always thought this fairtrade was a scam and I would rather my money went to help people in England rather than as they say the developing countries. With all the help these nations are receiving it will come back to haunt us when all our jobs have moved there, wait a minute that's already happening.

garinda · 13-03-2006, 23:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gayle

I'll tell you what, if I get elected I'll look at ways of saving money on coffees. Although I don't think we'll make up the millions of pounds that the Conservatives have got us into debt by saving a few quid with just a few jars of coffee from Aldi.

Don't get tetchy, I admire you for posting this.

As for the coffee, good.

Look after the pennies and the millions of pound debt will look after itself.

garinda · 13-03-2006, 23:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madhatter

The co-op is a moajor retailer of fair trade in this country and I d on't think the products are that expensive. As for the council doing it, A) councils have to be seen to be doing the right thing, wasting money is one thing but paying a bit extra for planters made of recycled materials or fair trade coffee is acceptable to most people because they should be setting an example, BUT only as long as it's only slightly more expensive. B) they're supporting this fair trade town thing by doing this, which will promote the town. Any badge promotes a town, fair trade town, britain in bloom winner, book town, antique town, as do events, some events even create a badge for a town brerton teddy bear festival or Witherley scarecrow festival for example. A badge raises the profile of a town, promotes a town, encourages more visitors, more tourists, raises the residents pride in a town, civic pride.
Also you need to start looking at ways to promote your town to tourists, your a small town inbetween a group of big towns, your a perfect tourist town, you just need to make use of what you've got and get direction.

In answer to you point A) I think you are totally wrong.

Maybe in Hampstead people excpect their council to take the ethical high ground, for everyone else I think the majority of people expect their local taxes to be spent in the most economical way possible.

People look to religion for moral guidance, not their local council.

Madhatter · 14-03-2006, 00:55

Do they? I don't know anybody that looks to religion for moral guidance. People look at a council that preaches recycle this recycle that, be multicultural, buy fair trade and then notice that they don't, in the name of saving tax payers money and they think oh thats ok, they're saving taxpayers money so it's ok that they don't, I'll just carry on doing what they preach but don't practice.

I don't think so. They have to practice what they preach. how can they promote the town as a fair trade town but say fair trade is a few pence extra, so they can't afford it. How can they say you should be recycling everything but not buy recyceld planters because they're slightly dearer. They have to do the right thing, even if you don't think it is.
The things that matter, the things that cost more than a 2.99 jar of coffee from petty cash, the council has to get three quotes on, our council does down here and so should yours

Madhatter · 14-03-2006, 01:02

The people I know expect a council to do the right thing, which isn't necessarily the cheapest. in fact I'm damn anoyed that our council always gets the cheapest firm in to do the christmas lights, because they do a crap job, they look terrible compared to other years when a dcent company installed them. No point me quoting cos I wouldn't do it that cheap, I'd do it properly, so that they last all christmas and not fall down half way through.

shakermaker · 14-03-2006, 01:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madhatter

I don't know anybody that looks to religion for moral guidance.

Well they ain't there to tell you where your nearest bottle bank is mate.

garinda · 14-03-2006, 01:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madhatter

Do they? I don't know anybody that looks to religion for moral guidance.

Hello?

It's being going on since mankind first noticed that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

As for if people think local councils should be meddling in international politics, rather than concentrating on local issues, I'm afraid we'll have to agree to disagree.

Madhatter · 14-03-2006, 01:37

No, it's got nothing to do with international politics, they want to be a fair trade town because they think it would be a good thing to do, not just for people abroad but you, here, the town, the people in the town, promote the town, make it look good, how can they do that if they're contadicting what they're saying.
As for the religion, how many of you go to church, and I don't mean the town. People don't bother any more unless it suits. That a fact backed up by all the violence and vandalism. People don't look to religion for moral guidance, they don't fear god, they don't go to church, they don't get married, they sin, they don't confess, they don't pray. But these same people like to believe that they are good christians though, that they believe in god and do the right thing. hmmm, which god though. I know some people who think ronald mcdonald is a god, that macca was a god. The fact is that only person most kids now days think is looking down on em is the guy in the cctv monitoring station.

Madhatter · 14-03-2006, 01:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by shakermaker

Well they ain't there to tell you where your nearest bottle bank is mate.

thats not gods job, thats the councils.

Madhatter · 14-03-2006, 01:42

Tell you what, why don't we force em to drink tap water that'll be even better value for money, why should they have coffee at all out of our council tax

shakermaker · 14-03-2006, 01:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madhatter

As for the religion, how many of you go to church, and I don't mean the town. People don't bother any more unless it suits. That a fact backed up by all the violence and vandalism. People don't look to religion for moral guidance, they don't fear god, they don't go to church, they don't get married, they sin, they don't confess, they don't pray. But these same people like to believe that they are good christians though, that they believe in god and do the right thing. hmmm, which god though. I know some people who think ronald mcdonald is a god, that macca was a god. The fact is that only person most kids now days think is looking down on em is the guy in the cctv monitoring station.

Religion? Let it be. You do not know better than anyone else what's out there so don't criticise something you don't understand.
Let people have their mystery - whatever way they want to go about it.

Sorry for going off thread - I don't know anything about local politics and to be honest I have given up trying to show any enthusiasm for it.
I'll be going now...