Accused of Racism For Mentioning the 'I' word

a reply to: Kandinsky

Sorry for the late reply, exactly my old factory also ended up basically and there is no other way of saying it but they got rid of the English workers to replace them with foreigners.

The area around the Asda in Southport just up from the train station is typical of many part's of the town and you only have to go in there into the shop the late evening to notice at least a third of there customers at least in the early evening are definitely for the most part eastern European's.

It does have mixed blessing's though as we know but before they came Southport was already in steep decline, a lad I used to know, a former colleague whom used to perform security (now he is a chef and I believe quite good) on the Pleasureland site was often having to move heroin addict's (smack heads Which are or were also a very severe problem in the area - another symptom of social decay) away from beneath the roller coaster and other attraction's were they would frequently trespass so that they had a quiet place to have there fix, he was repeatedly threatened by addict's with syringe's and worse, even stabbed by them once or twice, my nieces ex boyfriend whom owned a novelty shop for a short time just off lord street was constantly having to see off shop lifters - sometimes acting in organised gang's and helped on at least two occasions to nab hand bag snatchers and pick pockets (he is a big lad and had considered at one time joining the police) - leaving his own shop unattended - he sold it pretty quickly though.

The most notable scar on the high street is the empty BHS shop which is actually a prime retail location, like Ormskirk though but on a much larger scale Southport has the problem of land lords wanting to charge exorbitant rent's to any potential business while the retail sector is in steep decline which bites too far into there profit margin's.

It is a crying shame but barring a miracle in our economy, people having REAL paying job's again with the government starting to provide business subsidies to drive the economy as they once did in order to help when time's are bad we are likely to see this get much worse before - if ever - it get's any better.

Orsmskirk as I say used to be another but far, far smaller town center that was lively, had lot's of business and has also suffered this decline.

Many high street name's have vanished, the local's have been priced out of the local housing market as Edge hill teacher training college is now an expanding university campus so student's are taking over everywhere in the town while non resident land lord's are buying up the property's and converting them into student accommodation's effectively gutting the town for there own profit.

Many business have changed there tactic's, local butchers have closed, tea and coffee shop's were there were once real business are now opening and often closing again after a short stint.

I for one lament the effect on this town but in this instance it is NOT migration but the demographic of the town as it slowly morph's into an extended student campus made up of private student accommodation.

Now everything changes that is just a fact of life but it seem's to me that most of this is down to ineffective government, both local and regional were the well being of the established populace and long term economic stability has often taken a back seat to short term economic gain's of a minority of well placed individual's.

a reply to: LABTECH767

Yeah, I remember Southport declining in the late 90s. Me and a girlfriend used to have weekends there and it was obviously changing from what it was in my childhood. Those shoplifters were scallies getting the train from Liverpool for a day's thieving iirc. Little bastards. We had them in Liverpool and there they were in Southport.

Ormskirk's another place I know quite well. It looks like it's doing better than Southport! Still, I get the points about student accommodation; they've caused landlords to 'buy to let' nearly every property there. Like Scarisbrick New Road, there are some beautiful homes there. To be honest, I'd love to move there and can't afford the house prices. I suppose you'll know Huyton's nearby in Aughton? Great food!

On the migration? I think you're right. As much as we might prefer not to have so many migrants, most people forget they move into struggling, affordable areas. As you say, Southport hasn't declined due to East Europeans, it was already failing a decade or more earlier. Essentially, they move into a vacuum left behind by closed businesses and te empty homes of people who left the area for their own economic reasons.

Now everything changes that is just a fact of life but it seem's to me that most of this is down to ineffective government, both local and regional were the well being of the established populace and long term economic stability has often taken a back seat to short term economic gain's of a minority of well placed individual's.

Quite possibly. Liverpool has had billions pumped in to boost the economy and attract businesses and tourists. In contrast, Southport seems to be propped up by the parking fines system (lol) and welfare tenants.

Now it's ONLY humor ,it's so dead and over.