tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129884466436576116.post1975104665026468992..comments2024-02-14T12:43:04.624+00:00Comments on Crosswhatfields?: Talking to the bookmakersSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07914930883748622529noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129884466436576116.post-70170768607702969382011-01-10T15:48:01.747+00:002011-01-10T15:48:01.747+00:00Just to respond to anon's anticipation that so...Just to respond to anon's anticipation that some of the shops will close as a result of online betting; the fact that Deptford has quite high deprivation is one of the reasons that there are so many betting shops here. They are targeting those punters who don't gamble online purely because the majority of these households cannot afford either computers or internet services/phone lines. That's why places like Deptford, Catford, Tottenham etc have a lot of betting shops while Blackheath, Greenwich etc have one or even none.<br /><br />As for diversity on the high street, we certainly do have a lot of food shops (everyone needs to eat!) and a lot of barbers. But we also have a sewing machine shop, a haberdasher/hardware shop and a couple of fabric shops, a motor parts shop, a DIY shop, a couple of newsagents, banks, clothes shops, chemists, etc etc. Even the pound shops have different stock to one another if you look carefully. I can buy about 90% of what I need on the high street, and for the remaining 10% it's always good to take a trip outside the 'Ford once in a while.Deptford Damehttp://deptforddame.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129884466436576116.post-85209405001983649472011-01-10T12:27:14.096+00:002011-01-10T12:27:14.096+00:00No probs - if I remember next time I'll try to...No probs - if I remember next time I'll try to sign off as Anonymous at Millennium Quay to prevent your blood pressure from rising ;-)<br /><br />all the bestAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129884466436576116.post-68946579982202593982011-01-10T12:23:33.096+00:002011-01-10T12:23:33.096+00:00Hi Anonymous, many thanks for revealing a bit more...Hi Anonymous, many thanks for revealing a bit more about yourself, and for being forgiving of my rants.<br /><br />I wonder though if you read the correspondence between David Lammy and William Hills above, which highlights the lack of a sense of community responsibility the betting industry displays, in that they see antisocial behaviour outside and inside their shops as a result of the 'law of unintended consequences'...<br /><br />Also, each shop may have up to four 'one-armed bandits' – category 'B3' slot machines which have prizes of up to £500 for a £1 stake - that are so well designed that punters think they're winning when they're losing...but I guess we should be grateful the Halifax isn't to become an arcade - more popular with women than betting shops.<br /><br />I agree there is actually very little diversity in the high street – contrary to its 2006 Yellow Pages award – and the Vietnamese certainly seem to have a hold on the north end (the only pub left is Vietnamese-owned!)...but a predominance of shops selling the same thing, particularly food, is a little less ominous than outlets which actively encourage problem gambling.<br /><br />Oh well, enough 'paternalistic handwringing'! Thanks for reading the blog and taking the trouble to comment.Suehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07914930883748622529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129884466436576116.post-4572895681534254042011-01-09T19:26:03.159+00:002011-01-09T19:26:03.159+00:00Sue, I am a resident of Millennium Quay and have b...Sue, I am a resident of Millennium Quay and have been since 2001. I play a keen part in the local community and admittedly do spend more time in Greenwich but I also love Deptford (which is why I read this blog regularly).<br /><br />I have posted in the past and when I do you always seem to think I have a hidden agenda (I am a developer, I am a betting office owner!).<br /><br />I just have different views to you, and whilst I mean it in a nice way, you just need to appreciate that other people may have an opposing view to you.<br /><br />I've supped many a drink in the old train carriage and shop occasionally in the food shops in the environ. I note a new Vietnamese supermarket opened Creek Road end of Deptford High Street - I don't hear people saying we have too many food shops or fast food joints! Maybe you just anti-betting ;-)<br /><br />As I said, I think the last time I went into one was as a kid with my dad as he went to put his £1 onto the Grand National. But if people want to use these places then it is not for me to say they should not be allowed. Being part of a community means that you have to allow others to take part in things that they enjoy and just because one does not agree or partake in that activity should not mean that you try to prevent them. Live and let live.<br /><br />As i said, Im sure that most will close over time especially with online gambling so the debate will probably die off in the next 12-18 months anyway.<br /><br />TruceAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129884466436576116.post-31198869141135302472011-01-09T02:41:02.763+00:002011-01-09T02:41:02.763+00:00PS Anonymous, when did I say the artistic communit...PS Anonymous, when did I say the artistic community was 'welcoming'...?<br /><br />I can imagine you now, getting paid by the click, defending your employer's concerns...suenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129884466436576116.post-76414992863776296262011-01-09T02:31:16.213+00:002011-01-09T02:31:16.213+00:00Anonymous, you should tell us where you live.
An...Anonymous, you should tell us where you live.<br /> <br />And why you don't think it's a problem. <br /><br />Enormous amounts of public funds are going towards trying to regenerate the town centre to become a nicer place, whilst the betting industry is 'betting' on which betting company is going to achieve dominance in 200metres of footfall...<br /><br />...with complete disregard to the general well being of the community and the existing and historical architecture and the future. <br /><br />Your support of these wankers leads me to assume you are one.Suenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129884466436576116.post-18794757303591815152011-01-09T02:16:27.291+00:002011-01-09T02:16:27.291+00:00Anonymous, how can the Deptford artistic community...Anonymous, how can the Deptford artistic community be welcoming to views like yours? <br />"Boarded up units" as a description shows exactly where you're coming from. Have you been watching a bit too much of The Apprentice and think there's only one way to do business?<br /><br />Empty shops are a great opportunity for artists, but you'll not be familiar with the greatest selling point for the developers in this area that isn't to do with gambling. Artists? It sounds lame, I know, but the developers have sold billions of quids worth of property on the back of a lie – that artists are thriving in the area. They are not. But they could be, if empty shop spaces were made available to them. <br /><br />If you're not working for the Betting Industry and don't have Google Alerts tuned to your chosen business and favourite subject, you probably should.suenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129884466436576116.post-66331778504496340672011-01-08T21:11:21.483+00:002011-01-08T21:11:21.483+00:00So eloquent Sue, with poetry like that I'm hap...So eloquent Sue, with poetry like that I'm happy I am not part of your welcoming artistic community!<br /><br />For the record I've actually never stepped in a betting office in my life.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129884466436576116.post-64522776482964794892011-01-08T08:17:28.009+00:002011-01-08T08:17:28.009+00:00Thanks Sue for taking the time to post all this, I...Thanks Sue for taking the time to post all this, I have been following the debate north of the river with much interest and applaud David Lammy's efforts (which also underlines the deafening silence from our own MP on the matter...).Deptford Damehttp://deptforddame.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129884466436576116.post-11663895384575414282011-01-07T22:24:07.552+00:002011-01-07T22:24:07.552+00:00Another betting industry comment. Well, actually, ...Another betting industry comment. Well, actually, matey, they could be pop-up shops. It's supposed to be an arty area, all the new developments are based on this premise, so why not let artists do their thing? You wanker.Suehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07914930883748622529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129884466436576116.post-69326523000176164302011-01-07T22:03:06.572+00:002011-01-07T22:03:06.572+00:00Personally I don't see the problem. They are ...Personally I don't see the problem. They are better than empty boarded up units. There will probably not be enough business for all of them and they will eventually close if the community does not use them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com