UK economy improves and Bye-bye Sayers of Ealing

Good News on the Economy

Well I'm not going to be a misery about what is good news on the economic front (unemployment drops), being able to survive in economic terms is not the 'be-all and end-all' of everything but the chance of a regular income is for many families crucial to a half way reasonable way of life - as well as providing the extras that other families have it tends to create a virtuous circle with impacts on neighbour-hoods and communities.
Forgive me if I think that any improvement is as a much despite the governments policies as because of them.
As I expect you have noticed politicians of all hues tend to  take credit for things that go right and blame factors beyond their control for what's going wrong.
On the subject of politicians isn't it amazing how Lord Hanningfield is behaving - the peer appears to have the skin of a rhinoceros having previously being gaoled for his abhorrent behaviour he continues to bring politics further into public disapproval.

The good Lord

Retailing Trends

From the last century

After  more than 100 years Sayers of Ealing, Gentleman's outfitters  is just about ready to close its doors for good.
Up and down the high streets of England it's a similar tale with independent retailers of all sorts finding they can't compete with the multiples (those retailers with chains of shops who can lever their buying power and can afford to advertise).
When I was a youngster these sort of shops had arrangements with secondary schools which required pupils to have uniforms supplied and a certain sort of man used to be a loyal and regular customer - now such traditions have ceased.
Now don't get me wrong this sort of shop was often outrageously expensive with lines that anyone with a hint of fashionable awareness would run screaming from.
But what they did epitomise was  continuity and manners - not something you'll find at Primark and the other budget stores.