JP Wetherspoons (The Vale)

[james84]

Would this thread of even been started if it was anything other than a Wetherspoons opening in ED?

I find it hard to believe that anyone would really be bothered if the company that owned the Bishop was opening a new pub in place of the Vale, or even to some extent an all bar one.

So i guess that does say something about peoples perceptions of Wetherspoons and the connotations that the cheap drinks have with crime and anti social behaviour. It does not matter how affluant an area is or isnt there does seem to be a trend in many Wetherspoons up and down the country. You only have to look at Wetherspoons in Balham to see that despite being an area considered to be relatively affluant the alcoholics and youths drinking in there really effect the impression of the immediate area.

That said I have been to certain Wetherspoons where they are quite pleasent and attractive because of their prices, however all of these,I have to say have been away from residential areas ie they have been in shopping complexes eg in Finchley road. The majority of Wetherspoons "locals" in my experience have just been a magnet for winos, re faced old men and young, loud mouth teens looking to get drunk quick, who then cant handle their drink.

[Sue]

james84 Wrote:

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You

> only have to look at Wetherspoons in Balham to see

> that despite being an area considered to be

> relatively affluant the alcoholics and youths

> drinking in there really effect the impression of

> the immediate area.

>

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Presumably they are drinking in there because they can't afford the prices in the bars catering for the other "relatively affluent" residents of Balham.

Christ, maybe we should just herd everybody earning below a certain wage into fenced off parts of the country and provide them with places like Wetherspoons which sell cheap ale, so that everybody else can sneer and look down their noses at them from the expensive bars elsewhere.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Oh I dunno - plenty of people sneer at people in expensive bars as well

This thread tho... sheesh

Silly points like: "funny how people on here for chains like Waitrose are against chains when it's JDW" - which is just rubbish. People against chains tend to be fairly consistent - but flinging a bit of mud like that just makes it harder to cut through the crud

Not every decision a poor/skint/ person makes is on price alone. If a pub (aaaaaaany pub) is full of deadbeats/idiots then that makes it a pub full of deadbeats/idiots. Levels of affluence don't come into it. I grew up in a small town (6000 pop) with 30+ pubs. Most people in the town were unemployed or on low wages. Some of those pubs were good and some were shiteholes. Price wasn't the only factor but it did give a good indicator - ie people with little or no money paid extra NOT to be in a shitehole

Many people have mentioned the Wetherspoons in the City and Canary Wharf. Cost is not an issue to most of these people. Still manages to be a pub full of tossers tho. It's not that it's CHEAP, it's that it appeals to lowest common denominator

The Balham pub mentioned is singularly the most depressing place I have ever been in. And I used to live near the Wetherspoons in East Ham. Simply saying "it's cheap" isn't good enough

Poor people across Europe, esp in Mediterannean countries, would not tolerate the muck served by these pubs. TO be poor and accept the slop they dish up is simply being a fool to yourself. Are you saying the food is fine or are you saying that OBVIOUSLY you want better food but can't afford it. The latter is an admirable (if arguably inaccurate) statement bit the former is just plain wrong

Another point to make (and it won't go down well AT ALL) is that I grew up in a country where a lot of the poverty in families was BECAUSE Dad was down the pub drinking the house wages away. It's POSSIBLE to say to poor people "drink less" (not the same thing as "you are poor, you can't drink")

There definitely are people on good money who have no idea what it's like to be broke on here, and they do make crass judgements sometimes. But equally there are people (some with money some not) who are far too eager to play the poverty/class card

[*Bob*]

That's a great idea, Sue.

If I might suggest - somewhere in Norfolk might suit? It's relatively unpopulated anyway and - should a 'Spooner' escape, any minor deformities, limping or facial tics etc would be unlikely to raise eyebrows amongst the general populace.

[Brendan]

Sue Wrote:

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> Christ, maybe we should just herd everybody

> earning below a certain wage into fenced off parts

> of the country and provide them with places like

> Wetherspoons which sell cheap ale, so that

> everybody else can sneer and look down their noses

> at them from the expensive bars elsewhere.

I thought this was how it worked already.

[skidmarks]

*Bob* Wrote:

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> That's a great idea, Sue.

>

> If I might suggest - somewhere in Norfolk might

> suit? It's relatively unpopulated anyway and -

> should a 'Spooner' escape, any minor deformities,

> limping or facial tics etc would be unlikely to

> raise eyebrows amongst the general populace.

Yes, a NIN (Normal in Norfolk) is the Doctors shorthand to imply that your physical and mental characteristics indicate that your mother is possibly also your sister, cousin aunt, and perhaps even your father.

[Sue]

*Bob* Wrote:

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> That's a great idea, Sue.

>

> If I might suggest - somewhere in Norfolk might

> suit? It's relatively unpopulated anyway and -

> should a 'Spooner' escape, any minor deformities,

> limping or facial tics etc would be unlikely to

> raise eyebrows amongst the general populace.

xxxxxxxxxx

:))

ETA: Has Norfolk replaced Essex now as the geographical equivalent of the blonde, then?

[dita-on-tees]

Nah there is interbreeding everywhere. My father re-married a woman with webbed toes. Sure sign of something not quite right in the genes. She cant swim either which is the really odd thing.

[katie1997]

james84 Wrote:

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> Would this thread of even been started if it was

> anything other than a Wetherspoons opening in ED?

>

> I find it hard to believe that anyone would really

> be bothered if the company that owned the Bishop

> was opening a new pub in place of the Vale, or

> even to some extent an all bar one.

James84 - there is a massive thread about the new pub, The Actress (previously the Uplands), I think they are the same company as the Bishop, and there was also one about the new Victoria in Peckham. There was a lot of interest and comments on those threads too, similarly full of the poverty/class card issues on this one.

On a more general note, I sometimes wonder whether a lot of people actually like living in ED and the surrounding areas judging by the biting comments on class that are posted on the local forum. I'm working class in that I have worked all my life. I love the good quality places, and variety, on offer here. A lot of these independent places really deserve our custom, the ones that don't won't last - running a business is non-stop hard work. Doesn't mean that because I like to eat or drink somewhere 'upmarket' occasionally that I look down on someone who prefers eg. Wetherspoons or a cheap chain.

[louisiana]

Well said, Katie.

We have a 'high street' that caters for most tastes, and we are lucky to have the range of shops, restaurants etc. we have.

Perhaps we only argue about it because we care about it so much!

[peterstorm1985]

katie1997 Wrote:

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> I'm working class in that I have worked

> all my life.

Good comment; I never know what defines class these days, but I've been unemployed on a few occasions, so would that make me part of the underclass, or only when I'm out of a job?

I give as much custom as I can to the independents and I don't want a row of chainstores but I'm glad that White Stuff came for the odd T shirt so I don't have to drag myself up to town. We need a mixture and if the balance is right we all win. But the arguments are fun too.

[DJKillaQueen]

I always thought class to be about background, rather than affluence. Plenty of upper class people are broke and plenty of working class people have become millionaires. Class is a culture, not the size of a wallet.

And like you Katie I like this area because it has something for everyone. The day ED becomes a one dimensional provence serving just one kind of people, it really will be dull and no longer be for me.

The nearest Weathrespoons to ED is Champion Hill (I think).....never seen any thing but well behaved people and families in there, so might assume that same will be found of the Vale.

[Keef]

Class is an outdated load of w@nk.

PS. I think some Wetherspoons are quite nice. The fox on the hill was always okay.

[Sue]

katie1997 Wrote:

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Doesn't mean that because I

> like to eat or drink somewhere 'upmarket'

> occasionally that I look down on someone who

> prefers eg. Wetherspoons or a cheap chain.

xxxxxxx

But clearly a number of posters on this thread do.

[woofmarkthedog]

The thing is...

I don't want to drink in a Wetherspoons because..

It's offered beer is bland Stella/Fosters/Heineken/golden generic froth

It's food is "ready meal" bland curry/pie/roast

It's interiors are bland repro pine/antique brass/ stuff

It's art is bland....

It's carpets are naff

It's bogs smell of nasty air freshners..

It's service is bland..

It's staff are bland....

It's punters are......

Well you know where I'm coming from

( even if, it were free, forever, I'd still not go there )

It's not about class or snobery, its not about money, it's the "offer" I hate dislike intensely

And I don't wish to see another one land in my area

Simple...

W**F

[louisiana]

Yes W**f, but which is worse, Wetherspoon or Harvester?

[cate]

Woof - get a grip on your rogue apostrophes please.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Harvester. It has pretensions JDW doesn't. And it's pricey beyond belief

[skidmarks]

Harvester is part of Mitchells & Butler PLC current share price 308.30p. The group also owns All Bar one and Browns and lot lots more.

http://www.mbplc.com/index.asp?pageid=589

Harvesters are described as family run pubs??my arse

The world will become so boring if the chains take over

[woofmarkthedog]

cate Wrote:

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> Woof - get a grip on your rogue apostrophes

> please.

------------------------------

Sorry

BUT can you stay ON TOPIC pls

*glazes over*

W**F

[cate]

The apostrophes make me glaze over and you did it 9 times! Too much Stella???

[woofmarkthedog]

louisiana Wrote:

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> Yes W**f, but which is worse, Wetherspoon or

> Harvester?

-------------------------------------------

Erm...

"Littlehampton...? "

No, no....

"Bognor"

"Sheerness"

W**F

( you tell me )

[Mick Mac]

Don't Weatherspoons have an "if you have children witb you, there is a 2 drink limit" sort of rule.

What self respecting pub would have a silly rule like that. Eh?

Me and my children will be giving it a wide berth.....bleedin snobs.

I've had at least 8 pints before and still been able to find my kids.

Kids have some sort of homing instinct - always seem to be able to find their mother. No harm done.

Edited - whoops, just realised this thread is not in the Lounge. Oh dear.

[katie1997]

cate Wrote:

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> The apostrophes make me glaze over and you did it

> 9 times! Too much Stella???

Wow - the fact you actually bothered to count 9 times, makes me glaze over.

[katie1997]

Keef Wrote:

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> Class is an outdated load of w@nk.

>

> PS. I think some Wetherspoons are quite nice. The

> fox on the hill was always okay.

Keef - totally agree with you, no idea why people are bringing this 'issue' up here. Yeah, so whether its about how much money you have or what 'background' you have - so fucking what?

Yeah, there are some Wetherspoons that aren't that bad, some people on here like to argue the toss about anything.