Green Party Supports the Campaign Opposing Yet Another Tesco's - in Stokes Croft

Monday, 15 February 2010

The Green Party in Bristol is wholly behind the campaign to oppose Tesco's proposed opening of a store in Stokes Croft. On Saturday there was a demonstration outside the proposed shop and about 200 people gathered to show their strong opposition to yet another Tesco's destroying local small businesses and communities. The Green Party supported this direct action.

Tesco seems to have a mission to take over the world. There are already far too many supermarkets in Bristol - not just Tesco's, but Sainsbury's too. There are a few other big supermarkets of course such as Lidl and Asda, but at least they are not invading high streets all over Bristol. Sainsbury's, and above all Tesco's, have been moving into smaller high street shops in recent years and it has got out of hand. These smaller supermarkets, Tesco Express and Sainsbury's Local in particular, are destroying local competition and putting small local independent traders out of business. Small businesses cannot compete with the buying power and consequent lower prices of Tesco and Sainsbury's. They have become much too powerful and hold suppliers to ransom on the prices they pay. Many farmers are having their livelihoods put at risk because they are forced to sell their milk and other produce at a loss to Tesco because Tesco control so many retail outlets.

Tesco (and Sainsbury's) are not only restricting consumer choice, they are also destroying local diversity, and soon every shop will look the same – under a Tesco banner.

We live in a free market economy, but the banking crisis should have taught us that the unregulated free market impoverishes us all financially, culturally, and in community. It is time Tesco's and supermarkets like it were stopped. The Green Party supports all locally owned and run businesses in fighting the ever-increasing encroachment of these unwelcome megachains and the proposed Tesco store in Stokes Croft in particular.

You can join the campaign by logging onto the "No Tesco in Stokes Croft" website and you can also sign the online petition to Bristol City Council to oppose the planning application by Tescos to open a shop in Stokes Croft.