ALDI for Callan - again!!

callanfoxy

Hello Teddy,

Got your email, I have just been very bogged down with other things.

Well half way through the day and nothing, zip

Typical government department attitude, they get to know when we are ready and even then only what we want them to know.

Freedom of information act Ha, what the hell is that freedom to keep the people waiting and in the dark until they are really kicking!

Bet we hear nothing today!

foxcoverteddy wrote: »

Good morning Callan, it is a very nervous start to the day: will we be disappointed yet again?
We did at least try, but if we haven't succeeded then I am very sorry.
I hoped our Callan would blossom into an oasis in a desert of despair, the towns around us; shops are putting down the shutter's and trader's are moving on, through the lack of business, lack of investment, lack of commitment by successive political parties in both local and national government.
Callan need's jobs, it is a lovely place, so much so as we said before two of the world's largest retailer's want to come to our town, our town, yes to see Callan on the map.
People say well you have Kilkenny or Clonmel, I don't care about either of them, they are not our town, Callan is, and it is Callan that can grow, a place for all of us to be proud of.
It is not just Aldi, that is only a small part, we want investment in our town, will someone just do something about the cross, it is a disaster.
Truth is we really need a Callan Council, with people who care, not the elected representatives we have.
Here we go again, finger's crossed everyone and thanks for your asupport, will be intouch later one way or tother, Foxy

callanfoxy

PS.. Off again will check over the weekend!

All the best!

Captain Havoc

There's a decent chance you'll hear nothing today, it wouldn't come under breaking news so you'll probably have to to wait until someone writes it on the Kilkenny coco website which could take a few working days.

homestyle

Just checked An bord Pleannala's web site and no entries have appeared up for this week yet..they post on there every friday normally

foxcoverteddy

Hi Homestyle
Thanks, frustrating is it not, whatever way it goes, keeping finger's crossed but thanks for keeping in touch regards as always Foxy:eek::eek::eek:

callanfoxy

foxcoverteddy wrote: »

Hi Homestyle
Thanks, frustrating is it not, whatever way it goes, keeping finger's crossed but thanks for keeping in touch regards as always Foxy:eek::eek::eek:

Just back home teddy and as I suspected Nothing listed for week ending 24th.

I suspect after the news yesterday they are taking hundreds of phone calls along with being on meeting number 1000 at this stage!!!

Who ever looks after their web page has been told to man the desk!!!

foxcoverteddy

What fabulous weather eh? Well, I understand the problem for the delay, after all children do come before Aldi or Supervalu.
I think it is important for the future of children's health they get it sorted and quickly, perhaps Bord Peanala are right about not fitting in the area, it was certainly futuristic looking, we wait and see, politicians promises are usually not worth a light.
However frustrating I am happy to wait which ever way it goes, will we be sad or happy.
Once again many thanks to you all, warmest regards,:rolleyes::o:o Foxy

nhg

Hi Guys,

I spoke to a lady in An Bord Pleanala yesterday evening at 4.30pm and she told me 'it's at board level at present' 'the decision date has been extended to 5/4/12' - so hopefully we will get a positive result.

I was'nt near my computer to up-date this thread as my iphone would'nt allow me to log in for some reason.

Thanks to everyone for the constant updates.

foxcoverteddy

Hi everyone, well nhg has put us out of our misery for today, we wait until 5th April for a decision. Wasn't there a horse that won either the Derby or Grand National called 5th April?
Hope all are happy wth that decision, kids alway's and must come first, at least it gives us a few more chat's, ho ho ho.
Enjoy the day and you are such good friends, Foxy

foxcoverteddy

This has given more time for thought, we have had perceived information as too the retail space in Callan, it was shown in the Council plans and the objectors pleas.
Well, perhaps it is something that needs to be righted:- one store shown on a listing has been closed for about four years, close by there is a newsagent, that sells paper's magazines, children's toy's, cards, school book and parafinalia, they also sell milk and bread and a few other bit's. There is no way it can be classed as a retail outlet for groceries.
If you proceed down Bridge St there is Billy the Baker who sells the odd pots of jam etc to go on his excellent bread, it is not a retail outlet, then we have two shops which as nice as the owner's are can only be described as school tuck shop's, they cannot be classed as retail outlet's.
Then we have a couple of shops in Mill St which might sell the odd grocery item, though I have in ten or more years yet to see anyone buying, so no they cannot be classed as retail outlets.
Two garages, both sell groceries, neither as far as I am aware have shopping basket's let alone trolley's, convenience stores at best but certainly not in Supervalu league.
Now the truth is Supervalu has a 100% monopoly in Callan, you either dance to Supervalu or you have to go to Kilkenny or Clonmel, there is no other choice.
Of course we have two greengrocer's and a butcher, yes they are retail but one cannot do a week's or day's shopping in any of them.
The people who objected to Aldi, why, do you want supervalu to have 100% monopoly?
Doesn't the freedom of choice have any place now?
Challenge you to answer. Foxy

Captain Havoc

They would be considered retail. Retail is when you sell items to the public for use or consumption, generally in small amounts.

foxcoverteddy

Thanks for info, but can one differentuate between very small retail outlet's and some one like Supervalu, would appreciate advice please. regards Foxy

Shelflife

Spotted this thread on the main page and its amusing to say the least.

personally it makes no difference to me whether aldi moves to callan or not, but some of the assumptions on the thread are bizarre.

Based on your last post foxcover, you say that supervalu has a monopoly and then go on to list 8 more outlets in the area selling groceries, they may well be small and might not suit your particular needs but they are retail outlets and if they are still open in this day and age they must be doing something right.

all those outlets are creating employment and supporting the local economy, even if its just the owners that are running them.

you talk about choice and employment that aldi would bring and how it would enhance the local economy. however studies have shown that when these multinational companies move into an area , that for every 100 jobs created 150 are lost in the area.

as well as that for every €100 spent in a locally owned shop it creates €235 for the local economy as opposed to €150 for the multinational company.

as regards choice, aldi and lidl whole game plan revolves around having a limited stock range so in actual fact any middling sized shop will probabally give you a bigger range then aldi will.

added to this, if the aldi store is at the edge of the town or slightly outside it (as they usually are) they will create a footfall vacuum in the town center and this leads to more retail outlet closures.

be careful what you wish for, if aldi does go to callan, it will result in an overall poorer local economy and a net loss in employment in the area, thats a high price to pay for cheap german biscuits and cheap hot dogs !

foxcoverteddy

What an interesting post, thank you, I guess you are searching for some answers to the point's you raise.
In fairness to you, it has nothing to do with Aldi, it could have been any supermarket, if you trolled far enough back you will see that the same people objected to Tesco.
We are unsure of their motives in objecting now to Aldi.
Whilst we indicated the retail shops in Callan, and you jumped in saying well eight shops must be doing something right to still be there.
Yes you have a point, alas by no stretch of the imagination could one shop for a family at most of them, choice and price wise it would be virtually impossible.
You sight that a middle sized shop would probably stock more lines than Aldi, well please troll back, we have never said Aldi is the be all and end all, we stress that they may complement each other, but one certainly would need a Supervalu at hand to complete the weekly shop.
The set up in Kilkenny tends to support this, where Aldi and Lidl are close to Supervalu in Loughboy, shopper's actually go to all three, the busiest is Supervalu.
The one thing you did not mention was, well two, Choice and Freedom, do you not think they are important in this day and age?
It was unfortunate you got round to bashing cheap German biscuit's, there may be some, but look at the packaging, many as is the case in Supervalu, made in the UK.
Can't answer the question about dog food, however if you check the content's of any dog food the composition appears to be standard from whatever source.
You go on to the amount of money being generated and cite multinationals as taking it out of the local economy, one wonder's where you get your figures and how they are arrived at.
Footfall, a much used expression, well to involve yourself in this thread you must know Callan, the footfall as you put it on saturday afternoon and sunday, is virtually nil, I kid you not.
Putting Aldi or whoever on the edge of town, will at least make some difference.
I find your arguement interesting but let me put it to you, did you or any of the objectors raise a hand to save the small shopkeeper's when Supervalu moved in to Callan?
Has anyone objected to Supervalu selling newspaper's, magazines etc?
What about meat and vegetables?
It is so easy to be bias without thinking things out, just one little point how do you find cheap tinned strawberries?
Thank you, sincere regards Foxy:o:o

Shelflife

as i said I have no personal or financial interest in the decision, neither am i an objector or aligned to any of them. Im not even from the area and have merely passed through callan once or twice.

Im not saying that you are wrong in wanting aldi in the town, im merely pointing out the facts of what happens when a multinational company comes into a town as opposed to to a locally owned business.

Its nothing specific to aldi, lidl and tesco will cause the same result in the locality.

When supervalu moved in they too will have caused a shift in the local equilibrium but the fact that they are locally owned means that the overall "cost" to the local economy will not be as severe as that caused by the arrival of the other multinationals.

Im all for change and progress and maybe Callan does need an aldi or a lidl or a tesco, but just be aware that they come with a cost which i believe is too much in the long term.

If you look at how powerful and destruction tesco has become in the uk you will see where i am coming from.

foxcoverteddy

Good morning, well Shelflife your post evoked a great debate at home.
In a way you are right and in another there was perhaps general disagreement.
Yes, many small communities in Britain have lost the local shop, and it seems Tesco is the big bad wolf; however rightly or wrongly they are blamed for a change in the shopping habits of many, it was coming, it had to come.
Before you jump up and say anything, Britain after the second world war was rationed, you nominated at which shop you would collect your rations.
The Food Office then alotted sufficient supplies to serve the community. Come the end of rationing, the people wanted freedom, they were fed up being tied to one shop.
In town's which had covered and street market's were magnet's for shopper's, my word's "Choice and Freedom".
The little shops suddenly found their customer base had fallen dramatically.
The writing was on the wall, it wasn't our old enemy Tesco at all, many stores changed the way one shopped, people were fed up queueing, and changes were made so that you had one assistant taking money, whilst other cut and wrapped bacon, cheese and the like, no pre-packs at that time.
Local Co-operatives started to use the space more efficiently, goods appeared on shelves, pick your own sort of.
Naturally this gathered momentum, the first proper supermarket I remember was Anthony Jackson, after rationing it was sheer delight, there came many other's and the shops were getting larger by the month.
The little shops, alas perhaps had had their day, even what would have been larger stores, with umpteen branches found the wind of change too much, Lipton's, Home and Colonial, Frost's and David Gregg's closed and some formed what was small Supermarket group;s one was International Stores.
Even Co-op's closed and regrouped, such famous London one the Royal Arsenal, closed it's shutters.
There were many little shops vacant, no one wanted to pay their prices and in any case they could not carry the stock necessary for a food hungry nation.
I could go on but back to here, the growth of car usage, and with what had happened in the UK, and seeing many Irish lived in Britain it was inevitable there would be a change.
Did you not have Crazy Prices and then Quinnsworth and L&N, all before Tesco took hold, if I remember Tesco came and went, then came back.
Now Supervalu, clever company, you say locally owned, local franchise yes, supplied by Musgrave Retail Partner's, it appears the franchisee can buy certain items locally, but the bulk of supplies comes from Musgrave, I don't know the exact term's.
Supervalu, Northern Ireland, Supervalu Spain and Budgen's United Kingdom, does it not make them multi-national?
A discussion we frequently have is small shop versus supermarket for someone on a recession budget.
One half say's the small shop is better, you can go and buy one of various vegetables and ask the butcher for a specific amount of meat by price, you can do the same in Supervalu, which one will be cheaper and so it goes on.
Will Aldi make a difference to Callan, yes of course, if only "Choice and Freedom", and the small shop, the writing cannot get much larger on the wall, as sad as it is, they belong to a past era.
Very grateful for your comment's and my sincere regard's Foxy:cool:

foxcoverteddy

It was not my intention to write again today, however we were discussing the issue's surrounding Aldi and Supervalu, apart from "Choice and Freedom", there is a third word "Necessity".
There are those amongst us who cannot afford not to buy the cheapest food, it is a terrible indicment of the age, it is nothing to be ashamed of, but those of us inflicted by the recession have pride and do not wish to broadcast to all.
Supervalu of late have reduced prices which is no doubt the threat of Aldi coming, if I cannot afford top quality I would want the best my money can buy.
Even with Supervalu price cutting, one can get quality food from Aldi, yes, cheaper, not all; but having Aldi and supervalu, gives a family that necessary opening "Choice".
To go by car to Kilkenny or Clonmel is going to take five or six litres of petrol, less by diesel of course, so we are talking 9euro before we start buying, money that could be spent on food.
If only our objector's would stop and think about the people, rather than themselves, please remove the barrier whilst there is time, we really do plea that you have the kindness in your heart to feel the pain and suffering for those in need.
You would be doing the people of Callan a service and maybe lighten your hearts,. Open Callan to the future.
To all, my sincere regards and take great care. Foxy:):)

Shelflife

The supervalus tend to be privately owned and can within reason leave the franchise whenever they want. the profits generated by the callan supervalu will tend to stay in the area as opposed to the aldi/lidl/tesco profits which will be repatriated.

You talk of the writing being on the wall for the smaller shop as if it was a forgone conclusion and you talk about aldi being "necessary" to help keep the people of callan fed. seriously thats a bizarre statement.

You seem to have no qualms whatsoever about the future or the livelehood of the smaller shops as you consign them to the economic scapeheap, as long as you have your "Choice and Freedom" it seems to be a case of screw everyone else.

its a pity, because the reality is that if any of the aldi/tesco/lidl do come into callan you will say goodbye to your smaller shops but if thats what you want well thats what you will get.

you will have less money in the local economy, less jobs in the local economy and ultimately less choice because of the resultant closures of the smaller local niche shops.

If you think that that makes for a better community then good luck to you, i personally dont, i see them as economic parasites who give little back to the local economies and suck the life out of them.

foxcoverteddy

Good morning Callan;-
A slight problem this morning, I feel that there is a need to answer "Shelflife's" post yesterday afternoon.
I believe in the freedom of speech as the same principle as the freedom of choice, equally one is entitled to one's opinion's even if other's do not agree.
However I also believe one has the right to respond to articles that could be construed as flawed:- so here goes.
Dear Shelflife, another intriguing post. Yes, as far as I know Supervalu stores are privately owned, but trade under Mus grave Retail Partner's umbrella.
No doubt you are correct in saying they can leave the Musgrave organization whenever they choose, slight snag where do they go and from whom do they purchase?
There are not any companies with the same buying power as Musgrave, yes there is Costcutter, Mace and Spar/Eurospar, and Londis, none of which are in the same league.
I read somewhere last week that the Centra stores are being increased, if I am right it said thirty more would be opened. In all honesty who will this impact on, not the parasitic multi-nationals as you call them, no small, independent trader's the little people.
As for the profit's going abroad, are you not forgetting we are in the Eurozone, free trade, no barrier's etc.
Well Shelflife, who is paying the Irish farmer's and producer's of other quality food's, whose good's proliferate the shelves of Aldi/Lidl and Tesco, as well as our own stores?
Go to other European countries, especially the UK and see the Irish goods for sale, I always feel a pride and a lump in the throat when I see the like of Tesco selling Wexford cheese and Kerrygold butter in the UK stores, I presume Budgen's also carry considerable Irish produce being owned by Musgrave.
What are you going to say to the Irish, ourselves, for the profit that came back to these beautiful Island of our's?
Of course, it really goes without saying we mourn the passing of the small shop's, once gone they seldom return, there might be a certain justification in trying to ensure they do not go from the shopping scene, however when a country is hit by a recession as has happened in Ireland, what do you say to the people who are struggling to make ends meet?
No, you must not go to Aldi or Lidl to buy cheaper quality food for your family, we have stopped them coming to Callan so you won't be tempted?
You must support the small grocer who is going to charge you 30% more for most item, so he can stay in business. Explain that to a hungry child.
Very sorry Shelflife, if you think my idea's are bizarre so be it.
It is a bit naughty, but where do you shop?
Have a lovely day, drive with care, and as always sincere regards Foxy;);)

Shelflife

I find the idea that there are children in Callan going hungry because there is no a/l/t (aldi/lidl/tesco) in the town laughable.

I find the thought of paying 30% more for groceries in a local shop also unfounded and laughable. (does this include supervalu?) and as aldi tend not to stock the main branded products merely similar, its very hard to compare exactly the quality.

a/l/t do stock irish goods but the point that you are missing is that the profits they make from their irish operations are moved out of the locality and the country. a/l in particular are poor employers in the sense that they employ less people than a similar sized local shop.

a/l/t dont employ local tradesmen and accountants and solicitors and they dont stock local produce from local farmers or use local trademen so the economic effect is not just combined to the retailers.

a/l offer a lower cost operation, they tend to offer non branded products which makes comparason difficult. they may well offer a lower cost set of products , but whether they are cheaper is debateable. ( ie you may get a cornflake product cheaper then kelloggs but the quality may be lower).

tesco is no cheaper then any decent sized shop but they advertise so heavily that people are brainwashed. in my local shop a 10kg bag of potatoes is €4.99 in tescos its €6.99, thats alot of 5c and 10c on various products to make up to get that €2 back.

go into your local a/l/t and look for a spot prize for a local charity, tell them that you will drop in the 50c that you are short later and see the look you get, when your child forgets their lunch money try ringing them up and say that you will pay for their sandwiches on your way home from work.

Im not against competition, im not against change i just want people to be aware of the full facts of the effect a/l/t have on the smaller towns as opposed to the cities. im not suggesting either that people should prop up inefficient businesses or those that refuse to reinvest or those that rip off customers either.

tesco in particular has a devestating effect on the smaller towns that it enters, book shops close, grocery shops close , music shops and phone shops all close because they cant compete with the behometh that tesco is. they stock that best sellers in the above ranges and then when the smaller outlet closes it means you have to travel furthur to get the specialist items.

where do i shop ? not a naughty question at all ! i shop exclusively local where the option is open to me. I hate tesco with a passion and refuse to darken their doors, aldi and lidl i find are souless places with their lack of music and drab layout they really do nothing for me.

Im not knocking your right to want choice im merely outlining that choice comes with a price and imo its a price too high. we have seen rural ireland being strangled by change, we have villages that used to have two banks now with none and the post offices under threat of closure.

its not a/l/t we need to feed the hungry children but a return to simpler values.

foxcoverteddy

Hi Shelflife
I do not want to venture far away from the original thread regarding Callan and Aldi. However your post's are so well put together I cannot resist replying.
I was saddened by your remarks that you would not enter Tesco, why not, does it matter where the profit's go? If it is cheaper, buy it or if it is something I want buy it, we are not here for ever so enjoy what you haved whilst you can.
It is the same with Dunnes, I do not care a fig where the profit goes, same goes for Aldi and Lidl. Provided these supermarket's buy Irish food and produced goods, I know at least someone has a job because I am buying Irish. If I could fill my basket with Irish made I would, and be proud of it.
Please give yourself a chance, you are sending out such negative vibes and you sound like a very good person, be happy.
You paint such a dire picture of towns in England because of Tesco, supermarket's are an easy scapegoat.
What about high rent, rates etc, they took there toll, then street market's what delight's one can find food wise, at prices lower than your grocer or supermarket.
Shelflife please be more positive and enjoy the banter. By the way we ain't got Tesco at all in Kilkenny, but I do shop in Marks in Clonmel, dam fine food, english and irish, so what about Iceland, not my scene.
So my dear friend I will say goodbye and thank you for helping our cause, we may not get Aldi but we are having a very hard try.
Just so you are aware, we have no bookshop, no woman's clothes shop's, no record or film rental, no restaurant of any merit, no camera shop, and really no toy shop, so Aldi is not going to decimate Callan is it?
Please take care Shelflife, and please be happy, my very kind regards, Foxy;););)

mefynn

I agree with you foxy on all issues but if you are looking for a good book or some style,men women and childrens dont forget the new charity shop,hunter gatherer on the square,great selection of books adult and children and lovely clothes,we need some supermarket in.

foxcoverteddy

Counting again, but expect the time will fly like it did before. However one hopes our protagonists will see the light of day and call off the objection.
To be honest I cannot understand or see what they expect to gain, having given the matter a great deal of thought, I always end up with the same conclusion.
If Callan does not get Aldi, it is not going to make a lot of difference to the town or the supermarket, they will more or less stay as they are.
There is nothing to encourage people to shop in Callan, it is a one shop town, one has to ignore the convenience stores, we are talking about the weekly shop.
Someone said Aldi doesn't stock as much as Supervalu, we know and accept this, we need a Supervalu, as much as supervalu needs us.
Like the latest promotion, one third off at Supervalu, how long for?
It does not apply to all Supervalu branded food, but nevertheless it is a welcome sign.
Despite the great staff in the Callan store I still want to be able to go to another store without travelling to either Clonmel or Kilkenny, it doesn't mean I am going to buy less at Supervalu.
So why do the people who are stopping, as we said before, progress?
When the recession is over and we get back to normality, will people start demanding better shopping facilities?
We had "Shelflife" telling us the carnage caused by supermarket's on small towns, which could be horrific, only difference is we do not have the shops in the first place.
We now have a super charity shop, after how many years? I hope everyone is supporting it, dam good cause and naturally we are wishing them good luck.
So have a good day, the weather is terrific at the moment, drive with care, and as always sincerest regards Foxy:(:(:(

foxcoverteddy

Hi there, no movement from the old men of Callan, perhaps they need a double dose of "Ex-Lax", if you are too young to remember its effect, well best described as moving lazy bowel's.
Seriously, why are we being tied to these no hoper's, in fact Aldi is only the tip of the iceberg.
Now here is a thought, there is talk of a University of the South East, right, combining Waterford IT with Carlow IT, so what is wrong in getting an investment into Callan, yes Callan University, purpose built, on a green fields site.
Naturally, the campus would have living facilities, plus recreational and sports complexes.
We need to invest in Science, it is the life blood of the future.
Can you envisage the effect on our town? Housing will take off, apart from the building of the university, construction will bring untold riches to Callan, shopping, it might be difficult to even think how that would be, but one does know there will be choice.
There will be a need for bar's and cafe's, not ones that close at 5pm, and decent restaurant's.
The campus would need a luas type tram running round the site, and Capt Havoc's cycle lanes, and if we are going to make a proper job of it, hold on, why not a rail line from the Kilkenny/Waterford line, it is not that far and the lie of the land is relatively flat.
How do we pay for it, one thing we don;t do is organise the current politicians to arrange any money transaction.
United Nation's, investing in the future of the world, perhaps the US they have superb colleges, even our Oil rich friends, now there is a thought.
I think Callan has had enough of small minded old men argueing over Aldi, isn't it time to open our hearts for the children of today and tomorrow to give them a kick start in life.
You never know we might just save the world.
Whilst we are at this even the Kings River could become a feature, riverside walks, boating, my vision of Callan.
If any one suggest's the council, let's face it they couldn't even manage a ring road round the city.
So is it Callan University, the scientific centre of Ireland or some run down clapped out dump?
I watched the Dimbleby lecture last night, fantastic, okay enough for today, do take care and if our elected representatives are seen ask them to do something for our Callan, tra have a good day, regards as always
Foxy:cool::cool::cool::cool:

callanfoxy

foxcoverteddy wrote: »

Hi there, no movement from the old men of Callan, perhaps they need a double dose of "Ex-Lax", if you are too young to remember its effect, well best described as moving lazy bowel's.
Seriously, why are we being tied to these no hoper's, in fact Aldi is only the tip of the iceberg.
Now here is a thought, there is talk of a University of the South East, right, combining Waterford IT with Carlow IT, so what is wrong in getting an investment into Callan, yes Callan University, purpose built, on a green fields site.
Naturally, the campus would have living facilities, plus recreational and sports complexes.
We need to invest in Science, it is the life blood of the future.
Can you envisage the effect on our town? Housing will take off, apart from the building of the university, construction will bring untold riches to Callan, shopping, it might be difficult to even think how that would be, but one does know there will be choice.
There will be a need for bar's and cafe's, not ones that close at 5pm, and decent restaurant's.
The campus would need a luas type tram running round the site, and Capt Havoc's cycle lanes, and if we are going to make a proper job of it, hold on, why not a rail line from the Kilkenny/Waterford line, it is not that far and the lie of the land is relatively flat.
How do we pay for it, one thing we don;t do is organise the current politicians to arrange any money transaction.
United Nation's, investing in the future of the world, perhaps the US they have superb colleges, even our Oil rich friends, now there is a thought.
I think Callan has had enough of small minded old men argueing over Aldi, isn't it time to open our hearts for the children of today and tomorrow to give them a kick start in life.
You never know we might just save the world.
Whilst we are at this even the Kings River could become a feature, riverside walks, boating, my vision of Callan.
If any one suggest's the council, let's face it they couldn't even manage a ring road round the city.
So is it Callan University, the scientific centre of Ireland or some run down clapped out dump?
I watched the Dimbleby lecture last night, fantastic, okay enough for today, do take care and if our elected representatives are seen ask them to do something for our Callan, tra have a good day, regards as always
Foxy:cool::cool::cool::cool:

Hi Teddy.

I do love callan's people, never ending hope and ideas from beyond this existence, sometimes its like an episode of stargate, fringe or doctor who...

Listen we have to all wakeup a little and understand something, I know you know it but this country has no money, people cannot pay bills and 10% of us don't have a job.

The only reason they are talking about merging WIT and CIT is because they want to save money, the last thing they are going to do is build anything new it just a way of cutting staff so that they will have one set of departments for both places and increase the class sizes. Less Admin staff and less teachers to pay for.

Look we need to step back in time and work with what we have, now that does not mean we stop pushing for things but we have to be very careful what we are asking for, i.e safe places to walk and a river walk are very good ideas and to be honest very needed. Some people are having to do without a car these days and freedom to walk safely is very important.

I really like your positive energy for Callan but lets start with what we have and with the time that we have, it almost like starting again.


PS did you notice that the Planning office web site still have no decided cases for week ending the 24th. I know someone said that its been delayed but it looks like anything nationally has been delayed, my point being I don't think it means anything has changed re Aldi in callan, something bigger is going on...

foxcoverteddy

Hi there mon ami: I thought of you when writing this morning, glad you did enjoy the vision. As a matter of fact we are Dr Who fans, prefer David Tennant, much better Doctor.
Apparently it goes off the list, and will re-appear in April, quite un-necessary in my opinion, if only the "No Hoper's" would see some sense.
We have no money, we can pay Bond holder's, we can let former minister's whose inmaturity lead to the crisis, drive around in government cars, with driver's, we have had sum rum things happen with TD's, computer ink spring's to mind, what else do we not know.
I f we do not ask we won't get, that is for sure. We need more Garda, no backing down, and they need protection and better pay.
We need a better health service, again no backing down. Stop the health rip off's, especially HSE.
We need fair pensions for everyone, we also need people who are ripping off the system brought to justice.
We need the drug culture defeated, and a stop to binge drinking.
No backing down on the Callan University, no halfway measures, remember we are not the "No Hoper's", we are pushing Callan forward with all guns blazing, tell the old men to take cover, and No is not a word we recognize.
All or nothing, enjoy the night sleep well Callan, regards Foxy:pac::pac:

foxcoverteddy

One of the most beautiful scenes is to see the dawn breaking over the hills, to see the swath of trees overlooking Killamery, majestic.
Enough of early morning dreams, who is behind the attempts to get competition into our town, stopped?
For what earthly reason do they have? In truth none of our small shops has to fear the coming of Aldi, they should probably have more fear of the devil they know, who is already in Callan.
Supervalu has become an aggressor, their price cut's cannot be managed by any other store in the area, so why would anyone support them in an attempt to stop Aldi or any other supermarket?.
It appears to be a deliberate act of denying the freedom of the individual to choose, but why?
The only people who cannot respond are the elderly, they cannot get to either Kilkenny or Clonmel, or those whose finances are such, that using petrol would be an unnecessary waste of money.
If they succeed in stopping Aldi, who would accept the principle of you will shop where we tell you?
Callan people will not be dictated to by some group of "No Hoper's", people who have no thought of the people of Callan, actually it would seem they have no thought's, surely they must see the way forward, we cannot stay as we are for ever more.
Then someone said was I serious about Callan University, the answer was naturally.
What an ideal spot, we are between Waterford and Carlow, a purpose built faculty, the life blood of this nation is the children, gone are all the manual work, is all high tech, so why not Callan.
We are going to need our two senior schools up-graded, they must move forward, it is essential, not unless our "No Hoper's" are going to object.
We are talking IT and Science, we have the space, we have the road, okay we haven't got the railway yet, and the transport can easily be improved.
So councillor's what are you doing for Callan,s future? I see they are spending a fair sum on their own education, what about our town.
Our friend said be careful what you ask for, in truth I want the moon for Callan and I hope everyone does.
As for the money to build, if it is done properly without too many people trying to jump into the trough, we could well get funding from various area's, but let's not cross our bridges too soon, at least let's attempt to get the show on the road.
No doubt the "No Hoper's" are going "oh dear what next, we let them have electricity, what more do they want"
I tell you a Callan we can be proud of, we could be the star of the nation.
Come on lets go.
Have a good day, t'is the 1st of March 2012 we should have a Callan Day./
Take care and all my thanks to you all, heads up here we come. Foxy

Shelflife

Foxy im not quiet sure what exactly you want (apart from aldi).

You seem to critise supervalu for dropping their prices and giving you cheaper products , will this not help to feed the starving children in callan ?;)

you call supervalu an agressor for doing exactly what aldi would do in the town, you say that the smaller shops cant compete with these price cuts yet aldi would do exactly the same but with more firepower behind them.

You say that the small shops have nothing to fear from aldi yet should fear supervalu , sorry foxy that makes no sense at all. I can assure you that most if not all of the other shops do not want aldi coming in to the town.

You cant blame the local retailers for fighting to hold on to their livelhoods, im sure that if your job was threatened by another business you would fight back too.

you want to see callan improve and thats great but the simple fact of the matter is that aldi and their ilk are basically parasites on local economies.

for every if an aldi outlet make €1 million that money is sent back to germany and taken out of the local and general economy, in order to make that €1m they wil employ less people directly and indirectly in the local economy.

if a local store makes €1m they will employ more people directly and will use more local services they will also support more local and irish suppliers then aldi, that €1m will by and large remain in the local economy.

If you want better schools, more infrastructure better education, employing less people, using less local services and sending money abroad is not the way to do it.

i have no allegiance to either supervalu or rgdata for the record.

you cant have it both ways foxy.

best of luck.

foxcoverteddy

Dear shelflife
Thank you for your comment's, no one could really argue at what you say, however, we haven't got aldi yet, if ever, and supervalu are cutting prices to an extent that the small shops cannot compete, at this rate we won't have any small shops left anyway.
Having said that, yes we want lower prices for our people on the bread line, goes without saying.
Okay so what is Supervalu putting back into the community? I know job's. vital but what else?
Equally what is the council putting into Callan? What are the elected representatives doing for our town.
Yes if it was me, I would fight like hell to save my business, some of the businesses have not got the ability to do so, apart from dedicated customer's where do you get more people from? People need encouraging to come to our town, you won't achieve that with a one shop philosophy.
Yes, and I do want it all way's, sometimes there has to be sacrifices, it is inevitable, hopefully it is only those who could not care less.
I want Joe Lyon and John the butcher next door to get all the customs they can.
Tell you what get our University we would have no problem, and if any of the bigger supermarkets came near, I would fight to keep them out.
Complex character I know, but again thanks, regards Foxy:cool:

foxcoverteddy

Dear Shelflife
Just one little point, I do not think we can make any criticism of money going out to another EU country, I maybe wrong, but we are sort of all lumped together as one.
If I remember before the EU, we were in EFTA, the european free trade area, so that now Germany is considered to be part of Ireland, and vice versa, meaning money can flow back and forth.
I think you are on thin ground talking about leaches, I do not have a problem with your word's I know where you are coming from.
I would hate to hear that alien's have arrived on your doorstep, to make you talk? Seriously though do take care, if I was worried I would ask Capt Havoc for his views.
The mods are very fair and extremely well up in such things.
Take care mon ami, au revoir Foxy:P:P