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Stand Up For Seaton (SU4S)

Community Action for Seaton's Regeneration Area, 80% owned by Tesco - a floodplain on a World Heritage site bordered by nature reserves, tidal river, the sea and the unspoilt town. SU4S is a state of mind - no members, no structure, no politics. SU4S has objected to 2 planning applications by Tesco, including one for a massive superstore/dot com distribution centre which led to the recent closure on the site of 400 tourist beds with the loss of 150 jobs,a gym and pool - all used by locals.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Qu'ils mangent de la brioche...

In a breathtaking PR exercise, a well known store has laid out its environmental credentials in yesterday's View from tesco Seaton.
The £1000? Well it's been in the carnival committee pot for some time now so it isn't worth commenting on...what is interesting is the perception of "sponsorship" that you might get about the carnival...well fair enough, but perception is a double edged sword for some....for example, if you're a member of a committee that takes a financial contribution from a company or individual, it is fairly obvious that you are looking after the interests of your organisation, in return, you gratefully acknowledge the benefactor..who gets what exactly?
Of course, if you were also say, a councillor with a remit to be unbiassed in your outlook, the perception works that you were somehow involved with said grateful recipient/organisation, and it could be seen that you have compromised that unbiassed opinion you were democratically elected to hold...and hell yes, I was elected for having an opinion about getting the right deal for Seaton****...but it doesn't mean I get involved with financial transactions that could make right-minded members of the public think I somehow "done-a-deal", however innocent or arms-length they might be.

And in the end, my real topic of this post isn't about prejudicial interest at all, but with the PR dogsTesco spin machine effort about "environmental issues"...hmmm, some carnival procession floats are incredible efforts, but from a creative point of view and, unfortunately, from an environmental impact point of view...so when I hear that £1000 has been donated to help stage said "best ever" bread and circus event, I am left somewhat bemused at the juxtaposition of it all;0)


****those with an axe to grind would do well to remember that SU4S is a conceptual platform, not an organisation (as verifed by the local government watchdogs), and I still haven't been invited to any secret meetings of it...poo, I must roll the trouser leg up higher or summat:-)

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4 Comments:

At 6:36 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

£1000 works out at around 14 pence for the 7000 people in Seaton. Are we that cheap! What worries me is how Tesco talk only about their shop. The shop should take only a small part of the whole site. What about the rest of it?

 
At 8:27 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Perhaps Tesco's largesse would be more usefully spent sponsoring a anti-dog fouling campaign. I am sure this would gain the support of all the town including representatives of the town council or the carnival committee Councillors or both

 
At 6:28 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

As you say sponsorship is a grey area. Remember all those Formula 1 tobacco manufacturer sponsors. I doubt it was because the managing directors of all the companies all loved Formula 1 car racing and the amount of sponsorship was eye watering.

At best sponsorship is advertising at worst it is ..... fill in your own word here.

 
At 3:54 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I really like carnival but the number of light bulbs on all those floats worries me - thousands of them. They haven't even changed to the lower energy ones or LEDs as far as I can tell and I guess all the trailers guzzle gas to keep them going for several hours at each carnival.

What about an "alternative, green carnival" some time?

 

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