A Day at the Seaside

Yesterday Gill and I availed ourselves of our free Travel Passes and I took a trip out to Southport. The weather was pleasant and it presented the perfect opportunity to get away for a few hours, have a meal and walk along the Victorian splendour of Lord Street before taking a quick stroll along the pier. The scene that greeted us was very different from the one that greeted us just eleven months ago. Then everything was vibrant, now we were met by empty shops and closing down sales. People were shopping but a quick look showed that most were not carrying much in the way of purchases. The stores that did seem to be doing well were those with massive discount sales and the usual plethora of Charity shops. Neither Gill nor I shop in town centres very often, so this was quite a shock.

So where is all this going? I don't think anybody really knows. Even whilst writing this a Twitter message came in announcing the possibility of another 2,000 jobs going at the Steel Manufacturer, Corus. Such messages are becoming more and more frequent and not a day goes by without me receiving at least one.

Yesterday I also received an email from friend in the States. The message spoke of the inauguration of President Obama and their hope that things may change. I was with them the day Obama was elected and we had toasted the occasion with champagne. Can one man change things? Well it is possible but this is a job for all of us. What he can give is hope and hope when acted upon leads both to positive thinking and to positive action. Any good psychiatrist will tell you that is the key to coming out of depression. Depression and recession go hand in hand in a vicious cycle. Break that cycle and we have a chance.