Ramblings
Mark Fountain
www.struttandparker.com
has the last word
w
ell, that was a fuss about nothing. At
least we don’t have to readjust to the
cold autumn days – we’ve had plenty of
practice this summer. The only thing that
now makes getting up in the morning interesting is the
fact that we are all privileged to have ringside seats for
the downfall of western capitalism. Admittedly, they are
The only thing that now makes getting up very expensive seats and we pay more for them each
in the morning interesting is the fact that
day, but it doesn’t happen every year. We should all sit
tight and refuse to leave, they can’t repossess all of our
we are all privileged to have ringside seats
Devon | Exmouth Ref BUC050000 Devon | Exmouth Ref BUC050000
houses – who would want to buy them when they know
Exmouth 1 mile, M5 motorway 6 miles, Exeter 8 miles Exmouth 1 mile, M5 motorway 6 miles, Exeter 8 miles
for the downfall of western capitalism
that property is almost certain to continue to decrease in
A Grade II Georgian residential estate enjoying magnificent views over the Exe Estuary A Grade II Georgian residential estate enjoying magnificent views over the Exe Estuary
value? For once, we are in a more powerful position than Entrance hall | Reception room | Open plan kitchen | Master bedroom with en suite Entrance hall | Reception room | Open plan kitchen | Master bedroom with en suite
the financial institutions so we should flaunt it. They are
shower room | Two further bedrooms | Second bathroom | Guest cloakroom shower room | Two further bedrooms | Second bathroom | Guest cloakroom
even desperate to borrow money from us so that they
Guide price £2,475,000 About 13 acres (5.26 ha) Guide price £2,475,000 About 13 acres (5.26 ha)
can continue to survive. What do you think? shall we let
Exeter 01392 215631 exeter@struttandparker.co.uk Exeter 01392 215631 exeter@struttandparker.co.uk
them sweat for a while? Isn’t Schadenfreude a wonderful
word for a delightful feeling?
The current situation must make many of us feel
Abundant: wild hop vines in the hedgerows around Crouch, near Borough Green nostalgic for the time when people went out to work
knowing that they would have to use all of their skills,
knowledge, experience and ingenuity to create products
that had a direct benefit for people, communities and the
economy. Now, we employ countries to do this for us and
in some cases, cities.
I have always found it bizarre that in China there are
whole cities dedicated to making just one product. There
is Condom City, Zip City, Bra City, Toilet City and
Tap City. At the moment, most of these products are
manufactured for major western brands. If China ever
manages to build its own globally recognised brands, and
could therefore charge a premium for its products, then
it really will be curtains for the west. Imagine if it all
turns around and we become the low cost manufacturers
of branded products for the east. These days, if you can
imagine it, then it might eventually happen.
In times of dramatic change, the response might be to
concentrate on the the simple fundamentals of life, but
with the ground shifting beneath our feet, it is hard to
know what they are any more. We might even look again
Devon | Exmouth
Ref BUC050000
Devon | Exmouth
Ref BUC050000
Exmouth 1 mile, M5 motorway 6 miles, Exeter 8 miles Exmouth 1 mile, M5 motorway 6 miles, Exeter 8 miles
at the 1970s flirtation with self-sufficiency. Perhaps soon,
A Grade II Georgian residential estate enjoying magnificent views over the Exe Estuary A Grade II Georgian residential estate enjoying magnificent views over the Exe Estuary
The Good Life will not seem so ludicrously comic. We
Entrance hall | Reception room | Open plan kitchen | Master bedroom with en suite Entrance hall | Reception room | Open plan kitchen | Master bedroom with en suite
could even make a start by collecting the abundant wild shower room | Two further bedrooms | Second bathroom | Guest cloakroom shower room | Two further bedrooms | Second bathroom | Guest cloakroom
hops from the hedgerows in sevenoaks
Guide price £2,475,000 About 13 acres (5.26 ha) Guide price £2,475,000 About 13 acres (5.26 ha)
and start brewing our own beer.
Exeter 01392 215631 exeter@struttandparker.co.uk Exeter 01392 215631 exeter@struttandparker.co.uk
Because, if you could find a pub that
was still open, you would need to
take out a hard-to-find mortgage
At Strutt & Parker, we know the
just to pay for
importance of teamwork and experience
the beer. v
gained through local knowledge.
Edward Hall Tim Pearse Hilary Hall Johnathan Pearse Kate Harpham Sally Knoakes
Basingstoke Farnham Guildford Haslemere Haslemere Odiham
Basingstoke 01582 764343 | Farnham 01582 764343 | Guildford 01582 764343 Haslemere | 01582 764343 | Odiham 01582 764343
53 offices across England and Scotland, including 10 offices in Central London
 vine October 2008 onlinevine.co.uk
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