Monday, October 25, 2004

Stuff your bloody casinos

A fair number of people in my Ward campaigned succesfully against a company called Blue Chip Casinos from opening a gambling casino in the heart of their community. Some were opposed because it was scheduled to open 20 hours a day, and they didn't want the noise and nuisance in the early hours of the morning. Some thought it would attract prostitution, drugs and organised crime. Some were moralistic and opposed to the whole notion of gambling. For me, I did resent the noise and nuisance, but I also resent the way these casinos will suck money out of working class communities and transfer the income to their fat cat US sponsors... and the Chancellor of the Exchequer (who, if we believe the chattering classes, is apparently opposed to the gambling bill). I know its not popular, but I do want an increase in graduated income tax and funds spent on pensions, the NHS and public services, and we can do that without the leeches in the gambling business contributing to the cost of human misery.