• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Adventure Island: General Discussion

Shaggy_Dog_ said:
Matt, anytime you say “perhaps controversially” you always seem to follow it up with the least controversial view ever!
Click to expand...
I don’t know… some people seem to think that parks and other big companies should “use their influence” in political debates, so I wasn’t sure.
 
Jb85 said:
What a bizarre statement. How can you deduce from this that the owner does not care about his workers. Ridiculous thing to say.
Click to expand...
Because Labour are the workers party, being against the workers party you are therefore against workers rights and workers having a decent wage
 
Hid said:
Because Labour are the workers party against the workers party you are therefore against workers rights and workers having a decent wage
Click to expand...

Another bizarre statement.
A lack of punctuation makes your complex statement completely incomprehensible.
And still wrong.

Lots of very right wing businesses pay very good wages.
 
It’s worth noting that merely opposing some Labour policy (presumably the Budget, in this case) does not mean you’re against everything they stand for.

Political party allegiances and political beliefs are more nuanced than “I’m against xyz policy proposed by xyz party, so I’m against everything they stand for”. Anyone’s political beliefs will probably be a rich tapestry of beliefs from across the spectrum, and even the MPs in a given political party don’t 100% agree on everything much of the time!
 
Hid said:
Because Labour are the workers party, being against the workers party you are therefore against workers rights and workers having a decent wage
Click to expand...

I'm a historical Labour voter against the current iteration of the party, does that means I hate workers and their rights, too?

Not that I feel particularly compelled to defend Sir Miller, who I personally believe to be a reactionary establishment bootlicker, but I can't speak for his approach to workers' rights (although to be honest, I could probably guess)
 
Last edited:
My take on it... Whether you like the "Grinch" stunt or not, UK theme parks are genuinely struggling, and are entitled to defend themselves. A lot of the small, seaside parks have cited the high energy costs, in particular, and are at real risk of closing down.

And whether you believe in high tax or not, it's the global corporations that are the problem, rather than genuine British businesses like Adventure Island. In layman's terms, the sort of corporations that can base themselves overseas and pretend they're not making any profit in this country etc.
 
Last edited:
Business across the country are struggling and the hospitality/ leisure sector in particular. Business rates up, energy costs up, NI up, wages up and people's spending is down

Business owners have every right to be mad at the government. They are getting clobbered from every direction.so I do sympathise with The Adventure Island owner.
 
East Coast Mariner said:
My take on it... Whether you like the "Grinch" stunt or not, UK theme parks are genuinely struggling, and are entitled to defend themselves. A lot of the small, seaside parks have cited the high energy costs, in particular, and are at genuine risk of closing down.

And whether you believe in high tax or not, it's the global corporations that are the problem, rather than genuine British businesses like Adventure Island. In layman's terms, the sort of corporations that can base themselves overseas and pretend they're not making any profit in this country etc.
Click to expand...
I have no issue with parks, or their owners, getting involved in politics. As you've pointed out, some decisions will have a striking effect on their business. If a park, or an owner, wishes to campaign about a particular issue (such as VAT on leisure spend), that's their prerogative and part of functional democracy.

Politics, as a term, is very broad. Whether we like it or not, political policy affects everyone individually and collectively, including businesses. To deny them the opportunity to engage is foolish and short sighted. We may go to a theme park to escape, but in order to exist parks have to have economic support and favourable legislation.

That being said, I do take issue with businesses and owners publicly getting involved in party politics, footballification and identity politics. I feel that it's a taking the low road approach and it actively puts me off giving custom to that business.

Equally, if your business decides to campaign about a particular issue I disagree with, do not be surprised if I actively avoid it in the future.

Philip Miller's public support of certain "unintentional" racist and anti-semitic figures has put me off ever supporting his business, but I don't think he'd particularly want it anyway, given some of his statements.

There are smart ways of your theme park engaging in politics, and there are detrimental ways. Merlin have campaigned for years to encourage the government to give the leisure industry preferably VAT cuts. I do not think that anyone has a particular problem with Merlin "being involved in politics", or even really considers that they are. They have played the game in that respect very well, even if they haven't got what they want.
 
Quantum said:
Business across the country are struggling and the hospitality/ leisure sector in particular. Business rates up, energy costs up, NI up, wages up and people's spending is down

Business owners have every right to be mad at the government. They are getting clobbered from every direction.so I do sympathise with The Adventure Island owner.
Click to expand...

Two out of the 4 issues you raise there have little to do with the government, at least in the short term.

I don’t sympathise with the guy, and it’s nothing to do with the party in power, if you can’t pay your tax and you don’t like paying a higher wage you shouldn’t be in business.
 
Dave said:
Two out of the 4 issues you raise there have little to do with the government, at least in the short term.

I don’t sympathise with the guy, and it’s nothing to do with the party in power, if you can’t pay your tax and you don’t like paying a higher wage you shouldn’t be in business.
Click to expand...
The minimum wage rise is fine in isolation but when you lump on all the extra costs it's really hard times for smaller businesses like Adventure island. There seems to been some weird stereotype on here that business owners are all big bad capitalist and work thier staff to the bone for a pittance.

Adventure island is seeing a significant rise in business rates along with ridiculous price of energy of running this park im not surprised he's unhappy.

The government is literally taxing business out of existence so I guess your going to get your wish.
 
Quantum said:
The minimum wage rise is fine in isolation but when you lump on all the extra costs it's really hard times for smaller businesses like Adventure island. There seems to been some weird stereotype on here that business owners are all big bad capitalist and work thier staff to the bone for a pittance.

Adventure island is seeing a significant rise in business rates along with ridiculous price of energy of running this park im not surprised he's unhappy.

The government is literally taxing business out of existence so I guess you’re going to get your wish.
Click to expand...
My partners family own a small business and the family have done for over 60 years so I am well aware of the pressures on business, difference is they know what they are doing.

Small business are exempt from the NI increase for a start, if you qualify for it you are by no definition a small business.

I think business rates need reform but not so much to reduce them but to better level online traders with shop fronts.
 
Quantum said:
Business across the country are struggling and the hospitality/ leisure sector in particular. Business rates up, energy costs up, NI up, wages up and people's spending is down

Business owners have every right to be mad at the government. They are getting clobbered from every direction.so I do sympathise with The Adventure Island owner.
Click to expand...
I do the marketing for over 20 hotels and pubs all which before Labour we profitable and doing very well and were pillars of the community. Now only 2 are profitable and 10 closed down, people have been sacked, jobs lost, and community pubs that used to raise money for charity and be a focal point gone.

This labour government is anti business and the energy prices for business and the taxation of non global business is ridiculous.

And anyway with labours new digital ID and facial recognition systems being installed up and down the country we will not be allowed to have fun.

Did we vote for it... No we didn't, I can see why he's thoroughly annoyed. Anyone with a brain wants him and his pigs at the trough out.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
SuperMuscleMan said:
I do the marketing for over 20 hotels and pubs all which before Labour we profitable and doing very well and were pillars of the community. Now only 2 are profitable and 10 closed down, people have been sacked, jobs lost, and community pubs that used to raise money for charity and be a focal point gone.
Click to expand...
There is one other common denominator here, of course, but it's hardly a glowing endorsement of your business acumen...
 
SuperMuscleMan said:
This labour government is anti business and the energy prices for business and the taxation of non global business is ridiculous.
Click to expand...
Small Businesses get exempt from National Insurance Tax rises. The government doesn't control energy prices.

Taxes help fund public services and build infrastructure.
 
SuperMuscleMan said:
I do the marketing for over 20 hotels and pubs all which before Labour we profitable and doing very well and were pillars of the community. Now only 2 are profitable and 10 closed down, people have been sacked, jobs lost, and community pubs that used to raise money for charity and be a focal point gone.

This labour government is anti business and the energy prices for business and the taxation of non global business is ridiculous.

And anyway with labours new digital ID and facial recognition systems being installed up and down the country we will not be allowed to have fun.

Did we vote for it... No we didn't, I can see why he's thoroughly annoyed. Anyone with a brain wants him and his pigs at the trough out.
Click to expand...

Tax hasn’t gone up that much, and if a business was doing as well as you say it was 18 months of a new government wouldn’t be long enough to then close 10 business properties.

If we were three years in I might be inclined to believe you but 18 months in just doesn’t add up. It was either already failing or it was so close to failure the minor tax changes that have occurred just accelerated the inevitable.

I didn’t particularly agree with the employer NI increase but a lot of failing companies have found it a convenient excuse to shed a load of already failing assets. Add to that the fact our tax burden isn’t even that high compared to other comparable countries who all have viable small and medium size business, you have to wonder if we have such a high level of incompetent business owners in this country who can’t run a good drinking session in a brewery….
 
Last edited by a moderator:
This is all getting way too off course into a general politics topic. While obviously some reference about the impact of the government’s policies directly related to the park is inevitable, let’s keep this to discussion about Adventure Island.

We have a politics discussion topic elsewhere for more dedicated in depth discussion.

Might I also remind people again that TowersStreet is a “PG” forum. Swearing, even if veiled is not permitted. Everyone is capable of getting their point across without having to resort to it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top