Here’s to grumpy old men...
This month’s guest writer is market analyst Tom Stinson
At Manchester Piccadilly railway station they have turned the area outside platform 13 and 14 in to what they laughingly describe as a lounge.
The concrete and glass area has been fitted with seats and some thigh high sloping metal bars which youâre meant to lean on. Thereâs a Costa Coffee and a WHSmiths, and at the top end thereâs a neon digital display informing you about train arrivals which everyone stares at gormlessly.
And this âloungeâ has illusions of grandeur. It thinks itâs in an airport. So passengers are told to âwait in the loungeâ until two minutes before the train leaves and then to âgo to departure gate.â Well not quite, but you get the gist.
Being the contrary sort of person that I am, I went to my platform before I was told I could just to see what happened. Nothing did. I mention all this because itâs just one more example of how our society is changing, and for the worse. Never mind that your train doesnât run on time, or that itâs dirty and over-crowded â at least thereâs a nice waiting area in the station.
Thatâs nice as in âanaemicâ, âsterileâ and âsanitised.â I have this theory that the reason whisky is so cherished is because it has come to symbolise tradition and heritage. Itâs a totem unaffected by market trends that have created global drinks brands and homogenous retailing opportunities.
I should declare at this point that I donât like whisky â or at least not the taste of it. Canât stand th.....
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By Tom Stinson
Section : The Last Word
Page number : 74
