The United Kingdom is set to lose more of its famed heritage to the ever-engulfing jaws of modernity, as two of London’s oldest food markets are facing permanent closure from 2028.
Smithfield meat market, which dates back to the 10th century, has been in continuous operation since medieval times and is not only London’s only remaining wholesale market but also the largest in the UK and one of the largest in Europe.
Such was its pivotal role as a major hub of commerce that by the mid-19th century, yearly sales of cattle were reported to be in the region of 220,000, and for sheep, 1,500,000.
In its current guise, the market has survived world wars, fires, industrialization and numerous government interventions.
The second market is the famous Billingsgate fish market. While its dynasty doesn’t stretch quite as far back as Smithfield’s, its heritage and impact are no less significant.
Currently sited in Poplar since 1982, the city’s largest fish market takes its name from the south-eastward where the original riverside market was formally established in the 19th century, although fishmongers were selling their wares in the area as far back as the 16th century. It eventually became the world’s largest fish market, covering an area of about 30,000 square feet, with boats delivering produce via the Thames and business being conducted on the quayside.
Illustrious past workers include the Kray brothers in the 1950s, when Reggie Kray worked as a salesman, and Ronnie’s job was collecting empty fish boxes. Legend also has it that George Orwell briefly worked as a porter in the 1930s, although this was likely a fabrication perpetrated by the man himself when he was wilfully arrested for drunkenness (the budding author had wanted to experience prison life while researching for his memoirs, “Down and Out in Paris and London”.)
Sadly, the markets’ history and the fact that both still receive bustling trade isn’t enough to save them from the men in suits, namely those of the City of London Corporation. The authority, which runs the site and pays ground rent, announced this week that its council voted to withdraw financial support from the markets, effectively sealing their fate.
Plans were originally in place to relocate both markets to a new £1 billion development in Dagenham, but the council’s interest in relocating the two sites has apparently waned.
In the markets’ place there are plans for housing developments and a new museum (apparently, London doesn’t have enough already).
Chris Hayward, policy chairman of the City of London Corporation, said: ‘This decision represents a positive new chapter for Smithfield and Billingsgate markets in that it empowers traders to build a sustainable future in premises that align with their long-term business goals.
Nothing screams empowerment quite like tearing away a trader’s place of business and leaving him to fend for himself in the pursuit of new premises, so one can only conclude that either Mr Hayward is well and truly out of touch or he has a rather sick sense of humour.
Compensation has been offered to the traders to sweeten the blow, but with the caveat that they either take it or “leave with nothing.”
One trader, whose family has sold fish at the Billingsgate site for 70 years, said: “For what we’ve been offered to vacate the premises, I can’t go and reinstate myself somewhere else.
“I’ve been told to do my best with what I can do. It’s not great at all.”
He added: “It means there’s no fish market for London, which would mean the populace of London would have to resort to using local fishmongers, which obviously isn’t the end of the world, but where are the fishmongers going to get their fish?”
It’s a valid question, but the saga goes a little deeper than that.
What we are witnessing is a multipronged attack, with the targets being British workers, small businesses and our sense of history and national pride.
To understand the intricacies at play here, we first need to understand the plans of our government and large corporations to dismantle and remould Britain to befit their globalist vision of the future.
In their perspective Britain, which would be a complete dystopia for the majority of us, the population will be dependent on the state and a select-few multi-national corporations. To achieve this, small businesses must be destroyed and the working class, long despised by the “elite” class, will be reduced to a “benefit” class, completely reliant on the state as their means of earning an income will have been ripped away from them.
If that sounds like a perverse way of managing an economy, you’d be right, but remember, a class completely reliant on the state is hardly going to rise up in defiance against said state.
In light of this, we can see why every effort has been made by successive governments to undermine small businesses, be it through taxation, inflation, restrictive legislation and, more recently, lockdowns. As small businesses struggle to survive and eventually succumb to the trials and tribulations of endgame capitalism, this enables the consolidation of yet more power for the multinational corporations.
Lastly, we come to the destruction of our culture and history. Always a favourite endeavour of the tyrants of yore, the destruction of national pride and identity is necessary in order to usher in a globalised state, one where loyalty and fealty are directed exclusively to those in power.
A people cannot stand proud when they have nothing left to be proud of, so historical institutions like Smithsfield and Billingsgate, which define our heritage, must be gotten rid of.
This has been happening up and down the country for some time now. Indeed, my local town’s open-air market, famed as being one of the country’s largest, is set to close and be replaced with yet more housing to accommodate Britain’s bulging population.
It doesn’t have to be this way, though. While those in power despise the British people and see them as nothing more than cattle to be herded in whatever direction they see fit, the Homeland Party loves our people and fights to protect them, their country and their heritage.
We are the only party that seeks sovereignty in the face of encroaching globalisation.
We’re growing at an incredible rate, but we need all hands onboard. We need members to help spread our message but also to get involved in their community. Real change needs to start from the ground up, so join your parish council, your school board and any other body which can instil positive change.
Join us and get involved while there’s still time to turn the tide.
