ohmygod WALLY OLLINS issohotrightnow

YO and welcome to the third in a regular slot where we report from a high brow and civilised Evening Of Chat that we attended with some painfully on it person from somewhere.

Slip on your argyll socks and crunch a cashew..

This week its the Grandmaster Flash of branding: Wally Ollins. Might have expected him to have a slightly capitalist and self orientated philosophy, but he was right on it  about global equality.

“What is so right about 10% of the world’s population having 90% of the wealth? Why do people want to keep it like that? That’s unsustainable.”

Can’t see the previous two? That’s cos I haven’t written em yet fool – I’m living in the future.

Bump into you in Shunt

Flash your wedge

Okay, we’re a little (ahem) late with this one seeing as it was launched before chrimbo and all, but in fairness it doesn’t cover Peckham …..yet.
It being the anti-nectar card, use-their-own-tricks-against-them-jackie-chan-stylee brilliantly simple idea that is wedge. Basically a reward card for local independent businesses, dreamed up by John Bird the Big Issue man in his crusade to save what’s left of our high streets (and cause Tesco etc some mild annoyance in the process).

It’s already got fair bits of central, west, southwest and north London covered. For some reason the shops of Peckham haven’t been invited to the party yet but when they do goddammit we’ll be the first through the doors waving our pieces of plastic and clamouring for discounts on giant bunches of plantains. And just so we can all feel extra smug saintly while shopping virtuously, half the £20 card fee goes to charidee.
You can also nominate your favourite local emporiums (emporia?) as wedge traders by emailing the suggestion box. Sadly I don’t think it extends to pubs & bars yet…

Fair’s fair

Go on, get a lovely glow going in your guardian-reading heart and get down to the fairtrade fair in Balham tonight. Mulled wine & cakes (yay), free ethical investment advice (er, yay?), a multimedia spectacular combo of film, music & raffle, and of course gazillions of fairtrade doodads to buy for your loved ones and not the slightest whiff of a sweatshop anywhere near any of it! That’s what we call Christmas spirit!
The fair is run by the good people of WDM and starts at 7 in the church at 21 Ramsden Rd.

North London people who can’t bear to cross the river – there’s a great year round fairtrade shop in Manchester.