I'm concerned at my own shallowness. I'm part of a systematic homogenisation of not only our highstreets but also the basic fabric of our nationality. I'm talking about the 'blanding' of our societal landscape - the 'Tesco-isation' as some would put it whereby our heritage of craft, skilled workmanship, architecture, tradition - even language is being culled for the sake of ease, comfotrt and most importantly PROFIT. Local pubs are closing by their thousands each year, small shops, bookshops, post offices, hardware and so on are being felled faster than the rainforests (*that statistic is made up). Tesco sell just about everything - and cheaper than everywhere else it seems so why not shop there? I do - I love Tesco; everything I need and so much more that i don't but love to browse all under one roof. The businessmen do it becasue they are clever and they know it will make them money because it is easier and very attractive for the consumer. @Profit motive' is a plague across our country under the guise of good healthy capitalism and entrepreneurship. Woo. Good for us we're good at business. But when did we stop caring about each other? When did the idea that your product/ service provided for or aserved someone else rather than was a necessary mid step between greed and holidays in the sun?

I find it hard to understand what it means to be English (easier to understand being 'British' because that by nature implies a hotchpotch of nations) but 'English' does not conjure up a singular set of distinguishables - we don't all look similar, sound similar, have the same habits, foibles or traditions, we have different religions, different rituals, different backgrounds. We are not just a British hotchpotch of English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, but a hotchpotch of Saxon, Norman, Roman, Viking... and more recently Indian, Caribbean, Polish, Chinese and so on. These are mainly people issues. What I feel we still have to hold on to is an identity that is rooted in trade. Our towns villages an cities all emerged out of or based around trade and community. Pubs, village halls, churches, workshops, markets... My beef is that now all this is dissapearing and I am happily joining in its destruction. I visit small shops as a tourist visits castles but I really shop at the big brand names for affordability and accessibility. The quality is crap but you can throw it away and buy new when the next fashion/summer/dinner party comes along...

I want to remain English. I wouldn't mind knowing what that means. I may have little chance to find out if current trends continue. What's a man to do?