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00:00We opened in 2020, just before the start of the COVID pandemic.
00:07Our opening evening was actually the night that Boris Johnson went on telly and delivered
00:13the news that all pubs are closing.
00:16So we've been through such a turbulent spell, I think inflation hitting over 20% in the
00:24last 12 months or so has just had the biggest impact on everything we do as a business.
00:30The cost of bringing stuff into the pub, with that sort of rise on it in terms of the utilities
00:35and the electricity bills that we're sort of facing at the same time, it's sort of coupled
00:42together, it's an absolute disaster for the industry.
00:45Sort of you just don't really know what's around the corner, so it's hard to be optimistic.
00:52He won't be putting my vote to Conservative.
00:55It just seems like the government's been in disarray for quite a period now, since the
01:01Brexit referendum, Mrs May's government into the Boris Johnson government and the fiascos
01:07and everything that's happened since then.
01:09It's just been one big whirlwind of chaos that's followed the government around for
01:14about seven, eight years now.
01:17I'm a retired mental health social worker.
01:25Okay, it's 11.08.
01:28We started this shop in July 2011.
01:38In the 80s people came to Britain either to study or to work, but because of the economic
01:47situation in all other countries, quite a lot of people have moved into Britain.
01:51It's a good thing because quite a lot of people who have specific skills, they are here to
01:59work and use those skills, which is good for the economy.
02:05Quite a lot of people have moved from London into Dartford because of the influx of housing.
02:14It's a problem.
02:15In fact, as a result of that, what we did some years ago, we had to create that board
02:22there for people, customers or anyone, if they have a flat to let, a room to let, they
02:29just come and advertise it freely.
02:31Whoever is the MP for Dartford and is doing things to benefit people in Dartford.
02:46So I came from Nigeria and I came in 2008.
02:51So I grew up in South London where everything's noisy, you can hear sirens, you can hear people,
02:57it's just so chaotic.
02:59And that's one of the things I love the most about living in Dartford.
03:01And I know I'm coming home to peace, I'm coming home to less people, I'm coming home to community.
03:06So my son is autistic and he's non-verbal and growing up, because he's still quite young,
03:12in school and within his community.
03:15His school imitates real life for him, because there are smaller classes in comparison to
03:21mainstream where you have 30 children in a class.
03:25And for me, I feel like the government needs to create more specialist school.
03:29I'm not a big fan of mainstream with a specialist unit because I'm indecisive.
03:33Do you know how you're going to vote?
03:36I'm still going to stick to Labour just because...
03:38Do you know why you're sticking to Labour?
03:41Yeah, I just feel like what, right now, is sort of like a conservative advisory wall.
03:46Totally agree.
03:48Now I think it's just a change of the helm.
03:51You know, there was a lot of misdemeanour around Dartford before it got cleared away.
03:56So it's not like, there is nowhere that is safe.
03:58Yeah, Dartford is better than most places, but nowhere is safe.
04:01A lot of businesses have had to close down because it's not safe.