Comments on: Surprising revelation

By: Chris Bertram

Chris Bertram — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 10:06:00 +0000

I think you'll find Chris, that the indifference or contempt tends to be reserved for those to whom the market generally caters, and who themselves couldn't give a flying fuck about what the market does to others.

John's post on Gate Gourmet and his advocacy of paying minimum wage to as many people in that industry as possible is still rather fresh in my mind.

By: Matt Daws

Matt Daws — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 09:49:00 +0000

"not for the first time here on SBBS there's a nasty whiff of indifference or even contempt for those to whom the market has dealt a bum hand."

But John is talking about national (even international, given this rapidly ends up being an EU issue) economic policy. It's just not possible to not screw-over someone: at the very least, it would mean less tax revenue which will hit someone: is a farmer worth more than civil servant? And that's not a long-term solution: fuel prices are going to keep rising, and if we keep cutting the tax component, eventually there will be no tax, and still 1 quid a litre. Get used to it now, I say.

I actually find John's straight-talking fairly refreshing: at least he's honest that someone is going to be out of a job and have a hard time, unlike most people who seem to pretend that you can have a major economic change without anyone having a rough time of it. To be fair, John does also call for helping, say, truckers to change careers.

By: Hell Is Other People

Hell Is Other People — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 09:21:00 +0000

"not for the first time here on SBBS there's a nasty whiff of indifference or even contempt for those to whom the market has dealt a bum hand."

I think you'll find Chris, that the indifference or contempt tends to be reserved for those to whom the market generally caters, and who themselves couldn't give a flying fuck about what the market does to others.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 07:57:00 +0000

Golf, not gold, sorry.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 07:40:00 +0000

Incidentally with the oil price nearly $70/bbl, I did find it rather amusing the BBC had a report of the forthcoming Frankfurt Motor Show and the news that Mercedes main product launch was going to be an AMG souped-up version of their huge SUV, which will have over 500 bhp, whilst VW planned to retaliate with a 240bhp Gold, and 8 litre Bugatti, and a Bentley that is the world’s fastest convertible.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 07:35:00 +0000

I believe so, but that complaint (see first comment) has lost much of its validity as the tax hasn’t changed in Britain since 2000, but the oil component has soared. So all countries have suffered.

By: Chris Lightfoot

Chris Lightfoot — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 07:12:00 +0000

Wasn’t the complaint from the haulage companies last time that nasty foreign hauliers were buying up cheaper diesel in France, then bringing it to this country and using it to fuel their vehicles?

By: Matthew

Matthew — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 07:02:00 +0000

Surely the most easy way to deal with the motorway blockades would be to impose a minimum speed on the motorways?

I don't quite follow the haulage companies economic arguments. Surely they can pass the costs onto their customers, ie Tescos, or whoever it is? It's not like stuff can be moved around the country by rail or air more than it is now. Or is there something big I'm missing?

By: Matthew

Matthew — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 06:58:00 +0000

It's hard to think anything other than they're planning something similar to last time.

Lobby spokesman Andrew Spence said: "We are not calling for a blockade, but if oil companies decide they cannot send out lorries while there is a public presence at their site, then that is a matter for them."

And Andrew Green has said this is only "the start of things to come".

Whilst I take Chris Lightfoot's point that its all a good hoot for while, it did turn rather nasty in the end and there were real problems.

By: The Militant Pine Marten

The Militant Pine Marten — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 06:10:00 +0000

Whereas I agree that this round of fuel protests is silly, it simply isn’t true that those for whom high fuel prices are a problem have brought it upon themselves. It’s a great free market fallacy that everyone can just up sticks and land a new job as and when they please. What are you advocating exactly? That everyone who lives outside the reach of urban public transport networks should move into town? It’s hardly their fault if rural public transport is near as damn it inexistant.