John F Kennedy once said "Consumers, by definition, include us all…. yet they are the only important group…. whose views are often not heard." The European Commission is working hard to change this.
Oooh, ooh, excellent news!
So we’re going to tear down the customs barriers then, are we? Abolish all quotas, declare unilateral free trade with the rest of the world? You know, get rid of all those barriers that favour producers over consumers?
Empowering consumers can also help break down barriers between Europe’s national markets. The internal market in Europe will offer empowered consumers more choice.
Eh, we’ve already got free trade in the internal market. Your work there is done. When are you going to free the access of the 450 million consumers to the produce of the world?
Hmm, of that, sadly, there is nothing. Fiddling at the margins without addressing the major issue: how like a European politician.
Can we leave yet?
2 responses so far ↓
1 Bob B // Mar 10, 2008 at 11:07 am
“Consumers, by definition, include us all…. yet they are the only important group…. whose views are often not heard.”
On that, readers with the time to watch might like to know of an illuminating series of four BBC documentaries from 2002 by Adam Curtis, with the title: The Century of the Self, and available on Google video. The documentaries make credible connections between Freudian psycho-analysis, Edward Bernays, who virtually created the public relations profession, consumerism and political spin.
Part 1 of 4
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8953172273825999151
Part 2 of 4
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-678466363224520614
2 Bob B // Mar 10, 2008 at 11:08 am
[continued . . ]
The Century of the Self 3 of 4
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6111922724894802811
The Century of the Self 4 of 4
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1122532358497501036
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