Lib Dems prove once again they are not fit to govern

[SueEllen]

A) Sainsbury's, Tescos, Morrisons, Asda, Aldi, Waitrose, M and S. The supermarket industry is an example of a healthy and competitive market. Profit margins are around 7/% i believe.

You do know what a cartel is don't you? And you have read the price fixing stories in the press in the last 2 years?

B) Sounds it, but if the gov is saying where a shop is allowed to build in the first place it's not really free market in the strictest sense.

It's not a free market at all.

Even in the US were you hear people saying they want a small state or don't want a universal health system, the government provides does a lot of regulation, subsidisation of businesses/industries and provides free/cheap health care for certain sectors of the population.

The only countries that have a proper free market are lawless.

[Robinho]

So let's say there are no planning laws and tesco build a superstore in an area of oustanding natural beauty, say Devil's dyke on the South Downs.
How has the "free market" helped human happiness?

Why would Tescos build a superstore in the middle of nowhere?

Also note that i never said i was against planning laws, just that they are not strictly free market.

You're getting a bit desperate now tbh.

[SueEllen]

Why would Tescos build a superstore in the middle of nowhere?

Because there are lots of walkers, fell runners and cyclists who go there so they can make money out of them selling them food, first aid stuff and clothing for their activity.

Also note that i never said i was against planning laws, just that they are not strictly free market.

You're getting a bit desperate now tbh.

SAS like myself and a few others are pointing out to you that there are no free markets in the majority of the world regardless of what political ideology the country follows.

Also economic models and theories which use equations are just models and theories. They, like what was recently shown in the world, are generally inaccurate.

[BrilloPad]

I wish I knew how to predict which threads would become successful. I expected this one to get half a dozen replies. Others I expect to be really popular get a couple of replies.

cuk can be so confusing.....

[SueEllen]

I wish I knew how to predict which threads would become successful. I expected this one to get half a dozen replies. Others I expect to be really popular get a couple of replies.

cuk can be so confusing.....

Mention some sh*t that the lib desperates say about taxing the rich until the pips squeak, and hope it turns into an economics thread where someone mentions "free markets".

[BrilloPad]

Mention some sh*t that the lib desperates say about taxing the rich until the pips squeak, and hope it turns into an economics thread where someone mentions "free markets".

But surely this sh1te is boring? Don't cukers want to discuss sex and rudey stuff?

Maybe its wall to wall geeks here.....

[SueEllen]

But surely this sh1te is boring? Don't cukers want to discuss sex and rudey stuff?

Maybe its wall to wall geeks here.....

Cos rude all the time gets boring.

NLUK has an interesting thread.....

[doodab]

Though i will add that whilst i do believe that monopolies can cause inefficiencies, they certainly don't distort the free market if they come into existence via the free market, by virtue.

One logical extension of this line of reasoning holds that as systems of government and states have effectively emerged from a vacuum i.e. a free market, so they aren't a distortion of the market either.

[DodgyAgent]

But we don't have "free market capitalism".

We, like most Western countries, have a government that intervenes in the markets to stop things like pollution, environmental damage, death of workers, dangerous building, over building etc.

May be not but the principle underpins how the wealthier societies work. Governments job should be to intervene to make markets work for the benefit of everyone. The problem is that this is not happening that instead markets are being manipulated on behalf of the rich and powerful

[darmstadt]

...Mitch' story.

Quite true and have seen it in many British villages and towns but not so in Germany strangely enough.

Although not really connected, we have a shopping centre in the middle of town, apparently one of the very first in Germany and was looking a bit worn but I found it quite reasonable. Anyway along came a British company and bought it, they tarted it up, nothing special, just some cladding outside and new lights really but whacked up the rents and drove many of the well established tenants out (there used to be a great food area with a very good butchers and greengrocers) and others, mainly tacky clothing stores came and went. The British company realised they weren't making any money and bailed out. A German company has come in and strangely enough they now added two new floors with a whole new range of shops queueing to get in (and a large shopping centre opened just out of town, with free parking, but people seem to flock into the town center instead...)

One of the things with Britain and the out of town supermarkets is that continental Europe has had them for decades and they never impacted on the town shops so I'm at a loss as to how, or why, they affected high streets in the UK...