With the excellent news that the next Labour
government will "revoke the licences" of energy companies which "repeatedly act
against the interests of customers", can we please assume that this is merely
the tip of a very large iceberg? (Guardian,Labour plan to crack down on abuses by energy
firms,21/08/14) After all, are not, in Caroline Flint`s words, "rip-off tactics
and poor customer service" at the heart of the "predatory capitalism" which
Labour leaders have criticised so vehemently in recent years? Banks, which
appear to have mis-selling products and fixing interest rates as key
profit-making policies, could certainly be warned of similar consequences,
whilst companies intent on avoiding payment of the correct amount of tax,
it could be argued, are not acting in the best interests of their customers
either. Private landlords, exploiting the shortage of affordable homes to raise
rents exponentially, should certainly be treated similarly, as should shops and
supermarkets which fail to label food-products accurately. In fact, an extension
of the principle to include the "interests of" employees, could mean Labour
might have found its "silver bullet"! Why tinker, when it`s more sensible to
transform?
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