Consumers have a choice with corporations, no matter how tinfoil hatted you and Al want to get about it.
There is only one public transport system in London. Remove it or hamper it and the public has nothing else to turn to. It's a piss poor analogy and you know it.

If you want an accurate corporation comparison by your analogy of RMT strike action, it would be like British Gas cutting off your personal gas supply until the goverment agreed to pay their shareholders more for supplying the gas.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 26 Oct 2011, 16:34, 1 reply, 14 years ago)

It's not tinfoil hats
it's six massive corporations who, even if they aren't actually sharing price information, still all keep their prices virtually the same (must be magic).
(Bazongaloid, Wed 26 Oct 2011, 16:37, Reply)

They don't have to share them in secret backroom meetings, all their prices are published.

(PsychoChomp, Wed 26 Oct 2011, 16:40, Reply)

Jesus fucking wept
OK, yeah, the world is secretly controlled by a giant lizard cartel who fix the price of everything. Fine. I'm still a little unsure as how this makes the original analogy anything less than wrong?
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 26 Oct 2011, 16:42, Reply)

You keep banging on about it being an analogy, so I'll counter your claim that it was wrong with
IT WAS A FUCKING ANALOGY!
(PsychoChomp, Wed 26 Oct 2011, 16:45, Reply)

it was a shit analogy.

( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 26 Oct 2011, 16:49, Reply)

It's a reasonable comparison between two things that are similar, but not identical.

(Bazongaloid, Wed 26 Oct 2011, 16:50, Reply)

There's not much point continuing if you start throwing around "tinfoil hats".
There has been a government report out that has shown that there is no significant difference between what you pay between different gas and electricity companies, and that they are actively trying to make it confusing for the consumer.

Now, that is just capitalism in action, I'm not saying it's a conspiracy, it's just how big corporations work, they want to take as much money off people as possible, and they do that by maboozeling the customer and relying on them not noticing that prices are creeping up, they don't have to conspire together.

The fact that all the prices are the same simply demonstrates that there is no competition in the market.

But I disagree, the analogy isn't wrong, the union exists to help it's members. It's members are doing well so the union is doing it's job.

Corporations exist to make money for shareholders, they make money any way the legally (or illegally if the punishment means it's more cost effective) can.

Large corporations will do anything they can to avoid any more regulation, which is why the CBI always pipe up when anyone talks about it.
(Bazongaloid, Wed 26 Oct 2011, 16:50, Reply)

If there was only one supplier
they would charge much more. That's also capitalism in action. the prices all being the same might indicate not enough competion. It doesn't indicate none. The choices might be minimal, but there is some choice. There is, however, no option/competition/choice/call it what the fuck you like for "people who drive tube trains in london".

Nothing about the rest of what you've said is untrue, and I'm not going to argue with it at all, but it's got nowt to do with the original point.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 26 Oct 2011, 16:55, Reply)

Irrespective of the original point, which is being addressed above,
your cries of "tinfoil hat" are totally unjustified.
(Bazongaloid, Wed 26 Oct 2011, 17:00, Reply)

you were using a debatable minor inaccuracy in an otherwise perfectly valid point
to deflect the direction of the discussion. I just went for a throwaway game-upper.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 26 Oct 2011, 17:02, Reply)

The sort of thing the Nazi's did.

(PsychoChomp, Wed 26 Oct 2011, 17:04, Reply)

YES!
You totally win. I've been waiting for this for ten minutes. This is the problem with internet debate. It can only be settled by Godwin's Law.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 26 Oct 2011, 17:06, Reply)

No I didn't
I've continued the original discussion elsewhere, I just take umbridge at your unjustified attempt to portray me as an idiot for believing in non existent conspiracies.
(Bazongaloid, Wed 26 Oct 2011, 17:06, Reply)

I don't actually regard tinfoil hat as an insult, at least certainly not of intelligence.
maybe of perspective occasionally. Anyway, I hereby withdraw any previous accusations of a foil or lizard nature.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 26 Oct 2011, 17:12, Reply)

I stand by my comment about my friends in British Gas.

(Bazongaloid, Wed 26 Oct 2011, 17:12, Reply)

there's got to be some reason the cunts can never get my address right.

( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Wed 26 Oct 2011, 17:15, Reply)