Not sure that its an easy problem to solve though - can you really ban those sort of practices?

As onimod said - education of consumers would help a bit.

I do remember doing a little “consumer affairs” in high school at the time I was working in the supermarket and marvelling at the gaps. While they dutifully point out that 80% of the brands of washing detergent are from the same company, they don’t explain fully how that company commands so much space. The naive idea that the free market is allowing unbridled competition (in washing powder at least) is somewhat blunted by the reality of the leverage that established players exercise. The result might be better than central planning, but it’s a long way from the libertarian ideal of delivering the right products in the most efficient manner through unregulated markets.

BBB

I wonder if people realise how the arrangements for shelf space an aisle ends really work, or how often the representative from those companies are in the store to check their operation?

I’ve been wandering down the ailes in the local independent while a company representative was complaining to the store manager because his product didn’t have as much space as it should have. Not sure that its an easy problem to solve though - can you really ban those sort of practices?

“The world of the Opinionatas - a sort of deafening echo chamber of electoral ignorance and lemming like commentary- has never been more irrelevant to the wider public. Costello was right when he told them that they don’t need politicians around to generate noise, they can just make stuff up among themselves. Which is all too often what happens, and the public can see right through it.”

darn tootin’

Some of the The News Ltd lot are like the bulk of the wives in the Stepford Wives (Ira Levin’s book), except instead of being transformed into mindless, obedient, docile housewives who spin the worst of actions into something pleasant & desirable…but have a vicious streak when it comes to their opponents…these are journos & opinion-makers…& there are plenty of dills writing for the SMH who have joined them.

In their world, Labor, particularly the likes of the gutsy, awesome Gillard are the problem. They detest the mavericks & independent thinkers who challenge their bullying, domineering system that sees a certain group of privileged types benefit from the passivity & brain-washing of the rest of the population.

The Gatekeepers & Senior journos are part of the manipulating crowd. The young journos are the manipulated…as are some of the public. But many now realise something is not right in the media Kingdoms. Are they brain-washed…or gynoids? Who know?

Smile, you’re on candid camera people. Check out those obedient smiles.

Considering how tired she must be, Julia Gillard was brill on Lateline & in the parliament yesterday. I’m running behind on the recordings due to cleaning & gardening.

Great links Kim. Excellent points Nick, Muskiemp, Ambig & others.

The difference with child care is that there are grounds for suspicion that unfair pricing might be going on - I’m sure Gillard didn’t want to prejudice any action the ACCC might take, or pre-judge something which might be the grounds for an ACCC determination and legal action.

How is that any different to the allegations that have been made for many years around petrol pricing and supermarket monopolies? And its much clearer to everyone now in those cases (petrol/supermarkets) that its much easier to claim there are problems than it is to actually prove there are and come up with something that will make a significant difference.

http://petermartin.blogspot.com/2008/06/tuesday-column-fuelwatch-was-just.html

Well, actually, it’s a stupid quote, because it’s an opposition talking point. Clearly what Gillard was saying was specific action would be taken by the government more along the lines of approving, varying or disapproving health care fund increases rather than a consumer choice website being set up - which is what FuelWatch is.

Just because the opposition says something doesn’t automatically make it stupid
I think Tony Jones’ comment was pointing out the difference in expectations that Labor had set prior to the election and what has happened - and they were very careful not to actually promise any change and yet have the implication understood that grocery and fuel prices were important, that the libs didn’t understand, but that the Labor party could do something about it.

I think Gillard was actually being very careful to not promise that any regulation of childcare would be forthcoming whilst still implying that the government could or would do something about it. As is to be expected, like all governments, they want to be seen to be doing something about the problem even if there isn’t much they can do.

People keep going on about how prices in certain areas are going up faster than inflation - eg petrol, healthcare, childcare whilst ignoring that in other areas its going up slower than inflation. Its to be expected that some will go up faster than inflation and others will go up slower.

Meanwhile, back in the real world:

As said in Update #2 (above):

Newspoll also asked some questions about petrol. The most interesting finding here is that a majority of voters don’t think that either party can do anything to lower fuel prices, or are uncommitted on the question.

So the public is not nearly as dumb as the MSM, Liberals and their commentators make out … Now if someone does something about media “dumbing down”, starting with ABC & SBS …

By the end of the month OAPs & Carers will have received their $500 + the next installment of their Utilities & Phone/ Internet Allowances, and probably a new issue of Seniors News announcing the new transport & other subsidies (Thanks, Joe Hockey, for the little mag that sets out every teensy thing the FedGov ever did for the Aged - which, I assume Kev intends to continue); so “Nothing out of the budget” is going to look tacky (Thank you also, Brendan, for swamping media beatups of pensioners’ protests with your petrol stories! And whose bright idea was that?)

In 28 days, the Senate takes over, and the BoP passes to minor parties, independents & maverick Nats (and the most maverick are currently pi*sed off by Liberal antics in Queensland). Brendan’s Mob, needed to pass legislation in the Senate, will then be almost as irrelevant as the ALP was during the last Howard term.

We await the next by-election. If the Libs don’t markedly increase their margin, it may be the last for this term - barring illness/death & possibly McEwen. Won’t that make Lib Leadership & Coalition front branch politics fun to watch!

btw, the capitalists are going toi put up childecare fees so they can gooble up the childcare rebate, if you haven’t noticed. But Julia Gillard is Watching, so maybe they won’t.

Great quote from lateline last night regarding childcare fees going up after the rebate (surprisingly non means tested) increased:

TONY JONES: But is this like Grocery Watch and FuelWatch, you just have to watch as prices go up and inform the public that prices are going up, or can you actually do something?

No, this time Dennis tells us that Rudd has lost his ‘gloss’.

He now knows that one cent promised, off the petrol price, equals one percent increase in his personal popularity figure. Clever chap that he is, he will likely offer another five cent drop before the next Newspoll.

The other good thing is that it largely pisses Malcom off.

The Prime Minister’s prediction he would take a ‘whacking’ over fuel policy has been proved correct in the latest opinion polls.

She also reports on a new level of punditocratic idiocy - adding together the drop in Rudd’s PPM and approval number. Look - the honeymoon is over! It’s proven! Whatever…