Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Britain Conflicted?



Some of you will remmember the announcement last week that, The UK was number one for downloading TV off the internet most of it from the USA.

This week the BBC is announcing that it is expected that next week, The UK will top a list of country's buying Fair trade good's.

New figures are expected to reveal Britain has overtaken Switzerland to become the biggest fair trade market in the world. The exact number will be announced next week, but is expected to show the UK spends more than £130m a year on ethically-traded products.

That's more than Germany, the United States, France, Italy and Japan - countries with populations roughly equal to, or bigger than, Britain's.

What does that say about us? It's ok to, well I suppose it hard to describe this one, I don't call watching TV of the net stealing, how can it be? After all the broadcasters by their very nature broadcast TV on open air waves for all the see. At most it has to be a preach of copy wright.

So it's ok to steal of big companies who make millions in profit each day, but we want little people to get paid. After all it's ok to steal off the rich after all they have so much any way, there not going to miss it.

The current coffee crisis is a case in point. Coffee prices have been in a five-year slump, but under fair trade schemes growers are paid about $1.20 (62p) for a pound of coffee - roughly double the market price.

Shoppers end up paying more for their jar of fair trade continental roast, but it seems to be a price many British consumers are willing to pay.

I guess the point of all this, is that there is still a sense of fairness in to days modern society.

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