Profiteering

Similarities have been drawn with WW2, BE Day commemorations highlighted this. During WW we seem to have chosen to forget there was rationing , anti profiteering legislation and the civil defence had to patrols to make sure a simple rule like no lights implemented. Legislation and no profit was required because people were opportunistic, criminals or just didn't care. How does the Scottish government expect to manage post-lockdown when the efforts made by the majority of people are abused by the criminally selfish. e.g. So far there is nothing illegal about airlines charging thousands of pounds over the odds to get people home from holidays, nothing illegal about selling masks hand gel and wipes at extortionate mark ups, nothing illegal about buying shares in ventilator companies when being advised to do so by government insiders. How does the government propose to protect honest people from opportunistic criminality and profiteers.

Why the contribution is important

This is important because if we want lockdown exit to work we need a fair playing field. Scientific advisers have shamefully and publicly demonstrated their inability to make good decisions when their reason for being was decision making. To ensure pub If support can we have assurances that our legislators are managing the risks and not the portfolios of their backers.

by Even on May 10, 2020 at 01:17AM

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Comments

  • Posted by Ro2 May 10, 2020 at 12:55

    I expected to see fairly wide-spread profiteering as a result of this crisis, because nowadays profiteering has almost become seen as praiseworthy; like making optimum use of opportunities in the free market. I was therefore surprised and also pleased to see that Covid-crisis profiteering so far appears to remain limited to specific products like PPE, and has not spread wider in the economy. The prices I pay in the shops and on-line for things, even when they are temporarily in short supply, do not seem to differ much from what I paid before. Never the less I think profiteering is something to be wary of, and that governments would be wise to nip in the bud if its shows signs of becoming more wide-spread.
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