A bad week for capitalism, and it's only Tuesday

It isn't often you find Tories excoriating huge international brands for doing what they were designed to do, ie making a lot of money, but it happened yesterday, when executives from the British arms of three of the world's biggest companies were interrogated by a parliamentary committee.

It seems the 3 companies, Google, Amazon and Starbucks have all been using some very creative accounting techniques (and quite legally apparently) to make it look like they were hardly making any money at all out of their British operations. Odd, that. What are they then, charities, only in Britain to provide a useful service to the public? I thinknottle. These companies make millions of pounds out of their British franchises, and yet they're paying tax like someone on the minimum wage. They say this is legal? OK, so change the fucking law then. I for one am fed up with these people ripping off the British public  through clever little legal loopholes..

Then only this morning we hear that the price of gas is being carefully manipulated in order to maximise profits to the dealers, another activity which is perfectly legal, but morally bankrupt.

In China this week, a new set of leaders will be presented to the people. The people, of course, will have had no say in deciding who is to rule them. All they can hope is that there will be steady improvement in their civil rights and freedoms. If they are realistic they will accept that any progress will probably be very slow indeed.

China now is in a very similar position to where the UK was at the beginning of the 19th century. Their industrial revolution has set in big time, and a few masters are reaping the benefits in undreamed of wealth and power. But just like Britain in those early days, that wealth is being created by the sweat of millions who have sold their souls to the company store, and for a pathetically cheap price. Oh, we are so much more civilised than that now, aren't we? Er, no, we are not, and for evidence may I refer you to my opening paragraphs. Our capitalism is certainly more sophisticated than the Chinese variety, but it's just as wrong.