"Please reduce prices, businesses!"

[Fambo Number Mive]

Businesses are being asked to cut prices for consumers in a new government campaign.

Number 10's new cost of living tsar David Buttress asked business leaders on Monday night for their ideas on "how to help" tackle the cost of living.

A government source told the BBC the government will not provide any funding for businesses to cut prices.

But a taxpayer-funded ad campaign to promote the initiative will run next month.

The campaign would be about recognising the efforts of businesses who are trying to help consumers with the rising cost of living, and "amplifying and channelling them" as well as encouraging other businesses to do the same...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-61964175

Just an utterly ludicrous idea. Spending public money on a campaign to ask business to cut prices and if they do they get to have a campaign logo and name on their branding.

What businesses are going to cut prices just to have this campaign logo on their branding? Surely if businesses wanted to cut prices to get customers in they would put up their own, probably more effective branding.

And public money is being spend on this campaign. Will it be as tedious as the Workplace Pension Monster or as annoying as Knock off Nigel? Will the tendering process be open and transparent?

[bgmnts]

How are some useless cunts in suits going to make millions a year if they made their products affordable?

They really haven't thought this through.

Obviously most leaders and govts are shit but FUCK ME these are just the bottom of the barrel. Please tell me, people who are over, say, 40, that these are genuinely the worst group of cunts imagineable?

[Fambo Number Mive]

The fact they are spending public money which could be used to actually help people is what really makes me angry. They'd be better off making big hats out of fifty pound notes and dancing down the street wearing them.

[Gurke and Hare]

Please tell me, people who are over, say, 40, that these are genuinely the worst group of cunts imagineable?

I never thought that I'd ever say "Worse than Thatcher". I was wrong.

[Buelligan]

The invisible dead hand of Adam Smith must be having a fucking conniption in its grave.  Good.

[superthunderstingcar]

[touchingcloth]

What does it mean to amplify a business, or to channel it?

Also, it seems that "Tsar" is actual government terminology and not just lame journo speak. Whatever next? A levelling-up ayatollah?

[Endicott]

Adding a logo to their branding will cost businesses a fortune. I wonder who got the contract for the design <chin scratching gif> ?

[Ferris]

Well the idea is that a free market has lots and lots of competing firms, but the accumulation of corporate power over supply chains under the watchful blind eye of friendly neoliberal politicians has left entire supply chains at the mercy of 2-3 companies.

If you're in a competitive market and your competition raises their prices, you keep yours the same and attract more customers. You're the bigger firm now!

...but in a non-competitive market setup, the "smart" firm raises their prices to match their competition. The really "smart" ones raise their prices even higher. What are consumers gonna do, not buy housing? Not put gas in their cars? Not eat food?

Consumers have no leverage as long as the 2 or 3 companies in charge of supply chains decide to (tacitly) price match. Corporations exist to make money, not make life easier for consumers - they're doing exactly what you'd expect them to do.

[Blumf]

Also, it seems that "Tsar" is actual government terminology and not just lame journo speak. Whatever next? A levelling-up ayatollah?

Child Education Inquisitor.

[checkoutgirl]

Just an utterly ludicrous idea.

It's like asking a lion to go easy on the lambs for a bit. Or Alan Partridge asking the payday loan guy played by John Thompson to go easy on his rates of interest.

"I'll take a look at it".

Cheers.

I don't know what's scarier, the fact they think people are dumb enough to fall for this shit or the fact that plenty of people actually are that dumb.

[shoulders]

The invisible dead hand of Adam Smith must be having a fucking conniption in its grave.  Good.

Of course there are some genuine free market adherents, but most of the people who talk a lot about it just want an excuse to behave like privileged cunts and pull up the drawbridge securely behind them.

They rob us then when they give us crumbs from their table tell you 'that's how the system works, but don't ask for more or the system will collapse'.

[touchingcloth]

Child Education Inquisitor.

Johnson can be Government Führer, and Rees-Mogg, Dorries, Truss, and Gove can be Policy Kapos.

[Mr Farenheit]

What does it mean to amplify a business, or to channel it?

Also, it seems that "Tsar" is actual government terminology and not just lame journo speak. Whatever next? A levelling-up ayatollah?

I am the God of Public Housing and I bring you.....

[shiftwork2]

It's not a new idea.  Inflation in the 1970s led to a scheme called something like 'Price Check' or 'Check Price' and shops that were involved were allowed to display some kind of red triangle sign in the window.  I think this was around late 1974.  This is from a toddler's memory of shopping at Keenway in the trolley seat - there is absolutely no evidence of this online.  I don't think I dreamed it.

[Butchers Blind]

some kind of red triangle sign

I believe this was Channel 4 in the early 90's.

[shiftwork2]

I was the correct age for that as well.  Nastassya Kinski's Passion Flower Hotel on a surreptitious Friday night in 1983 with the dimmest table lamp on and the sound almost off.  There was also Derek Jarman's Sebastiane but that wasn't in my wheelhouse.  Different thread really.

[Fambo Number Mive]

It's not a new idea.  Inflation in the 1970s led to a scheme called something like 'Price Check' or 'Check Price' and shops that were involved were allowed to display some kind of red triangle sign in the window.  I think this was around late 1974.  This is from a toddler's memory of shopping at Keenway in the trolley seat - there is absolutely no evidence of this online.  I don't think I dreamed it.

Interesting, thank you. I had a quick look online which led to finding this Hansard exchange on the Price Check scheme:

...Mr. Rathbone In the light of last weekend's events, is the Minister aware of an old French proverb, which goes "Is it not known in history that the mousetrap pursues the mouse?" Is the Price Check Scheme an effective mousetrap, and what is the mouse?

Mr. Maclennan If the Government are setting any mousetraps, I have no doubt that the hon. Gentleman will blunder into them.

Mr. Mike Thomas May we return to the realm of reality and precision? Can my hon. Friend give the House some idea of whether the scheme is succeeding? Has it been extended in any way and can he give us some positive comments?...

Would love it if someone said "May we return to the realm of reality and precision?" in reply to Johnson.

https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1976/mar/08/price-check-scheme

[Des Wigwam]

Interesting, thank you. I had a quick look online which led to finding this Hansard exchange on the Price Check scheme:

Would love it if someone said "May we return to the realm of reality and precision?" in reply to Johnson.

https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1976/mar/08/price-check-scheme

Is the old French proverb bullshit or am I missing something?

Thanks for posting that @Fambo Number Mive  - those sort of exchanges really highlight how needlessly rarified the system is. I would rather either something like the Finnish system which looks like a monthly sales figure presentation and therefore probably effective or the ones where there are fist fights.