rat 7 points 3 years ago

Labour is spineless, she isn’t wrong. Also what happened to the inquest into the supermarkets? Nothing was done.

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RaoulDuke 6 points 3 years ago

Also what happened to the inquest into the supermarkets? Nothing was done.

This really pissed me off. The government doesn't have the power to overrule the Commerce Commission, but there are other options.

When Chris Hipkins came in, I was saying he should introduce legislation to break up the supermarkets. He would have differentiated himself from Ardern, and won over people from all sides of the political spectrum. People are really feeling the squeeze, and they know the supermarkets have a lot to do with it.

It was a wasted opportunity politically. And something that actual needs doing. Maybe they'll announce it before the election, but I'm not holding my breath.

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rat 6 points 3 years ago

Honestly it makes me very angry when I think about the missed opportunities that could’ve been taken in the last few years. Labour was sitting on an unprecedented amount of political good will post COVID19 and I swear they just pissed it all away. They could’ve done more.

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BalpeenHammer 1 point 3 years ago

What do you mean break up the supermarkets?

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Isoprenoid 4 points 3 years ago

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BalpeenHammer 1 point 3 years ago

Honestly I don't know what people expect to get done. Do you think that the government will ever order supermarkets to charge less? Do you think they will centrally control the prices of anything?

People talk about competition but again what they are going to do? Order another company to open up a supermarket next to every countdown or new world?

People seem to think we live in some authoritarian dictatorship or something.

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RaoulDuke 2 points 3 years ago

Antitrust legislation and enforcement are a core component of a functioning economy, and have been a prominent feature of western economies for more than a century. It's nothing to do with authoritarianism. It's about fostering competition. Have a look at the suggestions Westpac made in my other comment for some ideas about how antitrust action might look in terms of the supermarket duopoly.

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