Why do we kick the living sh*t out of our monopoly suppliers (BT and the various water companies) to the point where they can’t fart without some “OFBOLOX” investigation, yet we continue to allow Asda and Tesco to steal with alacrity from people’s shopping baskets ?

This story (link) detailing the manipulation of prices by the (big?) two in the run-up to christmas shows that the end-game in competition results in an absolute limitation of choice for the consumer and a situation that is almost identical to a cartel.

As someone who delights in buying eggs [1] from the market (33% saving at the very least) and fruit and veg from the same market (and the only difference is that you don’t have the pesky cellophane wrapping to contend with – saving 40%) I like to think I’m doing my bit to support the ONLY alternative left to the supermarkets.

But back to my original point. Broadband (I nearly said telephone there, but I can’t recall the last time I used a landline) – there are a single pair of wires entering your premises that BT own. I can’t get Talk Talk to own those wires, can I? I can’t persuade Talk Talk or PlusNet to provide me with FTTC, can I? There is a single water pipe entering your premises that the water company own. It isn’t as if I have any choice other than Anglian water or Severn Trent. I think that if you were to move the people that run OFCOM and OFWAT and set these watchdogs on the supermarkets, then ASDA and Tesco might think twice before abusing their customers.

[1] Eggs – Half a dozen large free range eggs from the market =£1, from [insert robberbaron store name in here]= £1.50