Amazon and the European Parliament

-
Just heard that Graham Watson, MEP for West Dorset, has submitted a parliamentary question to the European Commission on Amazon's price parity policy. Here's what he wrote to Sheppards:

Dear Sir

 The European Commission tend to take 6-8 weeks to provide written answers to such questions, and I shall be pleased to inform you of their response when I receive it. Another good way to keep updated is through my weekly emailed newsletter from Brussels. In the meantime, I would add. 'Whilst the growth of Amazon as an online presence has presented tremendous opportunities to smaller book retailers, it is vital that operations are conducted in a fair way for all.'


'I know that retailers have been extremely disappointed with Amazon's latest decision on 'pricing parity', and I am looking forward to hearing the European Commission's view on the matter. When it comes to promoting healthy competition, it is important that no one actor dictates the terms of trade to others. I am committed to ensuring that fairness reigns for both retailers and consumers.


I look forward to keeping you updated with developments as they happen.
Graham Watson MEP, Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament for South West England and Gibraltar.

Comments

Unknown said…
I look forward to seeing how this develops. I've got my fingers crossed that they will have to back down on this one.
25 April 2010 at 09:11
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Archibald, don't eat the bedclothes

-
Image
My friend Louise sent me this picture today. It's from a children's book with the rather wince-making title For The Wee Ones. I thought, when I read that (because I read the message before I looked at the picture) that the picture was going to be a typical winsome production from the school of artists who think (or who are paid to think) that the child is a thing sent from God and a blissful thing. They had obviously never met a child, and certainly not mine. I should have known Louise better. The artist responsible for Archibald, don't eat the bedclothes slipped this one past the editors. Just look at the poor, broken Mother Rabbit. She knows she has not the faintest chance of being listened to, and poor thing, she is stooped in the way of a mother to whom this is just the lastest in a long line of horror; with nothing good to come. And Archibald is obviously the spawn of the Devil. Just look at those eyes. He'll have the bed after he's finished the bedclothes
Read more

Dick Sparrow - 40 Horse Hitch, and Neil Dimmock's 46 Percherons

-
Image
Here's a clip of Dick Sparrow driving 40 horses. It's an amazing sight, particularly when the shot changes to show the team from the rear and you get the great incongruity of modern American corporate architecture as a background to the wagon and horses. I love the anticipation in the video: the sense of something amazing being just round the corner is palpable. Thanks to Christina Wilsdon for telling me about this world record 46 Percheron hitch (alas just stills) but you get the idea.
Read more

The Way Things Were: Pony Magazine in the 1960s

-
Image
As you have probably realised by now, as a child, I was pony-obsessed. My favourite monthly reading was Pony Magazine, which I read cover to cover: every advert; every word. I recently bought a set of Pony Magazines from the 1960s. I actually took Pony in the 1970s, but there wasn’t a lot of difference between the decades in the style and contents of the magazine. One advert which took me instantly back to that state of childhood wanting; longing for things I couldn’t have, and trying to work out what I could do to afford them, was for Jacatex riding clothes. How I loved that ad. The Pat hacking jacket; the Pat riding mac and the Pat jodhpurs. Who was Pat? Was there a Pat? Or were the clothes just something that was off pat? It was never explained. Jacatex adverts didn’t change much over the years. The 1969 ad below is the same one that I remember from the 1970s, a cheerful pony girl in immaculate clothes. I don’t know whether Jacatex ever did haul themselves into the modern age a
Read more