"Margaret Wilson's legislation allowing limited exemptions to the shop trading hours regime smacks of fascism rather than substantive liberalisation" says Libertarianz Leader Peter Cresswell, condemning self-appointed Retail Commissar Wilson for her outrageous desire to control other people's shops. "She has joined with the Marxist Associate Minister of Communism Laila Harre in tying up shop trading hours in red tape!"

"To claim one of Commissar Wilson's 'exemptions' a shop-owner must demonstrate to the Commissar's satisfaction it 'addresses the needs of the public' ? Who owns it? If someone owns a shop, wants to open it up and nobody buys anything, why should the Retail Commissar be concerned?" exclaims Cresswell. Perhaps they should simply hand over their keys, and the Commissar can give them out when she thinks they should be open?"

"Many shopkeepers mortgage their homes, work long hours without pay, risking bankruptcy and armed robbery - and not to mention tax theft to pay for Wilson's comfortable Ministerial lifestyle. Shopkeepers DON'T get the privileges they pay for Commissar Wilson to enjoy."

"The criteria that retailers would have to demonstrate to the Retail Commissar for the privilege of being allowed to open their doors and sell products to willing buyers are outrageous. She is a social engineer par excellence, wanting to 'manage the effect on other shops,' on 'family and other social patterns' and to limit 'wherever possible' commercial activity on the restricted days".

"The Government claims to be concerned about 'business compliance costs' and 'encouraging business.' Bullshit!" exclaims Cresswell. Those comments are simply PR spin. Any objective analysis shows clearly that the Retail Commissar and the Associate Minister of Communism hate business as much as they cannot understand it." Cresswell suggests "retailers stand up to Comrades Wilson and Harre by ordering any Stasi type Labour goons off their property, and trade any day they wish. Reclaim your shops," he concludes, "reclaim your lives, and deny Wilson the power she delights in abuing".

"It goes without saying that Libertarianz would abolish all restrictions on business trading hours immediately, and let shopowners decide for themselves when they want to open their shops."

It's enough to make you vote Libertarianz!

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>