Read the Treaty of Rome

This is the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome. Let’s be honest. Nobody cares about the Treaty of Rome. But the Treaty of Rome is the foundation of the peaceful, growing Europe we know today. Everyone who cares about Europe should read at least a few sections of it. It’s actually pretty readable. If you are interested in commercial law, Title VI is worth reading.

They call it pollution …

Votetube has been rocking along recently – as well as the media coverage, we’ve been seeing a steady stream of videos coming in, mostly from political candidates, but now we are beginning to see some from ordinary citizens as well. That’s what Simon and I had in mind with VoteTube originally – help people to realise that they have the means in their hands to make a strong statement about what they think and feel. All it takes is passion, combined with a tiny bit of planning and imagination. Businesses and business lobbies are also getting into the game – I think this video about global warming entitled “Energy” is a great use of the medium – it’s got it all, the script, the narration, the use of imagery and the music. (There are others available from the same source , but they aren’t as good.

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The Irish Times – Credit card surcharges by retailers set to be outlawed

Credit card surcharges by retailers are set to be outlawed. This is going to actually create some strange waves if it goes through. Ryanair won’t like it, for instance. They like to charge a supplement for credit card use (and it’s understandable, given that credit card commissions are pretty hefty). Also, trade suppliers will be less inclined to take credit cards. I suppose what they will do is to resort to giving a 2 percent discount for cash, rather than charging a 2 percent supplement for credit cards.

The reason this is being introduced seems to be in response to Ntl‘s hair-brained decision to charge their unloved customers extra if they did not wish to pay by direct debit from their accounts. However, the real scandal of electronic payments in Ireland isn’t being addressed at all.
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