How Brussels works: if you can’t beat them, The biggest European telcos are poised to use Brussels to enact their revenge on American internet platforms, and on OTT providers like WhatsApp, the Eurocrats’ house journal The Financial Times claims. This isn’t exactly news, as a “sop to telcos” was exactly how we described what to expect last year, after we were leaked a …
More regulation, less privacy. Who wins here? (hint: it's not the users!). The average user will keep using it and yet again be spied upon. The terrorists simply install an app not developed in a country following the silly E.U. regulation.
This will cost money (the data will need to be stored again somewhere, they need to be able to process it and search it), reduce privacy and is unlikely to stop even a single terrorist.
"Terrorists"?
I suppose terrorists need to make money too. In "Allo Allo" on TV the dreaded Communist Party Resistance to Nazi occupation of France was perpetually concerned with the party finances. Of course they were freedom fighters - except for the Communist thing "obviously".
And that is the crux of the problem in just about any domain where politics are concerned. Yes, people will always state that they agree to whatever good-for-the-public movement is proposed to them, especially when listening to the arguments, but then they get home and plop down on the sofa in front of the Tube and from that point on the only thing they can still think of is order pizza delivery.
We truly have the society we deserve.
described earlier this year as “the Daily Mail of the Europhile elite”
By whom?
In any case what exactly is wrong in extending rules that cover telcos to other organisations?
Those other organisations provide much the same service as the telcos, and the only real difference is the manner in which the service is provided.
'In any case what exactly is wrong in extending rules that cover telcos to other organisations?'
Per se, nothing.
The issue that as more choice and more competition is created by innovation, regulations based on preventing ex ante anti competitive behavior should become LESS relevant not more.
By all means spread lighter touch regulation more widely and more thinly on similar services.
However its not clear that with anti-roaming fees,price controls, net neutrality and more interventions in M&A that the reduction of the overall regulatory burden is happening. This leaves the infrastructure providers artificially subsidizing OTT players. Long term this means the incentive to invest in infrastructure is reduced.
"Aaaawwww, but as soon as you're done brexiting, you can show us Continentals how it's done, right?
Please, do hurry, I can't wait to see the famed British efficiency at work."
Well, in a very general and loose sense, there is no guarantee in life that you will achieve perfection in anything you do.
But one thing is certain however and that is that whatever you are doing will stand a far greater chance of success if you are simply left to get on with it and don't have someone else constantly meddling and interfering with what you are trying to achieve and putting their two penn'orth in at every opportunity.
But one thing is certain however and that is that whatever you are doing will stand a far greater chance of success if you are simply left to get on with it and don't have someone else constantly meddling and interfering with what you are trying to achieve and putting their two penn'orth in at every opportunity.
True, true words. Sadly, I suspect the same sort of self-obsessed, officious nitwits will pop up in Blighty also, just on a smaller scale. There's really few places on the planet to just be and live free.
Next...?
[Most] Car owners have to pay VAT on their car purchase, their Car Tax once a year, they pay a duty on their fuel, they also pay VAT on the Fuel, they have to pay a compulsory MOT once a year, have to buy compulsory insurance with added insurance premium tax, there is sometimes a council residents permit required for parking, some tolls dotted around the country.
There isn't much scope left for extra tax.
@ IsJustabloke: HMRC say: Challenge accepted! ... Hum! HMRC might look to the German govt. who,having already a whopping budget surplus, have just thought up another idea to make even more money: p̶u̶n̶i̶s̶h̶ ̶p̶e̶o̶p̶l̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶d̶r̶i̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶o̶s̶s̶i̶l̶ ̶f̶u̶e̶l̶ ̶c̶a̶r̶s̶ Encourage people to buy electric cars.by adding a Green tax on petrol (Barrel price sinks; price at the pump stays the same)
Same old cries of "not fair".
See also: Taxis vs. Uber. etc.
Not that I am an Uber user (I thought for years we were warned off minicabs as unknown, unlicensed, etc) but it's the established operators being unwilling to change their business model while the world around them changes anyway.
These brave men being forced to climb to dangerous heights ( > 0.345m ) without proper fall -arrest equipment to handle potentially dangerous flags.
There needs to be an EU working height directive (flag handling subsection) to protect the safety of these workers.
O course the UK will be exempt now that it has thrown off the oppressive Brussels regime and will be free once more to send small boys to stand on top of flag poles
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