Yesterday's decision by ITV to suspend premium phone-ins to television shows is to be welcomed - it is just a pity that the company is self-regulating as opposed to having pressure applied by government watchdog bodies.
Premium phone-ins are one of the beacons of abusive mechanisms that have been imposed on the British population without any real external monitoring in recent years. Recorded shows like Deal Or No Deal encourage viewers to phone for prizes that have already been decided and Eckoh, the company behind the ITV operations, have been found guilty of overcharging X-Factor viewers by £200,000. The BBC is refusing to take equivalent action which is typical of an organisation that wants to have it's financial cake (the licence fee) and eat it (premium rate nonsense).
Similarly corrupt structures are increasingly a part of the gambling landscape. Where is the government regulation of the crooked internet poker sites or bookmaker's virtual racing and sports games? Why aren't viewers provided with the real odds of success when they take part in premium phone-ins? Why are layers allowed to offer one-sided markets eg snow falling on xmas day when they will not allow punters to trade on there not being any precipitation? Why can bookies refuse to reveal their true profits in relation to their overround percentages on particular sports (this disguises abusive and corrupt markets)? Why are the real probabilities of winning on National Lottery games disguised? Why is significant research undertaken to determine the prime graphical layout of Lottery game cards to engender betting and addiction? Why has the insurance industry been able to develop into a bookmaking industry that effectively decides if and when it will pay out on losing positions (ie claims) while utilising government decree to make such insurance compulsory? How did your health become a betting market (how risky is it not to have health insurance at any given age?)? Why is insider trading allowed in both sports and financial markets? Why don't casinos and bookmakers allow winning clients?
All of these corrupt structures are effectively forms of voluntary taxation - it is British society preying on your fears and addictions in order to profit.
And, while digesting the self-regulation of both the premium phone-in industry and the gambling sector with government nowhere in sight, up pop Blair and Brown with an onslaught on single mothers???
Why would anybody put up with this systemic sham?
Move abroad!
