Saturday 18 December 2010

Here's a Hong Kong story


Seventeen market stall holders were given the option of moving to a new market at Tai Po Hui or being closed down. The new market, said the government, was so lovely and bright and shiny, that you'd all have to bid against each other to secure the best places.

Only the stall holders didn't. They organised themselves beforehand, and choose their market places before the auction, so no stall holder bid against any other. They each secured their places at the lowest costs to themselves.

The government then took the stall holders to court, on charges of conspiracy to defraud.

Not only does it tell me the government is little more than a property speculator hoping to profit by setting stall holders against each other, it also tells me how resourceful people can be when playing the big corporates at their own game. Satisfying.

(Until legislation outlaws collusion at auction for everyone except the corporates.)

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Very satisfying!
Hope you get home for Xmas

Grit said...

thank you, dreaming!