Thursday, 22 April 2010

"Petty Capitalism"

IanB has another interesting post up at Counting Cats In Zanzibar - "Poor People Were Libertarians, Once". Sample:
"But only 11 of the over 5000 Old Nicholites moved into the new council flats. Not allowed their old population density, they couldn’t afford the rents and, the council regulations meant they couldn’t carry on their trades- essential to these people who were not just poor but working poor. Instead, they simply had to move on to other slums in Dalston and Bethnal Green. The State action hadn’t helped the poor, just forced them somewhere else."
The working poor - much the same can be seen every evening here in Taiwan in the nightmarkets. Lots of little stalls manned by an old woman or a family selling food, jewelry, watches, cheap shoes, cosmetics, kids toys, goldfish - all sorts of stuff. There is also a fairly large scale prostitution business/racket quartered in "KTV" (i.e. karaoke) bars, massage parlours and "gentlemen's clubs" - often in buildings adjacent to or opposite local government headquarters and police stations.

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