UK Parliament / Open data

Groceries Code Adjudicator

I will speak as briefly as possible, because I know that the hon. Member for St Ives (Andrew George), who has done a lot of work in this area, wants to speak as well. Not for the first time, and no doubt not for the last time, I appear to be in a minority of one in a debate, but speaking up for unpopular causes is something that I enjoy doing, so I will make the most of it. It is always chastening to see my hon. Friends leaping up to advocate an extra quango, and an expensive one at that. My hon. Friend the Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Neil Parish) seems to think that it would have a minimal cost, and I admire his enthusiasm and, perhaps, naivety. I have never known any of these quangos to have a minor cost. He seems to think that the ombudsman would not have anything to do and that the fact that they are there will be enough to pull everybody into line. I may make an early bid for the job. No doubt, a well-paid position with no work to do sounds like the ideal kind of job for most people. I have no interest to declare, but, hopefully, I have some experience, both as someone who worked for a supermarket chain for the best part of 13 years and as someone whose stepfather was a dairy farmer who went out of business because it was no longer viable. I like to think that I have seen the problems on both sides. Rather than being anti-competitive, the supermarket industry must be the most competitive industry in this country. It is not only competitive, but one of our most successful industries. I never know why politicians always see a successful industry and feel that the best way to treat it is to clobber it over the head as much as possible and to try to take as much money out of it as possible. We should celebrate our successful industries, not try to clobber them all the time. Supermarkets have been successful for one reason and one reason alone, which is that they deliver what their customers want at a price at which they want it. All successful businesses have two things in common: they look after their customers and they look after their staff. All failed businesses in the world have two things in common: they do not look after their customers and they do not look after their staff. Supermarkets are successful, because they look after their staff and customers, and we should celebrate that.
Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
526 c243WH 
Session
2010-12
Chamber / Committee
Westminster Hall
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