a small but significant increase in
body paint sales in the Big Smoke.

There has never been a global consumption of anything where governments haven't figured out a way of taxing it.

Labour are going to charge a 50p tax in the UK. It's going to cost them virtually nothing to do, they will just stick 50p on everyone's bill. No spend on backbone etc, just tax.

However to counter that Labour can boast that in this global recession versus the last 2 UK recessions we have only suffered 1/3 the number of home reposessions, 1/3 the number of business failures, 1/3 the number of people losing their jobs.

I remember the last recession approx 20 years ago, and it was devastating. Conservatives raised the basic interest rate to 15%, causing business loans and home mortgage monthly payments to go through the roof.

That single thing, raising interest rates to 15%, is what caused so many to lose their businesses, their homes and their jobs.

If your current monthly costs are £1,000, and then with the stroke of the chancellor's pen they go to £2,000 then you might find yourself struggling. That's what the Conservatives did last time.

It's what David Cameron said he would do again - nothin to help people, as it would only prolong the repayment of the borrowed money. It doesn't matter to him that businesses go bust, people lose their homes, and their jobs, so long as the national debt looks ok.

Sorry for the politics. It's just that I've not seen any balance of the recession numbers on any major news in the UK.

...cut them off from the internet completely? Then we won't have to hear anyone whining about censorship or tariffs or anything else.

China is not good for the world, from all the things I see and hear. They were responsible for the melamine poisoning of pet food not too long ago. They are responsible for lead poinsoning on kid's toys. These are not the only things - there are also many many more bad things are done that affect other's lives in one way or another.

I realize it's not necessarily the fault of the general population, but rather the government and businesses who, for all we know, are influenced by the government to conduct such behavior.

I say cut 'em off and let them build their own internet to do woth as they please. Let's build a wall around the whole country. Oh wait, that's already been done - by THEM. Ok, let's make that wall a technological, monetary,and commercial wall too.

Simple, make them pay the same rate for incoming traffic as other countries have to pay for content coming from China.