If you want to see the ugly face of capitalism look no further than the US technology giants.
The likes of Amazon and Facebook have become a byword for all that is wrong with big business, whether it is industrial scale tax avoidance or exploiting their workforce.
These corporate bullies are threatening to withdraw investment if Philip Hammond presses ahead with a digital sales tax in Monday’s Budget. He should stand firm.
One of the reasons our high street is struggling is because British firms are having to compete with online retailers who abuse their monopoly position and use clever accounting techniques to limit their tax bills.
These firms should be told if they want access to one of the most prosperous markets in the world then they should play by the rules.
We should not be held hostage by a greedy group of Californian freebooters.
Ails not well
Hospitals should be places where the sick are aided on the road to recovery.
So we should be alarmed at the sharp rise in the number of in-patients contracting
life-threatening superbugs.
In many instances these infections are the result of poor hygiene on understaffed wards.
But the spike is also the consequence of our increased resistance to antibiotics.
If hospitals were properly funded then they would have the resources to make sure wards and equipment were properly cleaned.
Doctors need to make sure antibiotics are only handed out for those in real need.
Finally, the pharmaceutical companies should put people before profits by investing in research to develop new medicines.
Northern blight
Few will be surprised to learn that life expectancy in the North is below that in the South.
When the region has been historically starved of funds there are life-changing consequences.
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