Dear Editor,
I read your piece on "The grim truth of Chinese factories producing the west's Christmas toys" (Gethin Chamberlain, 4th December) and felt a certain level of irritation, not because of the article (the details of which are all too familiar), but rather because this is an on-going issue which never seems to be tackled.
There are regular reports of child-labour, of factories burning- or falling down (e.g. Rana-Plaza) and Chinese workers have even committed suicide because of the conditions imposed on them. But it is like "Groundhog-Day" with these reports reappearing but nothing ever being done: We in the West seem to indulge in a few minutes of indignation (to "relieve our consciences") but then go back to business (or rather shopping) as usual.
And then there is the spate of "free-trade" treaties which governments (massively influenced by corporate lobby-groups) seem intent on forcing through: What do these treaties do? They simply make it easier for big-business to cherry-pick the cheapest production locations and the most lucrative retail markets with the treaties systematically removing governments' ability to intervene. For me this is (near-) slavery dressed up as "The Free Market"!
Yes, we seem to have created a sort of "bi-polar" world where half the world toils in sweatshops while the other half frantically consumes as much "stuff" as possible (... while being fed constant news of "impending peril" to keep us placid). Orwell and Huxley must be "tutting in their graves" saying: "I told you so".
Regards
