From: Charlie Stross (charlie@antipope.org)
Date: Thu Aug 23 2001 - 16:20:51 MDT
On Wed, Aug 22, 2001 at 01:34:18PM -0400, Mike Lorrey wrote:
>
> Sure, but I don't seen anyone suing Jamaica in the WTO over the
> marijuana crop, which is far higher in value than the banana crop. Keep
> in mind also that native jamaicans don't own the banana plantations in
> Jamaica either, they are owned by Brits.
Er, no. We -- the British public -- were paying approximately twice
as much to the Jamaican producers for their bananas as we're paying
to United Fruit for the imports we're now buying. Guess what: that's
money that isn't going to the small Jamaican farmers any more, it's
going to United Fruit.
I can personally live with bananas that cost 50p a kilo as easily as I
can live with bananas that cost 20p a kilo. But Jamaica can't. Or, to
put it another way, Mike: "freeing up trade" has just put a massive
deflationary crimp on the Jamaican economy, while fucking them over
royally by tying any loans they get to a 19% interest rate. At that kind
of interest rate, is it any wonder that so many third world countries
end up defaulting?
-- Charlie
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