The Change Mariner

Far-Felt Impact of The Internet

Scotsman.com News:

The bursting of the dot.com bubble was greeted with much cynicism. However, as with the bursting of the great railway boom in the 19th century, consumers have woken up to the fact that not all the money invested was wasted. We got a rail network that transformed daily life. Now, through the internet, consumers have instant access to bargains on a scale never dreamt of.

Suddenly, you can buy or bid for items - from CDs to cars - anywhere in the world. In particular, ultra-cheap consumer products are available from America, where the dollar has slid by 30 per cent. The average consumer can only benefit from this development (though we pity the poor souls who recently ordered what they thought was genuine Viagra over the internet, only to find it lacked the appropriate uplifting qualities). The only people unhappy with this new international supermarket are, understandably, Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, which is determined that these new imports should not escape its clutches.