The Dying Days of Independent Trading

   This week I read an article in a local newspaper that gave me cause for concern. The item (entitled “Row Over Car Boot Loophole”) was featured in the Wednesday 15 February edition of the West Midlands based, Express & Star. It seems that South Staffordshire authorities are looking at ways they can seriously limit the amount of Car Boot sales in the area, following “numerous complaints".

   This is by no means an isolated account of authorities taking umbrage with the activity. The story is the latest in a string of national news items that dates back a couple of years. You might say, “What does this have to do with anything?” I’m always wary when those in positions of power protest loudly and repetitively about something specific and they really do seem to have a bug with Car Boot sales. However, what is happening may be an indication of a larger agenda…

   Car Boot sales are a much bigger deal than you might expect. They are becoming a means for people to make a little extra (tax free) income, by selling on their unwanted goods. Many individuals are actually making a viable living out of the practice (buying & selling), allowing them to earn money (again tax free) outside of the established work system. Some sales have become glorified markets: including, not only individuals but, market stall traders, craft stalls, caterers, service providers, etc.

   One of the main reasons for this can be traced back to the recent decline in Trade & Craft Markets. This was not a result of the economic climate. Believe me when I say that there has been a tangible strategy (orchestrated by local councils and authorities) to remove stalls from the streets and marketplaces of town and cities across the whole UK.

   I used to sell my own artwork on various craft markets in the area, on a regular basis. It was a great way to get a little extra income, as the stall would usually only cost about £30 a day. After including the cost of my materials, I could make anything from £50 - £200 (profit) per day of trading. In time, local councils stopped making the areas available to event organisers and began leasing stall time on an individual basis. Added to this was the requirement of a trading license – a blanket license that could cost thousands of pounds. Under the original system, the event organiser would be the owner of the license. As you can imagine, many markets became akin to Ghost Towns and eventually stopped altogether.

  Some craft markets have continued, but they are now the province of niche and whimsical locations. Such events are extortionately expensive to trade at. One of the last art sales I did was at a famous castle in the midlands. The weekend craft event cost me over £300 to participate and I subsequently made little (if no) profit. It seems that you now pay for the privilege of attending a prestigious event… something only affordable to those doing it as a hobby.

   It seems that Car Boot sales are the last bastions of truly independent trading. The threat this poses to the power structures that control our everyday lives is tangible. Police will turn up with regularity at the sales, patrolling the area like Roman Centurions presiding over a bloated province. The news media has played a huge role in demonising the sales and discussing what MUST be done about them. The reasons for their vilification range from illegal bootleg DVD and tobacco sales, overcrowding, safety, traffic congestion on nearby roads, large scale market trading and noise pollution. These may all be valid causes for concern, but I suspect they are more likely excuses to garner public support to close them down… excuses that hide the true reasons for concern on the part of TPTB.

   If you think about it, these sales are very similar in nature to the old barter markets. Many times, I’ve witnessed people trading in goods rather than currency, people buying cheap food and goods, the events are regularly frequented by those buying gold, silver and other precious commodities, it all happens outside of the control structure of the establishment and (most importantly) it’s all tax free! This kind of exchange and mart terrifies the Agenda Players. It threatens every economic system of control in society and (in their eyes) must be stopped. A means to trade independently, that could easily evolve into a goods and service based barter trade, would be a huge threat if it spread. It is even possible that numbers of people might even realise the redundant nature of a FIAT paper currency of no intrinsic value.

   The nature of our modern life is obvious. Most people now work for the big faceless corporations. Most of us can only buy food and goods from big faceless corporations. We can only get services from the big faceless corporations. These organisations want to use our credit cards and chip & pin means, doing away with the last of our sovereign means of trade and leaving us with the nightmare scenario: a system policed and controlled totally by them. Next would be RFID chips and we all know where that would lead…

   I can’t tell you how rage inducing an experience it is for me entering a corporate super market. The trite and subtle subliminal beckoning, the all-seeing eyes watching down on the customers, the “Do you have a Clubcard, sir?”…  Sometimes I really feel like flicking the middle finger at the security cameras or kicking in the screen of the self-service scanner, every time Mrs Stephen Hawking speaks at me! Of course I don’t… but you know what I’m getting at.

   Car Boots preserve the community spirit and retain the human factor. They are a place where people gather, talk, laugh and reaffirm their togetherness. They inspire ingenuity and imagination. It is also curious to note that Car Boots are free of the curse of bank cards, scanners, cameras, loyalty cards, chips, etc. When you look at the bigger picture, it seems obvious why the Agenda Players would want them gone. Independence and non-compliance with their systems of control SHOULD threaten them. If we want to preserve the last of our civil freedoms, it is crucial that we support those things that the upper echelons cannot influence.

They are our charge to protect... For when they are gone, what will we have left?
Peace Out, Folks!
The Truth Seeker’s Guide.


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What Really Happened at the London 2012 Olympics - http://www.lulu.com/shop/carl-james/what-really-happened-at-the-london-2012-olympics/paperback/product-23221527.html