In many parts of the world, including Europe, the word ‘socialist’ has lost its meaning and its currency. In the corridors of puppet power housed by the European Parliament in Strasbourg, they live on. And, somehow finding time away from pondering their own neutered political philosophy and calculating their own exorbitant professional expenses, Europe’s officially certified socialists have gone on what looks likes an offensive over roaming charges.

It has been a long, important and (some would argue) boring debate. The fact is simply that Europe’s major mobile operators are ripping off customers wholesale, or more accurately retail, when they step outside their home countries. It makes a joke of the ‘Single Market’ concept and it occurs with the complicity of governments and regulators who are far too close to the companies involved for anyone’s comfort. Not least the left-wing of politics that believes that consumers are essentially willing dupes in the grasp of big business.

“We need a sustainable proposal, with no hidden prices in the small print”, said Joseph Muscat, Socialist rapporteur for this issue on the European Parliament IMCO Committee, at a debate last week at in the European Parliament. “Everyone agrees that information to consumers must be improved - so they know how much everything costs”, added Robert Goebbels, Socialist MEP and Conference Moderator. “We would like customers to be able to consume more and pay less”, he said.

“It is high time consumers were given a fair deal”, added Joseph Muscat, who you may have already forgotten is the Socialist rapporteur for this issue on the European Parliament IMCO Committee. “Exaggerated prices charged by operators are making people turn off their phones when travelling to another country. Socialists want to build on the the Commission proposal to put forward a transparent, flexible and fair system”, he said.

Europe’s political left is rightly challenging the roaming gravy train. As a redundant political movement it might well suckle from an equally fat-globuled ladle, but one can only salute their indefatigability.
Jim Chalmers