Shoppers going North test free market theory

I’M fascinated by the response of Government ministers to the phenomenon of people travelling north to do their shopping.

A few years ago, when people here were complaining of rapid price increases and calling on the Government to intervene, the then Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Harney, said it was not the place of Government to interfere in the “free running of the market” and as an open economy it would be detrimental also to our future prosperity if it were to do so.

She even went on to blame us for the price hikes because we did not shop around for better value.