I often use hairdressers, and especially mobile hairdressers, as an example when talking about taxation or free markets, because, AFAIAA there are practically no barriers to entry. Not if They had their way, of course.
From today's Metro:
A bid to protect customers from potentially fatal visits to the hairdressers has been rejected by MPs. Plans for a state register of coiffeurs were proposed after several instances of severe injuries to customers came to light [examples?].
Tory MP and former hairdresser David Morris had put the bill forward and said: "Hairdressers can use products that are very corrosive, very dangerous and in some instances can cause death. But believe it or not, anyone of us could set up a hairdressers tomorrow and practise and charge money for it."
"Potentially", "can", "could", the favourite words of the rent seekers, whether they're using it as an excuse to ban something or to raise barriers to entry, or even worse, to create a monopoly market for their own 'safer' or 'greener' products in the first place, see asbestos removal, windmills, child car seats, nicotine chewing gum.
No doubt our freedom loving parliamentarians laughed this one out of court...
Despite his plea, MPs defeated the plans by 67 votes to 63.
Yup, by a margin of four votes. G-d bless the 67 MPs who bothered to turn up and vote 'No'.
And as examples of "several instances of severe injuries to customers", what do they present as evidence..?
The family of Tabatha McCourt, 17, from Lanarkshire, claim she collapsed and died shortly after applying hair dye in October (1). And 38-year-old mother Julia McCabe from Keighley, West Yorkshire was left brain-damaged after suffering a similar reaction, also in October.(2)
1) After applying it to her own hair.
2) After applying it to her own hair.
There's a third example in the sidebar to the article of a teenager who suffered scarring after applying hair dye to her own hair.
So that's an epic fail on the policy-based-evidence front. I suppose it's theoretically possible that a hairdresser could stab somebody to death with a pair or scissors or something, but I'm not aware of it ever happening. Sweeney Todd is a fictional character, by the way.
Seismically Bamboozled
15 minutes ago
8 comments:
"Potentially", "can", "could", the favourite words of the PCists and socialists.
My barber smokes a rolly between customers, inside the shop. No complaints, even from the local environmental health officer (one of his customers) - apparently he never notices the smell. Neither do I - must be being masked by the heady smell of the really dangerous stuff....
Hairdressers (and nail bars etc) already have to comply with health and safety laws on chemicals, sterilisation etc.
By and large they are all very compliant too. I've had the odd hair complaint, but it's usually "I don't like my haircut and I want my money back."
JH, I don't agree on that point.
P, rollies hardly smell.
SL, ta for extra info, that all seems perfectly sensible. What did you say to the complainant: something like "No, I don't like it either"?
In the US where occupational licensing is more common than here a lot of states require barbers and hairdressers to be registered.
When people propose repealing the requirement people start spreading scare stories about people dying about people contracting Lice, hepatitis, and being expose to hazardous substances.
Wow that was close, and just as Greece is being forced to do the opposite getting rid of its government protected cartels.
My favourite though is the Interior Design resgistration requirements in the US
MW. Oh no! Sweeney Todd fictional? That's another illusion shattered. I bet you'll tell me next that there is no such person as Father Christmas? Mind you I am not the only one who knows that he exists - most socialists and especially Blair and Brown are clearly fellow believers.
R, there might be a teeny tiny minority of hair dressers who are unhygienic (I'm not aware that this is the case, I'm saying 'might') but I'm sure they'd go out of business very quickly, problem solved.
OTOH, that is nuts. But I'm sure the Guild of Cushion Scatterers love it.
L, my parents were devout atheists and I never believed in Santa Claus anyway. Mind you, my old mum also explained notional and opportunity costs to me when I was ten or twelve and it constantly amazes me that some people have never heard this concept or even deny there is such a thing.
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