I’m not suggesting that anyone should base their point of view on popular appeal but sometimes it is necessary to listen to others and it is more important that a view is well-founded than that it’s uncompromisingly defended.

Returning to the topic, it does not follow from the fact that excessive government interference could have negative effects that no improvement can be made. There is a happier medium to be found between doing nothing and banning certain multinationals from operating. Many companies could make reasonable improvements in the wages that they offer and the conditions that their workers have to endure without distorting any economies or creating more poverty and I think it is important that the are encouraged to do so.

Neither of you, I’m sure, are thick. You just have polemically-strong diverging opinions. You both know that. So don’t get personal and insulting with each other. No need.

Wrong there mate. I know quite a few people who go to charity shops to buy/wear wacky clothing because they think it makes them unique. They’ve even stated this themselves. So don’t make statements using the word “nobody” when you can’t speak for the entire nation. I guess you’re a bit thick too.

Can you EVER write an article without having a go at someone’s dress sense?

[P.S. I don’t mean this in a cheeky, pernickity or undermining way, but you want the word ‘utopian’ instead of ‘utopic’. Just thought it might help for future reference].

I’ve certainly never bought clothing from charity shops out of a desire to be unique. If I had then your “revelation” that there’s a whole group of people who wear charity shop clothing would trouble me. It doesn’t; the more people who support charities in this way, the better.

It’s not unique. You’ve just joined yet another group.

Governments interfering in markets would be disastrous for this economy [as such action always has been and always will]. Where would our new supply-lines come from? ‘British’ workers making these clothes previously made by those in LEDC’s? I think not, somehow. The price of clothes would rocket, inflationary pressures are already promenant in the textile industry and you would be transferring the ‘poverty’ argument onto those on lower wages in this country, who, what with rising mortgages, global credit-crunches and the alike, would struggle to pay for this rapid rise in the price in clothing, it sourcing from ‘low-paid’workers’ was made ‘illegal’.

I am afraid, this would be a disaster for those involved: The lower paid workers who are ejected from the market, the consumers who will be hit by 50% price-rises for their clothing and the government for thinking they can intefere with the market and offer some sort of better ‘deal’ based on ideas that sound good and ‘moral’ in principle, but that in reality just do not work.

In an ideal world, everyone would live the way in which we have become accustomed to in the west. However this is simply a utopic idea that certain politically-similar individuals unite behind constantly to self-flagelate the conuntries and systems in which they live and partake in. Only by allowing the invisible hand of the free-market, opening up barriers to trade and moving to perfect competition between nations/industry/people can this issue that is important, be addressed.

At any rate, a key aim of the protest must have been to spark continual interest and debate on the matter. The above article and considered comments have made the protest successful in this respect I feel.

As for ethical merchandise itself, I think that many people will choose to take the cheaper ‘unethical’ option so long as it is there. What the government or public should do about it (if anything) is a deeply tricky matter. Surely an appeal to Arcadia would render the price of their clothes uncompetitive, and a rival would nip in and take a larger market share by selling less expensive clothes? Equally, changing the opinion of the public en masse is rather unlikely. The government then, has the ultimate say - perhaps people should lobby for the outlawing of products made by cheap foreign labour?

Without going to much into the debate, multinationals provide jobs to local populations that would otherwise be underpaid and impoverished. Underpaid by our standards of £5 an hour is not underpaid in the [de]forested areas of Peru. On the contrary, if these companies did decide to pay them the British minimum wage, it would entirely f**k up the local economy and send inflation rocketing.

I would ask Kate [without sounding perverted in any way], where did you buy your clothes from that you are wearing today?

I would also like to point out a basic misunderstanding in what People and Planet are trying to do. We were not there to make people feel guilty for shopping at Topshop. In fact, it’s great that students do because Arcadia is more likely to listen to it’s customers. We are not trying to deprive people of their desire for new clothes, but we want them to tell Phillip Green of their concern for workers rights. We were there to talk to people, make them understand why things need to change, and to try to encourage this change by asking students to sign messages addressed to the Arcadia management. We don’t preach, we don’t encourage boycotts. We try to do everything in our power to help people and it’s a shame that some people seem to take such offence at this.

Ethical merch articles are like overplayed records at this university - you hear them so much you just stop caring and they just fade into the background whilst still being irritating.

Students telling the public what to do = very bad idea. It’s patronising to suggest that students know best on moral issues, and it’s damned annoying too.

I’m not a member of People and Planet but I do respect their members for at least trying to do something rather than just sitting back and saying “Well sweatshops are terrible but since we’re not going to put an end to them with one small protest, let’s just sit back and do nothing”. I’m sure those who protested were well aware that they weren’t going to change the world and am equally sure that if you have any better suggestions, they’d love to hear them.