It is interesting that the GFC could achieve something the rest of us might have considered highly unlikely, the retreat of the ubiquitous golden arches.

Iceland says goodbye to McDonald's (http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-business/iceland-says-goodbye-to-mcdonalds-20091027-hhmi.html)

Blamed for exporting obesity from the US, chew and spew, as it is known locally among the teens, still appears to be opening outlets wherever a vacant street corner is available. It appears no journey is complete without a stop at Macca's and yet we don't suffer from the problem in Iceland, local product is used, a business model so foreign to a multinational, although I don't know where they get all those gerkins

You'll miss the Big Mac when it's gone.

Hmmmm... banning the Big Mac.

Will this lead to black market fast food?

"Pssst. Check it out. I got your dollar menu right here..."

Elliot

Achieve what, eliminating a growing and successful business in your country?

You'll miss the Big Mac when it's gone.

No our local hamburgers are much better, real meat, lettuce, tomato, beetroot, buns twice the size of a big mac:)

Hmmmm.... banning the Big Mac.

Will this lead to black market fast food?

"Pssst. Check it out. I got your dollar menu right here..."

Elliot

No Elliot it just means the little takeaway down the road will get more business, the small business man will get a bigger chance because he isn't been muscled by multinational business

Achieve what, eliminating a growing and successful business in your country?

We have already all but eliminated Pizza Hut and it's clones, Macca's now looks like an up market café and KFC is looking sad. If someone is stupid enough to come in at the bottom of the market it isn't my problem That's capitalism in action, after all there is one born every minute, isn't there?

The Chinese love Macca's so they should concentrate on that growth market and harden the arteries over there

No our local hamburgers are much better, real meat, lettuce, tomato, beetroot, buns twice the size of a big mac:)

Beetroot? Sounds positively disgusting. Throw some green chiles on there instead.

No Elliot it just means the little takeaway down the road will get more business, the small business man will get a bigger chance because he isn't been muscled by multinational business

So you're in favor of government controlling the marketplace.

Oh, what am I saying. Of course you are.

Let me ask you this... how long will it be before the "small business man" grows his business to be too big for the government to allow it to continue to operate in Australia?

Once you open up that particular lamp, the genie doesn't go back in... if you let the government make those decisions now, you aren't going to be able to stop them later when its YOUR business they want to ban.

Selling long-term freedom for a short-term gain... I expected better of you, Clete.

Elliot

Speaking of fast food, Kentucky Fried Chicken has infiltrated the UN (http://trueslant.com/nealungerleider/2009/10/27/kentucky-fried-chicken-infiltrates-the-un/). LOL!

So you're in favor of government controlling the marketplace.

Oh, what am I saying. Of course you are.

Let me ask you this... how long will it be before the "small business man" grows his business to be too big for the government to allow it to continue to operate in Australia?

Once you open up that particular lamp, the genie doesn't go back in... if you let the government make those decisions now, you aren't going to be able to stop them later when its YOUR business they want to ban.

Selling long-term freedom for a short-term gain... I expected better of you, Clete.

Elliot

Elliot you are a little strange, arguing for argument sake, I don't want government to destroy small business but macca's isn't small business, it requires a significant investment which most small operators don't possess and in any case it is a foreign enterprise and should be regulated, particularly the nutritional content and source of the food. I define small business as a mum and dad operation just so we don't get into semantics here..

Long term freedom is never assured Elliot that requires vigilance and includes keeping control of multinational corporations.

Elliot you are a little strange, arguing for argument sake, I don't want government to destroy small business but macca's isn't small business, it requires a significant investment which most small operators don't possess and in any case it is a foreign enterprise and should be regulated, particularly the nutritional content and source of the food. I define small business as a mum and dad operation just so we don't get into semantics here..

Long term freedom is never assured Elliot that requires vigilance and includes keeping control of multinational corporations.

I see... so SOME businesses are OK, and others aren't.

Personally, I see businesses all the same. The size of the business doesn't really matter. The LAWS THAT GOVERN THEM SHOULD BE THE SAME.

You apparently want two different sets of rules for two different sets of businesses. You want government intervention for one set of businesses and not the other...

And you're warning ME about vigilance.

As I said before... once you open that bottle, the genie can't be put back in. Once you approve the intervention of government in SOME businesses, they ain't going to stop there. They never do.

Elliot

I see... so SOME businesses are ok, and others aren't.

Personally, I see businesses all the same. The size of the business doesn't really matter. The LAWS THAT GOVERN THEM SHOULD BE THE SAME.

You apparently want two different sets of rules for two different sets of businesses. You want government intervention for one set of businesses and not the other...

And you're warning ME about vigilance.

As I said before... once you open that bottle, the genie can't be put back in. Once you approve the intervention of government in SOME businesses, they ain't gonna stop there. They never do.

Elliot
why don't you get real, isn't there already start up assistance for small business. Different business are treated differently but yes I want foreign corporations to be treated differently so they don't cheat and repatriate the profits through transfer pricing arrangements or pull out and leave the workers stranded without entitlements. You don't understand multinationals Elliot, because you are on the other end of the equation they are motivated by decisions made in boardrooms far away

why don't you get real, isn't there already start up assistance for small business.

Yes. And I have a problem with that. The government's job is NOT to promote businesses, but rather to maintain the environment so that start-up businesses can promote themselves.


Different business are treated differently but yes I want foreign corporations to be treated differently so they don't cheat and repatriate the profits through transfer pricing arrangements or pull out and leave the workers stranded without entitlements.

And I guess that all the people that they employ in your country... thus creating wealth in your country... and all the businesses in your country that they do business with (advertisers, suppliers, vendors of all types)... thus further creating wealth in your country... those things don't count. You are so worried about them "stealing profits" (which were legally earned, by the way, and therefore aren't "stealing" or "cheating") that you completely ignore the effect that shutting down a major employer and business-maker will have on your economy.

All so that you can give the mom-and-pop shop who employs 3 people a booste over their competition.


You don't understand multinationals Elliot, because you are on the other end of the equation they are motivated by decisions made in boardrooms far away

And you don't understand that a major multinational that does business in your country keeps hundreds, maybe thousands of people employed in your country. Paper-goods suppliers, truckers, advertisers, meat producers, and all the other odds and ends it takes to keep a fast food restaurant in business. Plus all their own employees...

Congratulations... you just saved three jobs for the mom and pop shop... by killing hundreds or thousands of other jobs.

Again, short-sighted thinking on the part of your government, and on your part for supporting it.

Elliot

Elliot

I hate to agree with you, but you have to let businesses do what businesses do - make money, the more you make the bigger you become, and the more of a merket share you have - that is how capitalized democracy works

Without going into the whole thing, but you do need to limit the size of a company as monoplized industries is damaging to the consumer

Having been to Iceland to get back on track - Why would anyone choose a maccas when they have fresh fish on your doorsetp every day - seems strange that anyone would choose a bigmac over a king crab

seems strange that anyone would choose a bigmac over a king crab

Yes ,but I would choose a McFish over a big mac. Thing is... if Micky D was so unpopular there wouldn't it fail on it's own ?

Without going into the whole thing, but you do need to limit the size of a company as monoplized industries is damaging to the consumer


I agree. And enforcing anti-trust laws is part of the government's responsibility under the heading of maintaining a free-market economic environment.

However, there are plenty of fast-food restaurants out there that don't fall under the heading of McDs or BK. There are plenty of successful fast food restaurants that are not part of a chain or a franchise. There are no bars to entering the market. Therefore, there is no reason to limit the actions of McDs or BK under anti-trust law.

Elliot

Sounds as though Iceland is retreating into the third world.

Sounds as though Iceland is retreating into the third world.They rate pretty high on all indexes:
Human Development Index - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index)
Quality-of-life index - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality-of-Life_Index)

Whenever I watch a travel show that goes to Iceland I am always amazed at how wonderful the people are. Here. Learn more: Iceland Travel Information and Travel Guide - Lonely Planet (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/iceland)

I'm certain the people are nice, but not well-informed. The article says: "Iceland's three McDonald's restaurants - all in the capital, Reykjavik - will close next weekend, as the franchise owner gives in to falling profits caused by the collapse in the Icelandic krona."
And "Costs had doubled over the past year because of the fall in the krona and high import tariffs on imported goods...".

Trouble ahead for Iceland.

As there is trouble for most during this economic crisis, doesn't mean they are turning into small african nations.

Junk food is much like alcohol, it can be abused but is okay when used in moderation, I like a burger and fries once and a while and I don't want the government trying to ban certain types of food. Prohibition was a disaster and we don't need a repeat of that experience.

Junk food is much like alcohol, it can be abused but is okay when used in moderation, I like a burger and fries once and a while and I don't want the government trying to ban certain types of food. Prohibition was a disaster and we don't need a repeat of that experience.

Salvo Earl

You and most of the western world has prohibition existing, and the effects of the Al Capone era are still happening today, your taxes are paying the ATF and DEA to stop something that cannot be stopped, so I find it interesting that you think you are living in a period where prohibition doesn't exist

Iceland had a problem importing the raw materials to McDonalds and the prices of these goods made it prohibitive to continue that business. I don't think it had anything to do with the "quality" or non quality of the food.

Remember, most McDonald's food does not decay. A burger from 2 years ago looks mostly like it did when it was made. It does not mold or spoil. Doesn't that tell you that they are using "something" in the meat that they shouldn't? They also add too much fat, sugar, salt and "other" things they shouldn't to the burgers, fries, soft drinks, etc.

Want to gain weight? Just eat at McDonald and soon you, too, will be fat and beautiful. Remember the movie Super Size Me? If you haven't seen it you should and if you do see it you will never, never eat fast food from anywhere again - let alone Micky D's!

Remember, most McDonald's food does not decay. I assume you saw the extras on the Super Size Me DVD:
""The Smoking Fry" shows Spurlock keeping various forms of fast food (some from McDonalds, some from a place that actually cooks the meat and fries from scratches) in glass jars in his office and then how the food breaks down over months. After weeks and weeks, the McDonalds French Fries have not broken down whatsoever."

Grossssssssss...

Edit to add: found the video --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on6BSfHlK_w


(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on6BSfHlK_w)

I still love the idea that maccyd's salad has more fat and calories in it that a big mac - how on earth can people sell this crap let alone eat it