By Rab Bruce’s Spider

The VW emissions test cheating is yet another example of big business believing it can get away with almost anything.

There are two things that leap out at us from the reporting of this scandal.

First, the VW bosses say they are very sorry. Think about that. What, exactly, are they sorry for? Did they volunteer the information that they had been cheating and thereby making millions of Euros for their Company and themselves? Is that what they are sorry for? No, what they are sorry for is being found out. That’s how big business operates these days.

The second thing is the obsession in the media with the financial impact on the motor industry, with most news reports telling us how much has been wiped off the share value of VW and other car manufacturers. There has been very little commentary on the health issues that the additional carbon emissions affect. Again, under the neo-liberal mindset that has become so ingrained in our society, money is deemed more important than people. Thankfully, some voices are now being raised about this aspect and perhaps the health and climate change impact of VW’s blatant money-grabbing fraud will soon gain a higher profile in our consciousness.