In Mel Brooks’ film, History of the World Pt I, the character of King Louis in the section on the French Revolution is asked by a young woman to free her father from the Bastille. He agrees by giving her the choice in the title of this blog. This is rather like the choice faced by the millions of customers of payday lenders at least if you listen to the large number of vocal campaigners against “legal loan sharks”. Indeed, in an earlier investigation of high cost credit (the 3 year investigation into Home Credit or doorstep lending*), a vicar actually submitted evidence to the Competition Commission that he advised his anguished parishioners who complained about repaying doorstep lenders’ loans that they’d be better off selling their bodies to raise money.
However, the problem is, as for the character petitioning King Louis in the film, the campaigns are against the symptoms and not the causes. In real life, the French realised this by decapitating the King rather than just wanting him to be a nicer king.
botzarelli 