Rate Tarts of the World unite

Anyone who is sick and tired of hearing that well-worn locution 'Political Correctness' will at least have a notion about what lies behind its use as a smokescreen. Language has meaning, and language can be used to wield power and control. In an Orwellian sense, the use of words can also imply contrary ideas, in order to bolster a particular ideology.

In this way, the press uses the term 'rate tarts' to describe people who seek to pay no interest on their debt by transferring credit card balances, taking up 0% or low introductory rates of interest. There you go: the laudable intentions of those who wish to avoid paying interest in an astute manner are no more than whores, prostitutes, promiscuous. It suggests they are somehow beneath contempt, the lowest of the low, or just plain embarrassing.

The banks have complained that this activity is costing them money. What they actually mean, is that they make less money than they would otherwise.

And now, they've decided to 'clamp down' (again, implying illegal activity) on those of us who wish to extend ourselves a little bit of free credit. So the die has been cast, the gauntlet thrown down. Touché. Rate Tarts are going underground. Time allowing, loopholes will be sought and fully publicised on this weblog.