This narrative says only Apple are responsible for poor working conditions in China. Therefore pressure must be put on Apple to get Foxconn and other suppliers to treat their employees to the standards us rich Westerners are used to. All other “brands” that use Cheap Chinese Labour to produce your latest toy or pair of shoes can be excused.

Here’s what should happen: We’ll correctly put pressure on all the companies who source labour in low cost societies. Those companies will put pressure on their suppliers. Wage Costs will go up, manufacturing and supply costs will go up. Costs of your shiny new devices will go. You’ll happily pay those extra prices. No company will undercut each other by going to new cheap labour economies like Yemen or Uganda. Shininess will ensue.

Here’s what’s actually going to continue to happen: Pressure will be put on whomever is the most well known in the market. They’ll be forced to raise their prices to cover their additional costs.

You’ll stop buying their products and buy from someone cheaper who is sourcing their products in Swaziland. They will become the worlds new number one hot company. All companies will move their sourcing to those countries.

Apple will again invent iHotNewProductTM. Activists will investigate conditions and write reports. Media will selectively extract from the reports to fill a story to fit the headline. Editors will create headlines that attract advertisers.

Rinse and repeat.

When Volkswagen and Mercedes shifted their manufacturing to places like China and South Africa, they did it out of love for those countries and a desire to share the limitless bounty of globalisation to those places that were being left behind. Or not.

Where the hell is that in the reporting of this debate? I for one can’t take any report seriously if it fails the Brown M&M test. As John Lennon once sang - All I want is some truth. Give me some truth.

If you don’t, you may as well be some short-haired, yellow-bellied, son-of-tricky dick, no matter how good your intentions. And I can’t take you seriously.

Gavin Costello is a writer, blogger, tweeter and future Bon Vivant (pending approval by Bon Viveur society of Planet Earth, otherwise known as the Mortgage and the Wife).

Read his blog http://franksting.net.au/ and follow him on twitter @franksting

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