Which businessman is the most influential in the making of government policy? The answer came to me when I received a letter fining me £80 for forgetting to renew my car insurance by the correct date. But it could also have come to me had I forgotten to fill out of council tax enquiry form (fine £70), missed getting in my tax return by one day (£100), or got caught in a box junction in the King’s Road which has two sets of traffic lights in quick succession (£130).
It is, I have come to believe, Michael O’Leary. The Ryanair boss has mastered a business model whereby you lure in the customer by offering a product at a seemingly giveaway price — and then, in effect, trap him into paying huge extra charges by exploiting his forgetfulness, his failure to read the small print or his simple misfortune. Hence you can buy your flight to Dublin for £19.99,
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