Why is it we British are all such suckers?

Why do we open our wallets or flash our plastic at so many manufacturers around the world and allow them to extract extortionate amounts of money.

They all know we are punch-drunk with being ripped off - so they rip us off even more. They know we will keep on buying their products.

The victory by the American jeans manufacturer Levi Strauss, stopping us buying cheap Levi 501s at Tesco stores was astonishing.

It was yet another example of the chaos our silly laws are exposing us to.

Of course, it was hugely reassuring Messrs Levi Strauss felt so concerned about our welfare they were insistent only trained staff in special stores could ensure we bought the right size of Levi 501s for ourselves.

And what about their man who said maintaining a higher price would allow them to invest more in research and design?

We are talking about denim trousers held together with cotton twine and metal rivets!

Stopping Tesco, and others, selling us reasonably priced 501s had nothing to do with maintaining their outrageously fat profit margins here. Of course not.

As for the European Court of Justice, its perverse decision suggests it sees no contradiction between allowing grey imports from within the European Union and barring them from outside.

While it may still be possible to buy 501s for £28 from Tesco rather than the £25 they were hoping for by buying in America and elsewhere, the recommended retail price remains at £50 - and you can be sure there will be people who will pay that rip-off price in Messrs Levi Strauss's special stores to specially trained assistants. Incidentally, the price in America is £21.

Our response should be a total consumer boycott of all Levi products. It is the only argument they will understand.

But Levi Strauss is just another name to add to the long list of villains who know Britain is a fabulous market place for making mouth watering profits.

Whether we are talking about cosmetics, sports clothes, electronic goods or cars - the story is the same.

Try going to a local dealer and attempting to bargain for a reduction on the price of a new car because you can buy it cheaper in Europe or on the internet.

His superior smirk of refusal will tell you all you need to know.

Need I remind you that back in those heady days of 1997 when New Labour took over our lives, one of the many, now forgotten, promises made was to get to grip with the problems of 'rip-off Britain'.

However, our European masters do sometimes get it right.

What a joy the European Commission has imposed more than half a billion pounds of fines on eight European pharmaceutical companies for price fixing vitamins.

Put bluntly, they were racketeering, driving up the cost of cereals, biscuits, drinks and other products for all of us.