Taxes
So, by now, you've read /. and seen that the UK govt has recently proposed taxing computers (instead of TVs, which is where the BBC's funding comes from).
I would like to reflect for a moment on how colossally bad an idea this really is. The obvious reason is that TVs are mostly used for consumption. Computers are often used to do productive things. Now, people are tech-phobic in the UK to begin with - technology is seen here the way it was in the States maybe in 70s. I think this is a big reason for the UK's relative lack of productivity and innovation. Taxing technology is obviously not gonna help.
I love living in Europe. In India, innovators are working hard to make computers affordable enough for the poorest rural folks. In Europe, bureaucrats are working hard to stifle innovation.