When it does start raining, goodness knows when it will stop if it corrects this long dry spell. That will be less pleasant, but far safer than should this dry weather continue, having started so early.
In the midst of all this wonderful countryside, the press is screaming at us that Nigel Farage and the Reform Party has blown apart the two-party political system we have in this country. Whilst Donald Trump has ensured both Canada and Australia now have centre left governments, here in the UK his old mate Nigel is doing rather well in local elections. Given that only 24 out of 317 local authority areas voted last Thursday and only 1600 of the 17,000 local councillors up for election, this was not as decisive as the press would have you believe. However, it has been enough it seems to panic both main parties and the knives are out!
The Conservatives have a habit of shouting ‘next!’, whenever they do badly and no sooner than Kemi Badenoch has her feet under the table, she is now under threat. This was a disaster for them, the first time they have not won a majority on a single council since 1889. Donors, MP’s and others with influence in the Conservative Party are now discussing where next and with who as leader? They are on defection watch, as some of the usual suspects could now jump ship and join Reform, but there is a threat to Badenoch from Robert Jenrick, as they are likely to pivot to the right, a grave mistake.
There were no smiles at Downing Street either apparently, as the government lost 198 seats, and a reshuffle is now a real possibility with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Culture, Media and Sport Minister Lisa Nandy front runners in the despatch department. There is now a row about the persistent message of delivery from the government, with no story of how the voter’s life will change. Government’s honeymoons become shorter when things are tough, and we are an impatient nation nowadays.
This week, we celebrate VE Day and raised the memories of a very different time and so many people asked, what has gone wrong? Well, I’m afraid, we have. That is the simple answer. As a nation, we are almost ungovernable due to our entitled beliefs, our workshy attitude, and our feeble reactions to everyday ups and downs. Couple that with our gullibility when it comes to empty promises, our calls for things (such as more affordable homes), which we do not want near our own, and the way we are led by the nose on the environment.
The big news last week, which unlike the local election results offers hope rather than mere froth, was Sir Tony Blair calling for a re-set of the irrational Net Zero policies, warning that they are doomed to fail. I am certain Tony Blair does not read this column, and equally certain that he is not a climate change denier either, but this column has often called for a more sensible and pragmatic way to do our bit and show leadership, without destroying the economy and making us all poorer.
I feel vindicated when a politician of his stature (like him or not) who towers above today’s leaders, agrees. As Tony Blair said last week, we are all being made to make financial sacrifices and changes to our lifestyle which will have minimal or no effect on global emissions. He warned of ‘inconvenient facts’ and that a backlash is coming, which will derail the whole agenda (maybe that has just started). The drive for net zero is becoming irrational, he said, and others quite rightly worry about historic industry up and down the country closing its doors due to this blinkered approach.
Grangemouth in Fife stopped refining crude oil last week, with the loss of 430 jobs, as we import at a higher carbon cost which is not included. The net zero policy of transition from gas generated energy to solar and wind is not linear, and we need to embark on a transition which engages with the realities of a changing world. Having a fanatic and failed leader in charge of such an important area is a huge mistake, as nothing it seems will change Ed Milliband’s drive to try and save the planet by costing us the earth.
The Trade Unions are backing Blair, as GMB general secretary Gary Smith is very angry as is Sharon Graham of Unite, stung by job losses. This might be the start, and other leaders may find the courage to take the hysteria out of the climate debate, now that Blair has spoken, whilst the USA, India, China go drilling and mining.
VE Day was another good opportunity to talk about our food industry and food security and brought back memories of wartime corned beef, highlighted in the press. Terry Leahy, the former CEO of Tesco said last week that we are at a crossroads when it comes to food security, following the neglect of past governments. There is no strategy, he said, nothing to safeguard the supply of our most basic needs, and it is now urgent.
We used to believe that global supply chains were a sure way of meeting our needs, he said, but the pandemic showed how suddenly supply chains can be disrupted. The Ukraine war has shown our vulnerability to external shocks, driving inflation as other nations close ranks and move towards protectionism. Whilst our government has an industrial strategy and are doing everything to save British Steel, there is still no food strategy.
We are vulnerable on food, he said, and our government should be taking advantage of the enterprising and innovative food and drink businesses here in the UK and relying less on offshored manufacturing. Offshore well-known British food titans of global food manufacturing will make dispassionate decisions, focusing on lowest cost and efficiency, and British food security does not feature in any decisions they make. Terry Leahy worries that the new advisory board set up by government will fail to deliver a proper strategy due to cross-cutting priorities, such as obesity, affordable food, biodiversity, climate change and so on.
I’m afraid that this is the world we live in now, where baby food pouches are failing to meet nutritional needs, the huge damage being done to the nation’s health by ultra-processed food (UPF), and farmers who produce the healthy raw ingredients ignored at best, put under even more pressure by this government at worst. Business has won over health in our food, squeezing farmers margins and doing great damage, as recent studies have shown.
One study analysed the diets of 8 countries and premature deaths. It reported that 14% of premature deaths in this country could be attributed to UPF, compared to countries with lower intakes No one knows if its due to the high salt and sugar content, or the changes to food during industrial processing and added artificial ingredients, such as colourants, artificial flavours, or all of it. We need radical change.