​Every new Government quite naturally appears naive and clumsy as they take over the reins and learn the ropes. However, this Labour Government takes the biscuit for being totally detached from reality and appears to lack any intelligence in just about every department.
 
It seems everything they touch crumbles beneath their gaze and the public are beginning to see the cracks and are getting tired of their incompetence, deceit, greed, and lack of understanding of how this country should operate. They appear totally unaware of how to prioritise or understand how the country operates, from finance, security, businesses, commodities, agriculture and food production, the environment, international relations and so much more.
 
We must be realistic and acknowledge that what the last Tory government left behind due to the incompetent leadership of Rishi Sunak was a mess. He clearly had no plan other than to become Prime Minister which he achieved by stabbing Boris in the back.
 
That was not the fault of the Conservative Party, it was the fault of the leadership and poor standard of so many of his Ministers who ran out of ideas, did not have the intellect to achieve, and it should also be said, did not have the support of civil servants who were undermining them at every turn in their determination and haste to install this left wing, union controlled Labour Government.
 
The list of errors grows daily from Starmer cosying up to President Xi Jinping while hoping to get a trade deal to giving away to Mauritius at huge cost to UK, the Chagos Islands, a strategic base for UK and US defence.
 
Donald Trump’s team are seeking assurances that this controversial deal will not be completed before his inauguration in January.
 
The Independent recently revealed that the president-elect is looking for ways to veto the agreement because of his concerns over its security implications in the Indian Ocean with the crucial joint UK/US base on Diego Garcia.
 
There are also concerns that the deal struck by Sir Keir Starmer and foreign secretary David Lammy will allow China access to the islands to build their own rival base.
 
This ‘deal’ smacks of the same mindset that Tony Blair had when he first walked into No 10 and immediately scrapped the Royal Yacht Britannia. This was an act of complete stupidity, incompetence and vindictiveness which broke the heart of our late Queen Elizabeth and took away the Nation’s and Monarch’s flag ship which sailed the oceans and brought back to the UK some of the most prestigious and lucrative trade deals and respect for this country than any Prime Minister or minister has ever achieved.
 
What is it with these Labour MPs who go about unravelling the very fabric of our country which has made it so independent and greatly respected for centuries across the world?
 
Farmers who previously grew Oilseed Rape are now being paid not to grow OSR but instead to grow wildflowers. The result is that the UK is now set to be net importers of Oilseed Rape to the tune of a billion pounds cost to the UK balance of payments. So, the government is prepared to pay farmers not to grow OSR and then pay a premium for imported poor quality OSR which will collect food miles and a huge carbon footprint. How sensible is that?
 
A farming friend has a client who is 73 and has decided he may get a (very amicably divorce) from his second wife and turn ‘gay’. He can then marry his stepson who is in his 30s, so when he turns his toes up the farm can pass to his stepson/third wife, with no IHT to pay. As he said, drastic but what a world we are living in now to provoke such thoughts.
 
When my time comes, I hope I shall be found lying amongst the buttercups with my dogs by my side and some curious Sussex bullocks grazing nearby. However, if I am unlucky enough to develop a terminal illness which renders me incapable of functioning normally and I lose my independence and probably my dignity, I hope the law will allow my family or doctor to help me slip away peacefully at a time and place of my choosing.
 
The debate on assisted dying is becoming too complicated, too tied up with ‘what ifs’, and quite frankly not going to help those who genuinely wish to choose when and where they depart this world.
 
The excuse regarding people being coerced (unlikely) into taking their own lives should not outweigh the importance of letting people who are already waiting and desperate for the law to change. Why should people like Esther Rantzen and so many others travel to Switzerland to end their days if they can afford to, when they would surely wish to remain in their home where they feel safe and loved.
 
Some of those who are opposed to assisted dying do so for religious reasons which I understand and respect. Others who do so for reasons beyond my understanding, I suspect have never watched for months even years as close friends or family just ‘exist’ often in pain, or just wishing to drift away peacefully from just existing, but the ‘system’ does not allow. I have often been tempted as I have sat beside dear friends and a family member, to help them on their way as I see the pleading in their eyes. Oh, if only I could – perhaps I did – I certainly would in future.

There are times when I believe politicians need reminding that they are the servants of the people, not our masters. Yes, they are voted into office, often on the back of a false manifesto aimed at bringing in the votes. What they should not do once in office, is set about, without permission from the people, some of whom voted for them, but many did not, is give away Crown territory, destroy irreversibly our infrastructure, or cutting off the very hands which feed them.
 
Farmers have every right to be angry. Many believe Rachel Reeve’s Budget was a stake through their heart, and it is quite clear it was done through malice, ignorance, and a complete lack of understanding of how farming and land ownership operates in this country.
 
She has clearly decided that farmers do not work; she promised she would not tax anyone who worked. Has she any idea who the bulk of our farmers are and why they work to produce food for the nation as well as caring for the countryside, flora, fauna and wildlife and the precious land, for very little reward, day in day out, often 18 hours a day 7 days a week?
 
Farmers will go to London on Tuesday, many would not leave their farms or county other than to go to war. They ask that people from related industries also make the trip to show support for the farming community which is now under siege. I would add that anyone, if not everyone who buy food to put on their table for their family should also go to London to support the farmers who toil away day after day, seven days a week to ensure the shelves are supplied with milk, butter, bread, beef, chicken, lamb, pork, sausages, burgers, vegetables, apples and pears, twelve months of the year.
 
If our family farms cease to exist in one or two generations time, due to the crippling 20% tax, our ‘green and pleasant land’, will no longer look as it does today. Much will become rewilded, useless, overgrown, and impenetrable. The neat hedges will be no more, the ditches will not be cleaned out, weeds and brambles will take over, footpaths will not be tended. Housing developments will creep across green spaces, landowners will not be there to stop it.
 
Most of our food will be imported from countries which have lower welfare and hygiene standards than the UK. Its carbon footprint will wipe out any advantage gained from when we bought ‘local’ produce. The amount of processed food will increase resulting in the public becoming even more obese than we are already.
 
I am often told how lucky we are to ‘have’ such a lovely family farm. I think my reply applies to every single farmer in the country, when I say, “Yes, it is a privilege to live here in this beautiful countryside, where we take care of the livestock, fields, soil, buildings, and gardens for people to enjoy. But, no I don’t ‘have’ it, it has me 24/7, as it did my mother before me and generations of family before her, and as it will my son when I am done.”
 
“We are just the caretakers of our patch of countryside, we keep it healthy and productive. Nature is miraculous but often untidy, even destructive and without knowledgeable hard-working farmers tending the land and handing down their knowledge, and farms down generation to generation, the land will certainly not feed the nation.” I suspect Rachel Reeves, Keir Starmer and their townie colleagues have absolutely no idea what goes on ‘down on the farm.’
 
I have always suspected much of the purpose of governments of all colours as they manipulate farmers by offering subsidies in the form of financial carrots for which they must hand over details of every inch of land they manage, is a way of creating land nationalisation by the back door. This is now becoming not just an idea; it is becoming a reality as this government squeezes farmers into corners where they will end up handing over their land to HMRC when they cannot pay the inheritance/death tax.
 
We must encourage those who care about what they eat and where it comes from to support farmers now, before it is too late, and the damage is done.
 
In 2016 when Donald Trump won the presidential election the first time, I wrote, “We can be sure that whatever happens, this presidency certainly won’t be dull”. That probably was an understatement.
 
This time I am happy to repeat that but add that I believe the world will probably be a safer place with Trump in the White House. There is a lack of strong, charismatic leadership in the Western world. Look across Europe there is not a single strong, independent minded leader. Trump will shock and unsettle but his unpredictability will keep others on their toes; let us hope he settles for some calm, educated and sensible advisors. Time will tell.
 
Watching the left-wing London elite and media along with Keir Starmer’s hench men going into meltdown following Trumps decisive win, it is reassuring to note just how very uncomfortable they all are. It is also shocking how quickly this government is displaying its very evident dislike of anything traditional, historical, and British.
 
Let us hope The Trump will ensure GB does not hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, and surely, we must hope he says no to Peter Mandelson becoming ‘Our Man in Washinton’. He is an utter disgrace and totally disloyal to this country.
 
So, apparently Welsh dogs are racist. A report commissioned by the Welsh Government recommends that dogs should be banned from the countryside. This was part of an initiative to make green spaces more ‘inclusive’. They have concluded that ethnic minorities face ‘barriers’ to outdoor spaces on the grounds of ‘exclusions and racism’. Apparently just one black African female had stated she feels unsafe in the presence of dogs. Others were traumatised by seeing dogs ‘fouling on the floor’. That is what dogs do for goodness’ sake.
 
Yet again, it seems that a very small minority will dictate what the majority can and cannot do and where they can go. It seems that fishing could be the next on the list to be banned as it is judged to be a white man’s hobby. How dare they sit by a river in their fishing kit minding their own business. They are clearly viewed by someone as passive aggressive. Whatever next?
 
If these people don’t like what they see in the countryside, then I suggest they keep away and leave it to those who do and appreciate the way countryfolk welcome everyone whatever their colour, religion, race, or background, if they understand and respect the countryside code.
 
Frederick Forsyth who recently lost his beloved wife Sandy is about to put pen to paper to tell their love story which was clearly magical until four years ago when she developed an opioid addiction.  We all know friends or family who have a similar addiction; many are in denial and will not accept that they are on a slippery slope. I hope Freddie Forsyth will write his story quickly, as I will buy several copies and send them to those I care about but clearly do not care for themselves, their families or loved ones, or their responsibilities.

So, according to Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves farmers don’t work, despite putting in 18-hour days, often 7 days a week. That is unless these two lied through their teeth throughout the General Election and build up to the disastrous Budget, whilst telling the world and his wife that they would not tax ‘working people’.
 
Why would any business owner or farmer invest in their property, machinery, employees, training, the environment, or the future for that matter, if all their hard work, investment and efforts would result in this Labour Government taking a sizeable slice of that business and in doing so ensure it could not prosper and grow?
 
Labour has already made it perfectly clear that they will take from those who own their businesses, genuinely work for their living and invest in their staff, to give to the bloated public sector, as we witnessed when they gave in to train drivers demands already on a basic salary of £60,000, at the behest of their union pay masters who clearly call the shots.
 
Much has been written about the 20% inheritance tax on farms above the threshold value of £1million. This includes the land, farm buildings, farmhouse, workers’ cottage, live-stock, and machinery. With the average size of family farm being 300 – 500 acres, as is ours, the result will be many family farms having no choice but sell up within one or perhaps they can hang on for two generations, in order to pay the tax, often when they are already loaded in debt.
 
This tax raid is indeed a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Yes, there are hedge fund managers and multi-million-pound business owners who have or plan to buy farmland to offset future inheritance tax. If that is who the Chancellor is aiming at, then she should say so. But, to catch all the small fry which are the majority of farmers in her net is unforgiveable, highly damaging and will have huge implications on sustainability of food production and security, the environment, wildlife, people’s lives and the British countryside.
 
Most family farms go back generations; the Godman family have farmed Ote Hall Farm since the 1500s. Today just to keep our heads above water, we like so many farms, have had to diversify and invest capital to keep ahead of increasing amounts of legislation, red tape, and bureaucracy. Due to the environment agency breathing down our necks, we upgraded our sewage system by installing super expensive pumps and deep underground pipe work across the farm which replaced a very effective and safe system which had been in place since the 1880s and I must add, worked perfectly well, if not better than the new system which regularly breaks down and costs a bomb to service, including regularly replacing parts including the very expensive pumps.
 
Having been told by the last government they would reduce red tape which would have been helpful, in reality the hoops we must jump through have increased year on year.
 
Last week we had our annual Red Tractor inspection. You would think that as we always pass with flying colours, this would be a simple exercise to confirm everything is just the same, and we still know how to grow our arable crops despite coping with the loss of 75% of our crops due to the weather during 2023/24. And surely, we are also capable of looking after our Sussex cattle despite the insistence that there must be an annual report from our vet confirming that we do indeed still know what we are doing.
 
I usually get the inspector off the farm in a couple of hours but last week, maybe because he was new, the ‘very nice’ guy, took over five hours to complete his form filling, during which he asked for documents and records which quite frankly he had no need to see or business to. What a waste of his time and mine, particularly as it was the week of our TB Test. He was quite frankly fortunate to get away without being throttled by me, but be assured, I was polite to a fault.
 
I understand there are just three farmers in Parliament - what hope have we that common sense will prevail on the green benches when it comes to matters regarding agriculture, food production, the environment and the very future of our industry and related suppliers of machinery, Agri-chemicals including R & D, seed, related services, and the countryside. Do they know or care about livestock breeding and genetic improvements, the development of seeds which have been created to cope with climate change, disease, and pests, here and abroad?
 
What about the vital work of our game keepers who ensure farms have a good balance of wildlife as they manage vermin and habitats, so vital for a healthy eco-system. Who will manage our ancient woodlands so lovingly cared for by generations of farmers with the knowledge handed down from generation to generation?
 
It is not just the farming community who should be standing up to this left-wing government, the public who care about their countryside and appreciate just why we have such a ‘green and pleasant land’ cared for by farmers, should make their voices heard now before it is too late.

Some farmers will already have seen the statement below which is currently doing the rounds. It was I believe initiated by a farmer responding to a member of the public who clearly believes farmers sit on our backsides all day counting their money whilst crops grow by magic for which we get paid a fortune, and livestock miraculously take care of themselves, including feeding, mucking out, calving, lambing and farrowing, stock tasks and milking, just for starters.
 
“Harvest 2024 has begun. If those of you who are not farmers want to know what the price of wheat is right now......it's about the same as it was in 1972. $4.86 a bushel. A loaf of bread in 1972 cost $0.25

A bushel of wheat yields 42 one-and-a-half pound commercial loaves of white bread OR about 90 one-pound loaves of whole wheat bread. A bushel of wheat makes about 42 pounds of pasta or 210 servings of spaghetti. There is approximately 16 ounces of flour in a one-and-a-half-pound loaf of bread.

I bought a loaf of bread for $7 today. $294 for 42 loaves of bread if they cost $7. The farmer gets $4.86 minus the storage fee. He is also the one who grows the wheat. The one who is a steward of the ground the wheat grows in. The one who hires people to help him cut his crop. The one who spends hours on the combine and tractors to feed the world. The one who makes payments on his equipment his whole life, and he makes $4.86 cents per bushel. We are feeding the world, and we can't afford to buy the bread back to make our own sandwich. Things are not right in this world.

I would like to add that the suicide rate for farmers is quite high when things are this bad. Please pray for the farmers who are trying to feed the world.” 
 
A chum recently responded in a similar vein – see below- to his insurance broker when he received notice of yet another increase in his premium for farm vehicles. He certainly makes a fair point which is brilliant, but no doubt will be totally ignored.
 
“Thank you for reminding me and quoting. The increase, I must mention to my buyers of grain … you are part of that when you buy bread or cereal for your breakfast …however grain prices were £122 per ton in 1972 and are now, wait for it - £151 a ton in 2024, some 52 years later. So, on that basis you might like to look back at insurance quotes as they were in 1972 and apply the same maths …. I humbly suggest that your quote may be a little high. I will be in touch”.
 
The short window of dry is well past but did allow John to get one more field planted with winter barley. As the rain lashes down once again, we are having to consider bringing the bullocks in before they make too much mess poaching the fields. Our annual TB test is booked in for next week, and so too is our Red Tractor inspection, which of course we are looking forward to!
 
I am regularly hearing friends and family say, “I wish we could put the clocks back to the good old days.” When I probe deeper and ask when exactly they are talking about, the regular reply is, “Before social media messed up our children’s lives, their heads and mental health. Before we were told what we can and can’t say by the thought police, and when we were allowed to voice our views and disagree with others, in particular the minority of people who consider they have ‘rights’, to silence us and condemn those of us who disagree with having 25+ genders or taking the knee to Black Lives Matter.
 
To unsex loos, men who choose to wear skirts and makeup invading women’s safe hostels, prisons, and changing rooms. Children, some as young as 6 or 7 being told they can identify as cats and dogs or being allowed to change their gender and names without permission or consultation with their parents, whilst being shielded by teaching staff.
 
These are just a few of the concerns expressed and who can blame anyone for raising them. Mind you, most only express such views privately behind closed doors as they are deeply concerned about what could happen to them in the workplace, amongst their peers, clubs or at the school gate, if others were to become aware of such un-PC views.
 
Not so long ago I questioned a friend who has for many years been chairman of a London based national institution, having recently visited to watch a remarkable performance. I asked him why he allowed all the loos to be unisex and expressed disgust that the women had to pass the men relieving themselves in the urinals on their way to the loos and wash basins. He looked sheepish and said, “If I were seen to disagree with this change, the staff, my fellow board members and performers would ensure that I was out on my ear and removed as chairman of this wonderful institution.” He was clearly terrified. How shocking is that?

What ever happened to Rishi Sunak? I know there is a leadership contest but with this leadership vacuum, Keir Starmer and Labour are getting away with murder.
 
Where is the opposition, why is no one calling time on this incompetent, dangerous Government? Day after day they are proving to threaten the UK’s sovereignty and very existence.
 
What right do they have to give up sovereignty of the remote but strategically important cluster of islands in the Indian Ocean which have been under British rule for more than half a century? Handing over the Chagos Islands, including the tropical Diego Garcia, used by the US government as a military base for its navy ships and long-range bomber aircraft, was done without consulting Parliament or the British public. It was certainly not in their General Election Manifesto.
 
It is fairly certain, as noted by those who understand the gravity of the situation Labour have created, that very soon we shall see China manoeuvring into position. Some in the media say that President Biden supported this move, if he did, I would not be surprised if his next move will be to suggest Keir Starmer give away Northern Island; something he has been advocating for decades as he fundamentally hates Great Britain.
 
The announcement made in a joint statement by the UK and Mauritian Prime Ministers and by-passed Parliament, ends decades of often fractious negotiations between the two countries.
 
The US-UK base will remain on Diego Garcia certain for 99 years which will pass in the blink of an eye, just look what happened to Hong Kong. At a time of growing geopolitical rivalries in the region between Western countries, India, and China, what does labour not understand about the increasingly fragile balance of today’s world order?
 
We can expect at the end of the month tax reforms which will hit small businesses, landowners, hardworking farmers, non-domes and just about anyone who puts in a decent day’s work, has created jobs, businesses and already pay hefty taxes. If Starmer and Reeves really believe they are doing this ‘for the country’, they need their heads examined.
 
How long can they go on blaming the Conservative government? They lied about the £22bn black hole which they have themselves created by awarding eye watering wage rises to public service workers at the behest of their union masters. Where was Rishi, he was nowhere to be seen to object to this slur. And where is he now when we need a spokesman to stand up to the mismanagement of our country?
 
The only conservative ‘political’ figure to utter words of wisdom and sound like a leader since the General Election has been Boris. He appeared to speak on behalf of the Tory party on the untimely death of Alex Salmond, with well-chosen words reflecting this controversial Scottish politician, calling him ‘a great political disruptor of the age, charismatic, clever, caustic and fearsome in debate’, adding that he was glad he never managed to break up the Union.
 
His sense of outrage and intellectual understanding of history and outcome following Starmer’s giveaway of the Chagos Islands were spot on. And his overview of some of Starmer’s dodgy decisions during his first 100 days as making the UK look like a banana republic, carries some weight and accuracy.
 
The slow crawl to the finishing line of the two remaining candidates for leader is becoming increasingly painful. Neither shone at the party conference, particularly Jenrick who is grey, pasty, left wing and boring, unlike the sometime front runner James Cleverly who was at least upbeat and disarming, despite his beard. Neither are natural leaders nor will either carry the Tory party into No 10 Downing Street.
 
The best description I have heard so far about Ms Badenoch is, “I think she might be out of her depth and is too 'youthful', the public won't buy into her, nor is she ready.  Also, she has a slightly Angela Rayner-ish tendency to put her foot in it”.  
Kemi’s situation looks similar to William Hague who came to the post to early, was inexperienced, gaff prone and open to ridicule. He has, since being put out of his misery and ours, spent his remaining years wondering just what went wrong.
 
Having taken numerous straw polls at gatherings of party faithful and others, it is clear there is a total lack of interest and disappointment that these two are the best the Westminster Tory MPs can come up with.
 
This mini break from the rain has allowed us to get a few more acres drilled with winter barley, the window for which is rapidly closing. This stop start autumn is once again making us question our cropping plan which seems to change by the week. I dare say we shall be doing our best to source some spring barley seed corn come the New Year, the timing of which will be just as weather related as has disrupted operations this autumn.

Things were looking up, we thought we were at last about to have a dry autumn - an Indian summer - allowing us to get winter crops sown in ideal conditions. Well, it lasted the best part of a week during which we worked all hours God gave us to get the winter barley drilled. But did it last? Hell no, the rain came fast and furiously, flooding some parts of the country yet again and bringing autumn cultivations to a standstill.
 
The ground is already becoming waterlogged, and as the temperature drops, it will take days to dry out if it ever does stop raining which looks unlikely over the next few weeks. Last year when the rain started in September, it didn’t stop until May.
 
The decision to cut back on our arable acreage does make perfect sense. Having struggled to beat the weather for the past three years and lost that battle, this last year in particular, it was time to make changes.
 
Converting arable fields to herbal leys for the cattle, and wild bird seed mix for the birds; paying special attention to the re-establishment of Turtledoves, Curlews and other species which have become rare in our part of the country, is now our objective. These changes seem far more appealing than watching one’s arable crops rot in the ground whilst under water all winter and wishing we had planted rice.
 
Having been particularly inspired by a presentation on Operation Turtledoves given by Shivan Thevar at a CLM Middle Ouse Cluster Group gathering recently, I am even more determined and excited to press ahead along these lines.
 
So, Michael Gove the Conservative party’s very own Rasputin is to become editor of The Spectator Magazine, the longest-lived current affairs magazine in history, and the first magazine ever to publish 10,000 issues. Several of Gove’s colleagues, Boris in particular, to this day carry scars on their back because of his treachery.
 
Boris when editor, (1999-205) increased the Spectators’ subscription to a record breaking 70,000 per year and was described as “A colourful editor”.
 
Matthew d’Ancona ended the traditional summary of the week’s events, “Portrait of the Week”, not a popular move; one which hopefully Michael Gove will reverse, along with recruiting a columnist with special interest in ‘Countryside Matters’.
 
Fraser Nelson The Spectator’s current editor, in place for the past 15 years, who replaced d’Ancona in 2009, will continue to write as an associate editor, at the request of Michael Gove. And former editor Charles Moore (1984-1990) will become non-executive chairman after the departure of Andrew Neil.
 
What is wrong with this labour government? Well, silly question as we could all write a book about that. But what I want to know is why Keir Starmer was unable to function when sitting by the ever-watchful portrait of Margaret Thatcher. Was it because she made him feel inadequate and out of his depth?
 
And what about Rachel Reeves who has ordered the removal of all pictures of men from the state room at 11 Downing Street. She recently announced that every painting in the room would be replaced by artwork by or of a woman. This plan has quite understandably been dismissed as ‘pathetic gesture politics’, which no doubt plenty would agree with.
 
The serialisation in the Daily Mail and Sunday Mail of Boris’s political memoir ‘Unleashed’ is revealing and confirms what many of us knew to be fact as opposed to the fiction put out and about by his enemies as they did their best, and indeed succeeded to remove him from No 10 Downing Street. Had they not been successful I am quite sure we would not be facing a possible ten years of this left-wing Labour government, hell bent upon bankrupting and destroying the very fabric of our great country.
 
Finally, as we wait to hear if the Chancellor intends to scrap inheritance tax relief for agricultural land, it is worth noting that if she does, this could well lead to the death of family farms. Ending the exemptions on inheritance tax for farmland is supposedly among the money-saving measures that Ms Reeves is considering in her upcoming Budget. Such a move would force many landowners to sell some or all their farmland to cover the taxes.
 
This move would result in less and less valuable agricultural land able to support food production. Removing the tax exemption is also expected to hit tenant farmers particularly hard, as landowners have little incentive to keep their property in agricultural use.
 
As the CLA president, Victoria Vyvyan said: “The Government has said it won’t increase taxes on working people. Farmers are working hard around the clock feeding the nation and looking after the environment, and uncertainty over tax is one of the most pressing challenges facing the rural sector”.

TB has destroyed farming families, their way of life and in many cases generations of carefully managed pedigree livestock across the country. Labour’s determination to jump on Brian May’s TB bandwagon blaming the cattle and farmers for its spread, rather than recognising the science which identifies badgers as the catalyst to the spread, will only inflame resentment and make the situation for desperate farmers worse.
 
Back in the day, before badgers became protected species, TB and badgers were kept under control. Farms with TB attested herds had double fencing around their perimeters, cattle were isolated, on farm biosecurity was second nature, and herds so much smaller and more manageable.
 
Since badgers became protected species, herds have grown larger and the relaxed movement of livestock has spread countrywide resulting in the instances of TB having increased relentlessly.
 
Both the badger and vulnerable herds must be addressed, and a way found to eliminate this dreadful disease. The government and people like Brian May are not the people to get this right, it is the veterinary experts, scientists and above all the livestock farmers who must be allowed to find the answers.
 
So, Sue Gray has not so far got her way regarding sourcing government funds for the multi-million-pound redevelopment of the Casement Park Stadium in Belfast. Northern Ireland secretary Hilary Benn has I think, put a stop on that.
 
It is questionable as to whether Sue Gray a close friend of senior Sinn Fein politicians, including Conor Murphy, a former IRA member, and apparently President Biden who is also an IRA and Republican sympathiser, whose mother hated our late Queen and the monarchy with a vengeance, should be paid by the taxpayer and almost more importantly be allowed to attend meetings of the National Security Council.
 
Keir Starmer’s judgement is quite obviously questionable, just look at his gaffs since walking into No 10. By putting the security of the country at risk by trusting this woman who is we are informed, to be paid a salary above his, is unacceptable and I would suggest demonstrates his weakness – who is actually running the country?
 
There are hustings across the country at which the candidates for the leadership of the Conservative party are making their pitch to party members and the public. It is hardly surprising that these events, their begging letters to party members, column inches across the press and interviews, are not exciting any ripples of enthusiasm or attention from anyone much.
 
With the greatest respect to each candidate, what a disappointing bunch. Not one has any leadership skills let alone charisma, and amongst them the only notable facts worth bearing in mind are; their lack of experience - one is clearly not a conservative - none stand out as being able to embrace what is now a dysfunctional political party - one is worryingly divisive and opinionated - another although a nice guy has confidence issues and a loose tongue - a third is flaky on too many issues and has made some very questionable decisions when a Minister - a fourth is a remainer which in my book and many others, is not a good start.
 
All have worryingly little experience of government; just look at what happened when David Cameron became leader on the back of making a speech at conference ‘without notes’, an utter disaster. None stand out as being ‘special’. None are brave, but they clearly want to be ‘loved’. They are all ‘pack’ animals, not a quality required or even helpful for leadership of any party, let alone Prime Minister, as Keir Starmer is demonstrating admirably. 

Sniping from the sidelines when in opposition is good sport and easy. But, when they find themselves in the very position of those they have spent the past decade criticising and telling the public they have all the answers to: fix the Economy, NHS, Social Services, protect the old and vulnerable, sort Net Zero, ensure Food Sustainability and protect the countryside, improve education, fix the wars in Ukraine, and Gaza and every other world problem, it would seem that Keir Starmer and his gang are already falling short by a mile.
 
Leadership is clearly not one of Starmer’s life skills nor is oratory. What he can be is devious, spin on a sixpence, flip flop his policies, bore for England, hide behind his Chief of Staff, Ms Gray, upset over 10 million pensioners and householders who currently receive a Pensioner Cost of Living Payment of £300 alongside their Winter Fuel Payment, whilst falsely blaming the previous government for everything.
 
No doubt Starmer and his Chancellor are gambling on their belief that many pensioners don’t vote Labour, and some will have died well before the next General Election. So, robbing the elderly and vulnerable to enable them to pay off train drivers already on a minimum of £60k a year, and other public service workers at the behest of their paymaster union bosses and the deputy PM Angela Raynor, clearly appeals to Starmer and Reeves. One can only wonder how long before the wheels come off this runaway train before it hits the buffers.
 
What no one is saying including the BBC and political journalists, is that had Labour been in Government these past years during which the country coped with the financial implications of the pandemic, world recession and other difficulties, the UK and its finances and the health of the nation would be in a far worse state than it is now.
 
Whilst all this is going on there is already deep concern amongst Britain’s remaining steel production plants as reports that over 2,500 jobs could be lost before Christmas. Clearly those workers should worry but so should the country for economic and national security reasons, as pointed out be Priti Patel last week.
 
During the General Election Labour repeatedly told us they would support the steel industry. However, since Keir Starmer walked into No 10 with the support of 34% of those who voted, keeping in mind that over 80% of those eligible to vote did not vote Labour, they have gone very quiet on this.
 
Instead of coming into office prioritising and giving certainty to the steel industry, they have spent their first weeks strangling enterprise and sabotaging the prospects for future economic growth. They have found £10bn in public sector pay to appease the trade unions but failed to finalise a £1bn package to secure the future of domestic steel production.
 
The result of Labour’s disinterest in British steel, will see China dumping cheap, poor-quality steel into the UK thus undermining our national security. China is already targeting cyber-attacks
towards us, undermining our democracy and rule of law. If labour fails our steelworkers and allows our domestic steel production to collapse, they give China greater influence over our economic wellbeing, a stranglehold over our economic security and put the nation’s security at risk.
 
Angela Rayner really is John Prescott in drag. She has picked up his baton to bury our green and pleasant land beneath, tarmac, concrete and houses. She is already making plans to introduce legislation which will permit permanent traveller sites on green belt land as she plans to ‘shake up’ planning laws.
 
The Housing Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister plans to allow travellers access to green fields where councils cannot guarantee a long-term supply of available land.  As has been said by the shadow housing secretary: “It is clear that Ms Rayner is prioritising traveller sites over family homes and the protection of green spaces.”
 
Labour’s plans to target the wealthy, entrepreneurs, landowners, business creators and large employers is already resulting in talented people who are responsible for propping up the economy by paying their taxes and creating jobs, making a quick exit. There are reports of several billionaires, of which there are actually very few, fleeing Labour’s Britain.
 
Starmer claims that his main priority is to boost economic growth. If it increases taxes on the wealthy, such as capital gains tax and inheritance tax, they will go elsewhere. Labour is not encouraging economic growth but by doing the opposite by increasing tax, regulations and red tape, obsession with Net Zero, encouraging working from home and a four-day week and adding 20% Vat onto school fees, they will soon find they have driven away the very people who prop up the economy.
 
Already London estate agents are reporting that the high-end housing market is in decline as too many tycoons are selling up. If too many high net worth wealth creators in banking, asset management and private equity executives depart, as Luke Johnson writes, “The decline in tax, investment and job creation would be precipitous.”

The Danish Government has put a carbon tax on farmers who will pay the equivalent of £34.04 per ton of emitted CO2 by 2030, increasing to £85.11 per ton by 2035.
 
A basic deduction of 60 per cent would be applied to the average emissions from different types of livestock, providing an economic advantage to climate-efficient farmers.
 
Peter Kiaer, chairman of Danish Agriculture group Baeredygtigt Landbrug, which was not involved in the negotiations, said: “We believe that the agreement is pure bureaucracy, which is totally unnecessary. We recognise that there is a climate problem, which Danish farmers will help solve. But this will not solve the problems, because it will put a stick in the wheel of agriculture’s green investments.”
 
It looks as if several British environmental groups have already picked up on this and are even now lobbying the Labour Government to follow suit. No doubt this will become another ‘stick’ with which to hit livestock farmers.
 
It is reported that David Miliband is becoming increasingly isolated from his fellow ministers as they recognise what a dog’s breakfast he is making of his ‘Environmental’ brief, details of which are regularly reported in the press.
 
Sue Gray has received much attention with headlines such as: ‘Meet the woman who really runs Britain’, and ‘PM kept in Dark by aide Sue Gray’.  Considering they are both about as unpopular as each other, and out of touch with reality, this matter should cause the British public a great deal of concern.
 
Sue Gray we must not forget conducted the ‘investigation’ into what Boris did or didn’t do during lock down. As was clear at the time because she said so, she had decided even before her investigation, that she would find the then PM guilty whatever the outcome of her enquiry.
 
Since then, she has disclosed her true allegiance was always to the Labour party; having jumped ship from civil servant to being Keir Starmer’s gate keeper and side kick. I suspect the history books will eventually reveal that much of her report on Boris was sheer fantasy, a mixture of smoke and mirrors. She certainly had an axe to grind and an intension to cause Boris as much damage as she could.
 
It is interesting to know that some forty years ago she gave up a well-paid Whitehall job and moved to Ulster to become the landlady of the Cove Bar, situated close to the border with the Irish Republic, an area so dangerous for the Army and police that it was known as ‘bandit country’. However, Sue Gray appeared to have been protected and given ‘safe passage’ by the IRA.
 
There are now also questions being asked as to why the PM’s top aide wants to plough £310m of taxpayers’ cash into a place synonymous with evil. The derelict Casement Park football stadium in ‘IRA country’ where in March 1988 two British soldiers David Wood and David Howes who strayed into the path of an IRA funeral procession were hauled from their car. They were then savagely beaten, stripped, and thrown over the stadium wall with a 9ft drop on the other side. From there they were bundled into a taxi and driven to nearly wasteland where they were shot at point blank range; six bullets in one, five in the other. The events of that day rank among the grimmest of the atrocities.
 
An army helicopter crew hovering at 500ft transmitted what was happening in real time to the police and military commanders. TV and media crews on the ground were powerless witnesses of the attack.
 
This incident was recently recalled as a furious row erupted over the role of Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, accused of ‘subverting’ ministers in efforts to pour taxpayer’s funds into rebuilding the now derelict stadium so it can host matches in the Euro 2028 football championship.
 
Many are questioning not just the wisdom of ploughing cash into a place synonymous with evil but also of supporting a development that goes to the very heart of the divided Province.
As the Prime Minister’s closest adviser, Ms Gray wields more influence over the Cabinet than she ever did as a mandarin. And in Northern Ireland, where she ran the pub, that authority is being keenly noted.
 
Sinn Fein’s economy minister Conor Murphy, who was convicted of IRA membership and possession of explosives and to whom Gray is said to be ‘very close’, recently said: ‘With Sue Gray, who was previously from here and is now part of the Prime Minister’s office . . . I think at least we have a friend in court, so we can certainly have access . . . directly to Downing Street.’
 
Gray worked closely with Sinn Fein when she was permanent secretary in Northern Ireland’s department of finance and she and her husband still have a home in a County Down beauty spot. We can but hope that M15 are keeping a very close eye on this influential member of the PM’s team.
 
On the streets of Belfast, the issues are stark and concerning. For many on the Unionist side say they would be fearful of going to watch a football match in Casement Park,
One person said: ‘I would not feel safe setting foot in that stadium unless I had a team of armed protection officers, and I also feel it would be hugely disrespectful to those two young soldiers who were so brutally beaten to death.
 
‘This is a terrible misstep by the Starmer government. Even Tony Blair, for all his faults over the peace process, would, I think, run a million miles from this.’

It is interesting to watch the psychology and thinking of the new labour government. It is clear they consider the elderly to be expendable as many don’t vote labour and some will have died by the time of the next General Election. As they freeze during the winter months with winter fuel allowance removed from around 10million pensioners, no doubt this will hastening their mortality, perhaps this is what labour is hoping for.
 
Angela Rayner really is the new John Prescott, not just in the way she struggles with her vocabulary, but with her plans to concrete over as much of the green belt, particularly in the Southeast, as she can get away with. Yes, the housing stock needs expanding but not at any cost. Destroying the countryside, reducing the acreage of productive agricultural land, obliterating existing homeowners’ views, and overextending local infrastructure is not the ideal way forward.
 
The Chancellor always was hell bent on raising taxes despite her countless denials during the election. But now as she repeatedly blames the previous government for ‘labour inheriting the weakest economy since the second World War’, a view hotly disputed by Andrew Bailey the Governor of the Bank of England, including the mythical £22billion black hole she has clearly invented, if not created. Mrs Reeves plans to squeeze taxes out of those who can ill afford to pay. Her plan is to bolster Labour’s chances of winning the next GE by handing out to public sector workers inflation busting pay rises of up to 6 per cent, costing the taxpayer an extra £10 billion, as demanded by their union mates to keep them on side.
 
Schools in the independent sector now face having to charge 20% Vat on fees which will result in many closing, particularly those which currently support children with special needs and families who sacrifice much to send their children to these schools. State schools which are already bursting at the seams will either turn away these children or increase class sizes to unacceptable levels. Some pupils will cope but many will struggle in this environment and fall back in learning and confidence.
 
Instead of raising the standard of education it will most likely be reduced to the lowest possible common denominator. The chances for children to aspire to reach their potential and goals, will be reduced, but along the way they will be brainwashed into believing not one of them should try to do better than their peers; mediocre will be their direction of travel.
 
So, houses will spring up inappropriately despite objections from the locals. Rich agricultural land will be covered in solar panels and on shore wind farms, but despite this the lights will undoubtedly go out. The plans for going ‘all electric, Net Zero’ through renewable energy is never going to work. Check out all the cars parked at airports, factories, and other multi car parking facilities; and think about what will happen when all these vehicles and everything else go all electric, do we really think the electricity grid will cope?
 
A friend recently tried to get a doctor’s appointment as he urgently needed a prescription for specialist pain relief; the level of pain he was experiencing untouched by over-the-counter medication. The pain was preventing him from functioning normally as a working farmer and deprived him of sleep most nights. It was imperative that he keep active, and mentally alert at this particularly busy time of year.
 
On visiting the doctor’s surgery early one morning in the hope of getting an appointment that day, he was told that the first available appointment was a telephone call with a GP in mid-August. The receptionist suggested he could telephone before 8am any morning when he could pick up an appointment that day. When he pointed out that it was exactly 7.55am so what about an appointment, the receptionist laughed and said, “So it is, but this week we have several doctors on holiday, sorry.”
 
My friend then asked if she thought it acceptable for him to wait two and a half weeks to speak to a GP regarding pain relief which was so severe that he was at times in danger of blowing his brains out, particular at night. The receptionist replied, “There is nothing I can do, let’s hope not”.
 
So, is this the direction primary care is heading? As GPs decide to reduce the number of patients they will see each day, and already never make house visits and don’t work at weekends, what about the patients? As most patients cope with all the above and never see the same doctor twice, is it surprising that the health of the nation is deteriorating?
 
Oxford University is about to elect a new Chancellor. Those on the list, including William Hague and Peter Mandelson, look tame to me. I would suggest that Oxford needs someone with a fire in their belly. common sense, is willing to stand up to the liberal, left-wing wok brigade which has taken control of so many of our universities. I would propose JK Rowling who is not on the list but should be, as the one to choose. She would shake up Oxford and ensure undergraduates emerge as normal human beings prepared to take responsibility for their actions, work hard, defend their country, and set a good example to those following in their footsteps.
 
As towns and cities are trashed and descend into violent thuggery with many police forces being overwhelmed by these multiple violent gangs’ hell bent upon causing havoc and as much damage as possible, I ask where are the water cannon so wisely purchased by Boris Johnson and foolishly sold at a huge discount by the hapless Theresa May?
 
If these criminals knew they would face these vehicles one would hope they may decide to stay at home. However, one thought does persist; if those boarding dodgy inflatables to cross the channel were informed that they would not be welcomed with open arms as has been the case to date, but they were in danger of being firebombed, perhaps killed or assaulted by angry thugs, would they be so keen to get on board but think twice before setting off for our shores? Is the government thinking about this?

So much for the King’s Speech. If those who voted labour expected a new dawn as this labour government promised to make life better, freer and more prosperous, the rose-tinted glasses and scales from their eyes must surely by now have slipped away.
 
They have at one stroke increased bureaucracy, added more regulation, including for small businesses, industry, sports clubs and local hostelries. This equates to more costs, and no doubt many going out of business, increasing unemployment.
 
There is the ‘Renter’s Rights Bill’ which the previous government attempted to water down but never became law prior to the GE, which discriminates against landlords by assuming all landlords are bad. Labour will push it through resulting in privately owned housing will go on the market which will reduce the availability of housing for rent in the private sector. 
 
What on earth Starmer was thinking when he decided to hand the Environment portfolio to Ed Miliband is a mystery but as columnists Guy Adams said, ‘One day Starmer will wonder aloud why he ever gave this one-man wrecking ball the job.’ Already his interventions in the North Sea and Cumbria have reduced investment in this vital sector. This one-man wrecking ball will result in the lights going out and inflated energy prices.
 
Great British Energy will end up delivering a Great British disaster. It sounds impressive but has clearly not been thought it through. Labour says they will achieve Net Zero by 2030, a target which most in the industry say is unachievable and absurd. There are no plans to push ahead with nuclear or uphold current UK oil and gas supplies which will be turned off, and most of our coal fired power stations have already been demolished. So, thousands will be put out of work and out of necessity we will be importing energy from Russia. What a fiasco.
 
Starmer is now cosying up to his European mates hoping to ease the UK back into the EU. What does he not understand about Brexit – the people voted to leave and thank goodness for that. His desire to re-connect with the EU will see access to British fishing waters opened to foreign vessels, and as German Chancellor Olaf Sholz has already said, they want ‘greater access to Britain for young Europeans - open borders.’. It is clear Starmer will also be prepared to sacrifice the sovereignty of Gibraltar to ease his way back into the EU.
 
The Church of England has decided that a person’s sex is assigned at birth rather than being a biological fact. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has backed a document which is being circulated to teachers to challenge ‘outdated terms’.  As Lucy Marsh, of the Family Education Trust, said, ‘It is extremely concerning that the Church of England does not recognise that biological sex is immutable. Sex is not ‘assigned at birth’, it is determined at conception and recorded at birth. These are biological, unchangeable facts.
 
What is going on with the C of E? It is noticeable that since Justin Welby became Archbishop the decline in members has escalated. Last year when asked about the ‘alarming drop’ in attendance at C of E services during his ten years in office – by one third, the Archbishop said, “The decline is something that in the end, even if I am not responsible for personally, I count as a failure”. Is this yet another case where a lack of vison, inspiration, charisma and that vital leadership skill so lacking in so many sectors raises its head? Is it time for the Archbishop to be turned out to grass, with actual sheep as opposed to the C of E ‘flock’.
 
Agriculture remains the most dangerous of professions. More people die or are seriously injured on farms than any other profession, including the construction industry. However, despite the NFU, press and Health and Safety Executive, warning farmers of the risks they face daily, fatalities continue to rise year by year.
 
Figures report ‘Fatal injuries in agriculture, forestry, and fishing in Great Britain 2022/23, show 27 people were killed as a result of farming and other agricultural-related activities during the year. Farming has the worst rate (per 100,000 workers) of all the main industry sectors – around 21 times as high as the all-industry rate, older workers (45+) accounting for 80%, the youngest was a farmer’s 3-year-old child.
 
As we enter the harvesting period of what has been a terrible year, when farmers scurry about hoping the get crops in while a window in the weather allows, the danger of accidents increases 100%. Keep safe.

We have had our first weddings of the season. At last, some dry and sunny days, probably not unrelated to the many prayers delivered up by friends and families.
 
It was a first for us when Olivia arrived at the reception riding her horse side saddle; her beautiful wedding gown and veil streaming out behind as it was caught by the blustery wind. The Matthew walked beside her with their 9-gun dogs, snoopy, and a sheep dog. The result was the most amazing photo opportunity as they posed on the lawn in front of a gorgeous rhododendron and the Union and Ukrainian flags fluttering in the breeze.
 
Once the horse had returned to the farm, the couple were saluted by a guard of honour of twelve guns made up of friends and family. A surprise arranged by the bride, for the groom.
 
We wish Olivia and Matthew much love and happiness.
 
I have never known the weather and field conditions to be like they are this June. You cannot make good hay when it is cold, and rain is threatening as is predicted over the next couple of weeks. There is far too much grass in the grazing fields, so we are keen to cut some for hay rather than allow the cattle to trample it under foot.
 
Looking on the bright side, thanks to the wet conditions the herbal ley we planted is up and looking healthy. It is often dodgy doing so at this time of year when the chance of a drought is a risk, but not this year.
 
As they say, farmers are rarely happy, but I think with years such as this, we do have cause for a little moan.
 
I have been writing this column since 2007. I believe now is the time to bow out gracefully.
 
I never have conformed to being PC, and I do believe in free speech. I apologies to those who may have been upset by some of my topics, which caused them to complain to the editors. I am sure those who now take over my column will be far more professional, PC and conform to the rules and regulations.
 
It has been a pleasure to be associated with the West Sussex Gazette, the Editor in chief Gary Shipton, and the sub-editors, all of whom have been charming and very tolerant.
​
My thanks also to the many readers who have contacted me over the years, for your kind and positive messages.

​Will Thursday be remembered for when the British voting public gambled the county’s future by putting their faith in Keir Starmer and a left-wing Labour Government, or will they come to their senses when they enter the voting booth and do what is best in the long run and vote conservative?
 
The prospect of waking up on Friday morning to find Starmer heading into No 10 Downing Street is too grim to contemplate. The damage he and his chums will wreak on the country, the economy, our greatest institutions, and the independence we fought so hard to gain by exiting the EU, as they squander the opportunities and freedom gained through Brexit, will be terrible.
 
Those who think the country is in a mess now following the pandemic, the cost-of-living crises, and the war in Ukraine, will be nothing compared to the mess Starmer will create over the next five years’, if not before, if he gets the keys to No 10.
 
David Dimbleby said last weekend, “It’s the quality of today’s crop (of politicians) that has declined.” He is quite right across all political parties, although there are of course some exceptions. But look at the choice of leaders – is that the best the country can come up with?
 
So, what are we left with? There are many excellent hard-working MPs who work night and day representing their constituents. I do wonder why anyone would want to become an MP in today’s world unless this really is their calling. They get paid peanuts, the hours they keep are gruelling, they work most weekends, the toll on family life and the intrusion from the press and media, and increasingly social media, is relentless and in many cases destructive.
 
The chance of being promoted to a ministerial job, leading to the Cabinet is remote, and only adds to their workload if it does happen. There they will find a mix of talents some being mediocre, others useless. Also, a lack of leadership skills or experience regarding their brief. This was evident as Boris stepped up to rally the troops this week. His charisma, rhetoric and leadership skills were obvious and just go to highlight the lack of these qualities amongst the hierarchy of the party.
 
We have been fortunate in Sussex to have some exceptional MPs which is why it is vital to support and vote for the candidates who have been reliable, hardworking and dedicated to the job in hand. My local MPs Maria Caulfield, and Mims Davies and others, are worth their weight in gold.
 
No one should be swayed by calls to vote tactically which could result in excellent hard-working MPs losing their seat to some inexperienced shoe-in who is more interested in ‘ousting the conservatives’ and sitting on the green benches than working on behalf of their constituents.
 
We hear talk of strategic voting amongst the Lib Dems and Greens which is what happened during the District Council elections across Sussex. What we ended up with are some councils being run by inexperienced individuals with political motives but little practical sense or genuine commitment. They haven’t got a clue as to how to manage the budgets, planning, and welfare, let alone getting our dustbins emptied. Do we really want to repeat this on a national scale? Let us hope the British public understand the long-term implications and how important it is to think very carefully before placing that powerful X in the box.
 

Will Thursday be remembered for when the British voting public gambled the county’s future by putting their faith in Keir Starmer and a left-wing Labour Government, or will they come to their senses when they enter the voting booth and do what is best in the long run and vote conservative?
 
The prospect of waking up on Friday morning to find Starmer heading into No 10 Downing Street is too grim to contemplate. The damage he and his chums will wreak on the country, the economy, our greatest institutions, and the independence we fought so hard to gain by exiting the EU, as they squander the opportunities and freedom gained through Brexit, will be terrible.
 
Those who think the country is in a mess now following the pandemic, the cost-of-living crises, and the war in Ukraine, will be nothing compared to the mess Starmer will create over the next five years’, if not before, if he gets the keys to No 10.
 
David Dimbleby said last weekend, “It’s the quality of today’s crop (of politicians) that has declined.” He is quite right across all political parties, although there are of course some exceptions. But look at the choice of leaders – is that the best the country can come up with?
 
So, what are we left with? There are many excellent hard-working MPs who work night and day representing their constituents. I do wonder why anyone would want to become an MP in today’s world unless this really is their calling. They get paid peanuts, the hours they keep are gruelling, they work most weekends, the toll on family life and the intrusion from the press and media, and increasingly social media, is relentless and in many cases destructive.
 
The chance of being promoted to a ministerial job, leading to the Cabinet is remote, and only adds to their workload if it does happen. There they will find a mix of talents some being mediocre, others useless. Also, a lack of leadership skills or experience regarding their brief. This was evident as Boris stepped up to rally the troops this week. His charisma, rhetoric and leadership skills were obvious and just go to highlight the lack of these qualities amongst the hierarchy of the party.
 
We have been fortunate in Sussex to have some exceptional MPs which is why it is vital to support and vote for the candidates who have been reliable, hardworking and dedicated to the job in hand. My local MPs Maria Caulfield, and Mims Davies and others, are worth their weight in gold.
 
No one should be swayed by calls to vote tactically which could result in excellent hard-working MPs losing their seat to some inexperienced shoe-in who is more interested in ‘ousting the conservatives’ and sitting on the green benches than working on behalf of their constituents.
 
We hear talk of strategic voting amongst the Lib Dems and Greens which is what happened during the District Council elections across Sussex. What we ended up with are some councils being run by inexperienced individuals with political motives but little practical sense or genuine commitment. They haven’t got a clue as to how to manage the budgets, planning, and welfare, let alone getting our dustbins emptied. Do we really want to repeat this on a national scale? Let us hope the British public understand the long-term implications and how important it is to think very carefully before placing that powerful X in the box.
 
To read back copies of Carola’s columns 2007 - 2024, go to: www.carolagodmanirvine.com

Will Thursday be remembered for when the British voting public gambled the county’s future by putting their faith in Keir Starmer and a left-wing Labour Government, or will they come to their senses when they enter the voting booth and do what is best in the long run and vote conservative?
 
The prospect of waking up on Friday morning to find Starmer heading into No 10 Downing Street is too grim to contemplate. The damage he and his chums will wreak on the country, the economy, our greatest institutions, and the independence we fought so hard to gain by exiting the EU, as they squander the opportunities and freedom gained through Brexit, will be terrible.
 
Those who think the country is in a mess now following the pandemic, the cost-of-living crises, and the war in Ukraine, will be nothing compared to the mess Starmer will create over the next five years’, if not before, if he gets the keys to No 10.
 
David Dimbleby said last weekend, “It’s the quality of today’s crop (of politicians) that has declined.” He is quite right across all political parties, although there are of course some exceptions. But look at the choice of leaders – is that the best the country can come up with?
 
So, what are we left with? There are many excellent hard-working MPs who work night and day representing their constituents. I do wonder why anyone would want to become an MP in today’s world unless this really is their calling. They get paid peanuts, the hours they keep are gruelling, they work most weekends, the toll on family life and the intrusion from the press and media, and increasingly social media, is relentless and in many cases destructive.
 
The chance of being promoted to a ministerial job, leading to the Cabinet is remote, and only adds to their workload if it does happen. There they will find a mix of talents some being mediocre, others useless. Also, a lack of leadership skills or experience regarding their brief. This was evident as Boris stepped up to rally the troops this week. His charisma, rhetoric and leadership skills were obvious and just go to highlight the lack of these qualities amongst the hierarchy of the party.
 
We have been fortunate in Sussex to have some exceptional MPs which is why it is vital to support and vote for the candidates who have been reliable, hardworking and dedicated to the job in hand. My local MPs Maria Caulfield, and Mims Davies and others, are worth their weight in gold.
 
No one should be swayed by calls to vote tactically which could result in excellent hard-working MPs losing their seat to some inexperienced shoe-in who is more interested in ‘ousting the conservatives’ and sitting on the green benches than working on behalf of their constituents.
 
We hear talk of strategic voting amongst the Lib Dems and Greens which is what happened during the District Council elections across Sussex. What we ended up with are some councils being run by inexperienced individuals with political motives but little practical sense or genuine commitment. They haven’t got a clue as to how to manage the budgets, planning, and welfare, let alone getting our dustbins emptied. Do we really want to repeat this on a national scale? Let us hope the British public understand the long-term implications and how important it is to think very carefully before placing that powerful X in the box.

I have just returned from a weekend in Norfolk; what a difference between the crops in that county to ours. I had a job concentrating on the road ahead as I looked across field after field with bumper crops of wheat, barley and potatoes all looking tall, healthy. The Norfolk farmers I met were all cock a hoop with expectations a good harvest while at the same time not looking too happy knowing we are not in the same boat down south. Having lost at least 75% of our arable crops over winter and what is left will be disappointing, we face a third disappointing harvest.
 
Sticking to the rural theme, why is no one talking about labour’s Keir Starmer being a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The man is a left wing socialist, a big supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, an enthusiast for huge tax rises, the EU, doesn’t know what a woman is and will allow men to claim to be women on a whim so they can intimidate and threaten women and girls. Also, as all socialists, believes the government can spend our money better than we can. He is making out he has conservative values being pro wealth creation and business - really?
 
He appears to have difficulty recognising the difference between facts and fiction and has a vivid imagination regarding his capabilities as he flip flops according to which way the wind is blowing, as he tries to win favour with the public.
 
With the greatest respect to those intending to vote labour, it is worth noting the polling pundits tell us that voting intensions often depend upon education. Well, you don’t have to be the sharpest knife in the box to recall labour have always left the country on the brink of financial collapse which the Tories then have had to pick up. They tax the public until the ’pips squeak’, they hate anyone who aspires to become successful, build a business, educate their children privately, take out private medical insurance and generally be independent of the state. Why would anyone believe labour will improve the country and its prosperity when their intension is to reduce everyone to lowest common denominator.
 
I do sympathise with those who have serious doubts about Rishi Sunak – me too. As Chancellor his decisions were questionable particularly when giving away billions to undeserving non-existent small businesses and individuals, during the pandemic. No doubt he was trying to woo the public to like and forgive him as he stabbed Boris in the back. However, following the election, whatever the outcome, we can be sure the party will remove him as leader, if he holds his seat which is doubtful, and hopefully replace him with someone with charisma and leadership skills – if there are any by then.
 
Following the General Election, one of the first decisions to be made by the incoming government will be to select which of the six nuclear companies which will submit their final bids to the design competition for small nuclear reactors (SNRs). The process is now urgent and decades overdue.
 
Amongst those companies is Rolls Royce which is according to its chief executive already 18 months ahead of its competitors which include GE-Hitachi, Westinghouse, EDF, Holtec and NuScale. The competition is being run by Great British Nuclear (GBN), and as Tufan Erginbilgic, the chief executive of Rolls-Royce has said, ‘once the decision is made funding should be awarded quickly and tangible progress must be made on choosing sites for the first prototypes.
 
Sussex has some exceptionally perfect and practical sites which I hope will be considered. SMRs will potentially revolutionise the nuclear industry and decarbonise the electricity grid, which is why these companies are racing to become the first to commercialise the technology.
 
The worry is that the General Election will delay making this important decision, and no one really knowns whether labour, if they win, recognises the urgency, or has the desire to take SNRs seriously. 

Never mind whether it was right or wrong for the PM to call the election for 6th July, what I and countless other conservatives are asking is what party should we be voting for? It is clear that Sunak and most of his cabinet are not conservatives. Since they repeatedly stabbed Boris in the back, the one person who does have leadership skills, charisma and a vision, the party lost its Conservative values, direction, appeal, and electability.
 
We are told the conservatives won the red wall seats in the 2019 General Election; no, they did not, it was Boris who won the voter’s trust. Had he remained in situ we would have moved forward taking advantage of Brexit. The country would have had a credible leader and I suspect Labour would be 20 points behind in the polls. His enemies, the media, Europhiles and the left did an excellent job painting him as dishonest, when nothing could have been further from the truth.
 
I feel sorry for hard working proper Conservative MPs who slave away week after week working in their constituencies pushing against the tide, trying to sell a reason to support a party which I suspect they no longer recognise. These are the people we will be voting for not the so-called leadership.
 
What a pity Rishi Sunak did not activate the plan to revive national service before now. This is a plan which most people, except the lefties & his political rivals, will support. I have advocated the introduction of national service in the UK since my visit to Singapore in 2018. There, young men, and women sign up for a compulsory two years. They are recruited to the armed services, police, as border guards or customs officers. Some return for training each year for the following ten years and must be prepared to be called up at any time.
 
There is no need to activate a Royal Commission to mull over the idea which would take months if not years. Get the blueprint from Singapore and go for it. So far, the PM’s plan sounds a bit timid but trawl down the system used in Singapore and the resulting transformation of the young will be remarkable.
 
Already we hear senior men in the military criticising the idea. No doubt they are concerned about manpower and costs. But looking towards the end game we can look forward to generations of young people who are less likely to get into trouble, remain workshy, ignorant, and useless to society.
 
National service will ensure there is also integration of communities, races, and social backgrounds. Mix them up and they will learn to get along. Teach them how to accept discipline, structure, and hard work. Some of it will stick and they will learn to respect others, and above all themselves.
 
In Singapore following national service many decide to sign up permanently with the armed services, the police, health care, border force, police, charities or in education. They accept discipline, order, and develop a work ethic plus much more besides. So here at last is a policy which should inspire the public to put their X against the conservative candidate on their ballot paper.
 
As children we very quickly learnt that it was wise to see all, hear all and say nothing – well, very little as we learnt to understand our place within our family’s hierarchy and eventually amongst our peers and society.
 
As we began to find our feet and indeed our voices, with our parent’s approval and encouragement we started to make our mark, have opinions, and allow our characters to emerge and grow, hopefully having absorbed some wisdom whilst watching, listening, and reading. We were then able to say what we thought and enter constructive discussions with knowledge and confidence.

That was I believe how things used to be. Today it seems many young people do little listening and even less learning. They develop opinions, much of which they pick up from their peers and from social media which are often wrong and posted with little knowledge of true facts. A good example being the ‘useful idiots’ demonstrating in support of Hamas’s attack on October 7. As Andrew Neil points out, “the more elite the British University, the more stupid the students”.
 
It would appear that they decide what they do and don’t want to hear, shutting out the opportunity to discuss intelligently, and debate subjects of all persuasions, They have pre-determined blinkered and narrow perspectives, and anything other than their exclusive view now ‘offends’ their sensitivity.
 
Caught up into this world are the students who are trashing their university campuses, stopping others from learning, abusing and threatening Jewish students with their antisemitic rhetoric and causing offense. The same happened during the riots and instability caused by ‘black lives matter’.
 
Somewhat surprisingly these white middle class British students are wearing the keffiyeh headdress as worn by the terrorists and their compatriots who massacred the young women and children, and beheaded babies at the Kibbutz music festival. Those they kidnapped are now being returned as decomposing bodies in coffins.
 
Instead of facilitating these people, the universities should send them down, fine them for causing damage and interrupting their fellow student’s education, exams and graduations. Some commentators have suggested that if they want to support terrorists, they should be treated as terrorists.
 
If you wish to unsubscribe from my columns which are no longer written for the WSG please let me know. I have handed in my notice and gradually withdrawing while they find others to take on my column, having been cancelled once too often for being too un-PC, over the past year.
Carola
​
www.carolagodmanirvine.com

The Farmers Weekly reported that HSE show that 32 people lost their lives following accidents on farms in Britain over the past 12 months, including three children under two.
 
Last May alone 11 people died on farms in England and Scotland – the deadliest single month for 15 years. Incidents include a Yorkshire farmer killed while unloading bales from a trailer and a West Midlands farmer killed when he was caught by an unguarded pto shaft.
 
The NFU says it is desperate to avoid a repeat this May but following eight months of unprecedented wet weather, farmers are behind schedule with their field work. They fear many will be rushing around trying to catch up and will be tempted to take unnecessary risks, which threatens safety.
 
Despite numerous safety campaigns over many years, farming statistically remains the nation’s most dangerous profession. David Exwood, NFU deputy president, recently took over as chairman of the Farm Safety Partnership for England. He urges farmers to take a five-minute pause and think about the task in front of them this spring, as part of the union’s Take 5 to Stay Alive campaign.
 
Farms have multiple hazards which as we go about our routine work, are easy to become complacent about. These range from machinery and tractor work, livestock handling, working at height, slurry lagoons, and increasingly relevant working alone and isolated for hours if not days.
 
I try to ensure that we attend Health & Safety sessions, but probably not often enough. Each time we do, I realise how important it is to do so, as there are discussions and examples which highlight potential hazards making us more wary, certainly for a while.
 
The NFU will be running pre-harvest safety events across the country from 7 May to 12 July, and this week, the HSE publishes five new videos about working safely with animals on its YouTube channel to help livestock farmers stay safe. Accidents occur too easily, most are avoidable – stay safe.
 
Jeremy Clarkson is right, there is currently no money in farming food. This is why many of us have decided to buy into environmental schemes which are paying us to take land out of food production in favour of eco-friendly environmental schemes. As Clarkson says, “They are good for the soil, and they are good for the Bank balance. But it means we are not growing stuff for people to eat.”
 
He is absolutely right, the fine balance between feeding the birds and the bees and maintaining a sustainable food producing agricultural nation is on a knife edge.
 
The jury is out as to whether as a nation we can be self-sufficient in food production or we end up relying increasingly on cheap, lower welfare, sub-standard imports which fall well below our own high standards. There is no guarantee other countries would wish to supply the UK. Is the public aware of what is going on down on the farm?

The good news is that our young Sussex steers arrived last week. They seem happy, and have boundless energy, most probably due to the particularly long winter which saw them kept under cover for over six months.
 
It is normal to see them kicking their heels delightedly as they face the freedom of the open fields and lush grass. That spectacle is one we look forward to each year as they rush around checking the boundaries and generally stretching their legs and letting off steam.
 
What I am not used to is this happening every time I walk out to check them, twice a day, every day. As soon as they see me, they rush over, have a quick chat, then charge off to do a couple of circuits of the field before returning to surround me for a further catch up. I am fine with that, but I am not so sure some of our many walkers will be quite so relaxed being encircled by this lively bunch. Anyway, signs are up making everyone fully aware there are cattle in the fields, so they do have a choice.
 
We, like most farms have an ongoing struggle with dogs. Despite numerous signs asking owners to keep them on leads as they walk our numerous footpaths, we regularly have dogs running wild.
 
There seems to be a misunderstanding about the purpose of grass fields. Some consider them to be purely for their enjoyment, an opportunity for their dogs to run loose to do their business. When told these fields are our livestock’s ‘dinner plate’, and the dog mess contaminates the grass causing health problems to livestock, they seem genuinely surprised and often annoyed. I am regularly told it is ‘their right’ as it is a ‘public footpath’.
 
Last week we began to believe spring was arriving, which was why I had arranged to collect the young stock from various farms. The fields were starting to dry up and the weather was getting slightly warmer. All went well for a few days and then the temperature plummeted, and we have now had a further inch and a half of rain. Hopefully, as May arrives this week, conditions will improve.
 
It seems as if the authorities have at last recognised that the weather conditions are having a dramatic effect on food production. As I am about to file my copy on Monday, the BBC is reporting to the nation that bread, beer, sugar, and other products face inflated prices due to shortages as crops are rotting in the ground or were never planted.
 
We are all aware of the law of supply and demand but when government policy encourages farmers to stop food production in return for payments to enhance the environment, one must question on what planet politicians and those occupying DEFRA are living. The situation and potential shortage of farm produced products are also across Europe and other nations.

At last, the ground is drying up, tractors are out and about preparing fields for spring crops and livestock are being turned out onto pastures which only days ago were sodden if not under water. It has been a long-wet winter which has hit farmers hard up and down the country with flooding, waterlogged fields, and perished crops.
 
Many livestock farmers have run out of silage, hay, and bedding. The cost of straw has skyrocketed as happens when there is a shortage - I never understand why. Only a few months ago you could buy straw at £60/ton, now in some area it is over £100/ton. It is the same stuff, it does the same job – someone is exploiting the market at a time when we should be helping our farmers, not bankrupting them.
 
The barns are empty, and the prospect of filling them in time for housing livestock next winter is looking increasingly unlikely as we survey our winter sown crops, much of which has already given up or looks decidedly sick. We will be having to buy straw at harvest for the first time ever.
 
Last week Plumpton College hosted a conference, sponsored by the CLA and Virgin Money. The chairman, Emily Norton whose background is farming, law, and political research, was exceptional, I would take her on to chair a meeting anytime, she was a breath of fresh air.
 
There were three excellent young speakers, Joe Stanley, Head of Sustainable Farming at the GWCT’s Allerton Project, a research farm in Leicestershire. Eleanor Gilbert who was named Countryfile Young Countryside Champion 2022, and Flavian Obiero who grew up in Kenya, came to the UK aged 15. He recently took on the lease of a county council farm where he rears pigs. He is also training to become a butcher and balances his studies for an MSc in livestock Health and Production at the University of London.
 
They were all inspiring and full of wisdom above their years, demonstrating enthusiasm for their chosen profession, optimism about the future of farming and food production and had a determination to draw new entrants into farming. Each regularly tour the country speaking at events such as this and going into schools to spread the word.
 
The fourth speaker was Lord Deben, formerly John Gummer who came to notoriety for trying to force feed his young daughter a beef burger in 1990 during the outbreak of BSE “mad cow disease”.
 
The first case was identified on a farm in Sussex in 1984; over 4.4 million cattle were slaughtered. The disease spread to humans, 178 people died through eating infected beef. British beef was banned from export in many countries. 
 
Lord Deben, a former Secretary of State for the Environment, and later Agriculture in the 1990s, stood out as being a pessimist regarding anything British, and is clearly bitter and traumatised by Brexit. Fortunately, the other panellists carried the day and charmed the audience.

The beauty of the English countryside in springtime is unique. We become mesmerised by the transformation from a bleak, grey, wet landscape into emerald green pastures and crops of many hues reaching towards the sky for the warmth and light of the sun. The branches of the majestic oaks burst into leaf along with chestnut, hazel and other ancient species, a canopy sheltering carpets of bluebells, wild garlic, and wood anemones. Roads are lined with the delicate white flurries of blackthorn, all this lulls us into thinking all is well with the world.
 
Sadly, both nationally and internationally that tranquillity is far from reality, we are privileged to live in this bubble. The news each day regarding ‘events’, of all kinds from wars, extremism, racism, weather, water excesses and shortages, and lack of food security, plus some very important elections here and around the world, are cause for deep concern now and for the future.
 
Here, global matters are regularly trounced by petty ideological bullying by minority groups which for some unknown reason are given a voice and weight which supersedes the voices of reason from the majority. The results of which make a mockery of our proud nation, and in many ways explains why a majority of us voted for Brexit. It can be fixed but it requires leadership.
 
George Osbourne has said that Foreign Secretary David Cameron is “acting like the British Prime Minister” and “upgraded Britain’s foreign policy clout”. He seems to think that because DC was invited to supper with Donald Trump at Mar a Lago, he is a hero.
 
The Trump is hoping to make it back to the White House later this year, so why wouldn’t he like some free publicity? On the other hand, DC was snubbed by the speaker of the House of Representatives after asking to discuss Ukraine aid. Mike Johnson claimed he could not find time in his diary for a sit-down.
 
The appointment of David Cameron was an odd choice by the PM. Considering his Conservative credentials are seriously flaky; he leans heavily to the left and is a raving Europhile. His agenda is concerning, so it will be interesting to see how he deals with Spain’s determination to end Britain’s autonomy over Gibraltar.
 
Following the cancellation of the Red Arrows fly-by over Gibraltar’s air show on 28 September last year when the UK gave in to Spain, David Cameron could easily use this matter to his advantage as he is already cosying up to his chums in Brussels. The importance of  Britain’s sovereign base is crucial to both Britain and NATO.
 
I have yet to understand the purpose of elected Police and Crime Commissioners; introduced by Home Secretary Theresa May in 2012. The job should not be party political, nor should one person with little experience regarding policing weald so much power over local police forces and Chief Constables. I will once again withhold my vote.

I never thought I would live to see the day when farmers descended upon Westminster with 100 tractors in their desperation to catch the ear of a Conservative Government and Prime Minister. Their plea was to be treated fairly, not have to compete with cheap imports, red tape, supermarkets paying them less than production costs, and their concerns about food security v the environment. Placards read, No Farmers, No Food, No Future.
 
In September 2000 I was one of the organisers of a similar demonstration. On that occasion we led 250 tractors to Brighton, to the Labour Party Conference. Tony Blair was PM, Nick Brown Defra Minister, and John Prescott’s response was, “Today we saw the contorted faces of the countryside”, which he aimed at the Countryside Alliance who were at the time trying to prevent the Labour Government banning Foxhunting.
 
Then farmers rallied to the call to arms and drove their tractors from across the Southeast. We were asking the Government to consider: ‘The farmgate and retail price differential - Rising fuel prices, passed down through the distribution network to the farmer – Poor public awareness of the high standards of food production in British farming – The case for a transparent pricing policy/a supermarket (retailer) regulator - Lack of infrastructure – a shortage of abattoirs and livestock markets – The mass of red tape and regulations which was suffocation and bleeding the industry dry – To note that during the fuel shortage the products which the public first cleared from supermarket shelves were milk and bread – What incentive were they giving to encourage the farmers of tomorrow?
 
We concluded saying ‘We have come on behalf of farmers throughout Great Britain. We have come on behalf of farmers who were destroyed by a broken spirit and broken heart. We have read their obituaries in the Farmers Weekly month after month. Time is now running out, you have been ‘listening’ for too long, now is the time to act.’
 
Clearly little has changed, the farmers who went to London could well have included our list to theirs. Labour clearly had little respect or interest in the countryside or food production. The Conservatives lack leadership and have lost their way but stubbornly refuse to take advice from those who could have led them in the right direction on many fronts, time is now not on their side.
 
It is shocking to hear that farmers who have needed to claim benefits are being told their businesses are “hobbies” and they should get a proper job.  The old benefit system calculated on an annual basis is now replaced by Universal Credit which are assessed monthly.
 
Farmers put food on our plates, much of which is seasonal, therefore income peaks and troughs, feast, or famine. Production and sales vary wildly over the year as we deal with animals, and plants which grow according to the seasons, or not as it happens, due to climate change.

Hops hit the news last week which encouraged me to do some research. They were originally imported from France, Holland and Germany and subject to import duty. It was not until 1524 that hops were first grown in the southeast of England (Kent), when they were introduced as an agricultural crop by Dutch farmers. Today there are just over 50 British farmers growing hops in Great Britain, including at the Eden Project in Cornwall.
 
Hops are the flowers, or cones of a plant called Humulus Lupulus. They help to keep beer fresher, longer, and retain its head of foam. They are the key component of a beer’s aroma, flavour, and bitterness.
Beer, like ale, can of course be made without hops, the main ingredients being malted barley, yeast, and water. Until the 17th century hops were not allowed in English ales; Germany didn’t require hops in its official brewing laws until 1906. For many centuries, a vast majority of the beer made around the world used other spices and botanicals for flavour.
 
The news that English hop farmers are struggling due to the increasingly hot summers caused by climate change, is a concern for the producers and of course the consumers of British beer. The decline in crop yields has been steadily leading growers to rip out their vines and head in other directions such as producing wine, now more suited to this change of climate.
 
A legacy and symbol of England’s cultural heritage and hop growing journey are the distinctive pyramid-shaped oast houses, a reminder of our once-thriving brewing industry. The distinctive conical roof of the oast was necessary to create a good draft for the fire which dried the hops. The projection at the peak of the roof are cowls which could be pivoted to create just the right airflow for the kiln fire to draw properly. These were replaced around 1830 with electric fans. It is always a pleasure to see well preserved oast houses across East Sussex and Kent, many now converted into family homes.
 
British homes could one day be powered by electricity generated in America. It has been reported that there are plans to install up to six power cables across the Atlantic. These would stretch 5,500 miles across the ocean, reaching a depth of 11,000ft. A group of London investors are behind the scheme, who claim technological advances in subsea cables could allow the creation of a global “international grid”.
 
The idea is to take advantage of the differences in peak demand as the power line crosses time zones. “When the sun is high in London it would be breakfast time in New York where people could use UK or European power to cook breakfast”.
​
It is believed that long-distance interconnectors will become key in the battle to decarbonise, and that by replacing the movement of molecules – gas oil and coal, with electrons – electricity, the race to slow climate change will be greatly enhanced. Time will tell.

The weather still seems to be a major talking point. At most gatherings – even at a couple of funerals, the topic raised its head surprisingly often.
 
I shall mention it no more as I and just about every farmer I know, are all thoroughly fed up and just want the land to dry up so we can get on with farming.
 
My search for Sussex steers has almost come to an end. I have just about filled my quota and look forward to bringing the young stock back to the farm as soon as ground conditions allow. One problem I am facing this spring is that the producers are already running low or out of bedding and feed. They are desperate to turn the cattle out, but the fields are still too wet. They are hoping I will collect my stock soon, but our fields are still too wet and in danger of getting poached which would not bode well for the rest of the grazing season.
 
We are spending time preparing the fields which are to be converted from arable into herbal mix pasture. For over thirty years the cattle have not grazed these fields so new stock fencing and a fresh water supply is needed. The change will benefit the soil and wildlife and improve the biodiversity - I am beginning to sound like an environmentalist!
 
We are fortunate to have a huge range of wildlife including badgers, stoats, foxes and a wide variety of birds on the farm as we run the livestock extensively and use no fertiliser or sprays on the grass fields. The owls, kingfishers, partridge, geese and many common ‘garden’ birds, and too many pigeons, give us enormous pleasure.
 
Sadly, the days are long gone since we would see a ‘deceit’ of lapwings at Ote Hall. In those days they frequented certain favoured fields, from which they rarely strayed.
 
It is good to know that farmers within the South Downs National Park are about to act to save the threatened lapwing. The Arun and Adur farmers’ group has chosen to make the lapwing a priority for conservation action, in a bid to bring this endangered bird back from the brink. As they say, despite conservation efforts, this once familiar farmland bird with its striking peewit call, is rarely seen in much of Sussex these days.
 
As we embark on several ‘environmental’ schemes, much of the work required to qualify we have been doing for decades, including the ‘low’ input specification. This along with the herbal leys, will allow us to increase the number of cattle we can fatten over the summer months. I would much rather spend time checking the cattle twice a day than watch our arable crops being attacked by slugs, aphids, diseases, and certain weeds including rogue grasses, all of which threaten to wipe out the crop unless treated with expensive chemicals and potions. Give me cattle any day.

At the risk of upsetting a few people, I raise the subject of the latest theory put forward by the charity umbrella group Wildlife and Countryside Link which has submitted a report to MPs which claimed that the British countryside was seen as a “racist colonial” white space.
 
The Fitzwilliam Museum has suggested that paintings of the British countryside evoke dark “nationalist feelings”. Owned by Cambridge University it has embarked upon an overhaul of its displays. In a gallery displaying a pastoral work by Constable, visitors are informed that “there is a darker side” to the “nationalist feeling” evoked by images of the British countryside.
 
As reported last week in The Daily Telegraph, Luke Syson said that this national sentiment comes with “the implication that only those with a historical tie to the land have a right to belong”.
 
So, according to these sentiments and others which go on to take aim at portraits of wealthy benefactors and imply the painter John Singer Seargent led a ‘secret’ queer life, the current custodians have taken it upon themselves to condemn talented and benevolent individuals and turn the countryside into a no-go area for anyone who is neither a farmer nor landowner. I have never heard so much rubbish.
 
The countryside has always been open to everyone and welcoming too. We all experienced during the Covid lockdown an influx of people of all sorts, enjoying and in some cases experiencing for the first time, the countryside.
​
Many continue to walk our fields even now adding to the regulars in their hundreds. No one cares from where they or those wishing to set up home in the shires come from. What we do care passionately about is how they behave when they get here.
 
When other headlines scream out ‘Mental health crises in children’ should these organisations be pushing out this rubbish? I suspect the National Trust had a hand in some of these barmy ideas. These kids should be prescribed a month on a farm, not counselling or brain numbing drugs.
 
We are told farmers will receive public money for public good. Why not pay farmers, whose farms are appropriate and looking for diversification, to open our doors and welcome groups of children who desperately need normality, nature, space, fresh air, understanding and kindness in their lives.
 
There are excellent examples of charities such as City Farms for City Children, and Jamies’ Farms, one of which is close by at Plumpton, which have proved how life transforming a week on a farm can be. Sadly, there is only so much these amazing charities can do, with limited resources and ‘specialist’ farms, they only survive through fundraising.
 
Despite turning round so many young lives, many of whom were destined for prison or a life on benefits, they get little if any government support. Surely it makes sense to invest in young lives rather than picking up the pieces when it is all too late.