The window of opportunity to contribute to Mr Gove’s ‘Health & Harmony’ consultation is now closed. We can only hope that enough farmers responded by reminding the minister that our main purpose is to produce food to feed the nation. And that farm businesses need to be profitable to enable us to deliver the added environmental objectives which are being called for and are advantageous and of benefit to the public.
The consultation included proposals to replace direct payments with a system which would reward farmers for looking after the environment. But there was no mention of rewarding our industry for supplying safe and plentiful food to a very high standard.
It is vital that British farmers can afford to produce food from high welfare livestock, and safe traceable crops. Food production must be rewarded with a fair price, we should not be subsidising cheap food for the consumer, which is currently the case.
As the NFU has highlighted, as well as producing food, farmers also provide jobs and growth in industries, such as renewable energy and tourism.
It seems that the NFU has found its voice, but does it have the teeth and determination with which to follow up the important messages which working farmers are sending Mr Gove, in response to the consultation?
Emily Thornberry, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, has decided that she is offended by the Little Miss Books. You really couldn’t make it up that a front bench MP who is presumably qualified to represent thousands of constituents in Parliament, can actually be insulted by these charming little books which have been enjoyed by, and amused children for decades.
The words ‘Little’, and ‘Miss’ are the chief offenders for Ms Thornberry, who is now demanding that the Mr Men and Little Miss books should be gender neutral and non-judgemental. Words such as silly, happy, bossy, chatterbox and naughty are apparently offensive. Perhaps Roger Hargreaves the author of the book, could write one about the very silly and bossy Lady MP!
As they say, children are not prejudiced, it is adults who make them so. Perhaps the shadow minister and her chums at the University of Lincoln who conducted the survey, could find something rather more worthwhile to do with their time.
The people who manage some of our national charities which are manned mostly by volunteers, such as the National Trust and RNLI appear to be turning the point of their organisations on their heads.
How can the National Trust dispute the view given by two very experienced, long standing volunteers, that by increasing numbers of visitors to certain nature reserves, the habitats of birds and wildlife would be threatened?
On the basis of expressing their well-considered opinions, and despite their particular expertise and knowledge of the area, these gentlemen were sacked.
And you really could not make it up that two highly experienced life boat volunteers have been sacked, because a female manager found a set of six amusing mugs in a cupboard which had mug shots of the crew superimposed upon the bodies of naked women?
The crew were ordered to dispose of them, and the incident marked a “safeguarding breach” and an investigation was launched.
How these mugs could interfere with the lifesaving skills of the crew, or offend anyone being saved, is a complete mystery.
Why ‘management’ should take such unreasonable dictatorial action in either case is beyond comprehension. No wonder less people are inclined to volunteer these days, and charities struggle when they are run by over paid, overzealous PC bureaucrats these days.
It is interesting that the RNLI is currently recruiting for volunteers. When stories like these hit the headlines it is understandable if sensible people are put off. In both these cases the volunteers should receive an apology and be reinstated. It is the over PC, offensive ‘managers’ who should be sacked.
The consultation included proposals to replace direct payments with a system which would reward farmers for looking after the environment. But there was no mention of rewarding our industry for supplying safe and plentiful food to a very high standard.
It is vital that British farmers can afford to produce food from high welfare livestock, and safe traceable crops. Food production must be rewarded with a fair price, we should not be subsidising cheap food for the consumer, which is currently the case.
As the NFU has highlighted, as well as producing food, farmers also provide jobs and growth in industries, such as renewable energy and tourism.
It seems that the NFU has found its voice, but does it have the teeth and determination with which to follow up the important messages which working farmers are sending Mr Gove, in response to the consultation?
Emily Thornberry, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, has decided that she is offended by the Little Miss Books. You really couldn’t make it up that a front bench MP who is presumably qualified to represent thousands of constituents in Parliament, can actually be insulted by these charming little books which have been enjoyed by, and amused children for decades.
The words ‘Little’, and ‘Miss’ are the chief offenders for Ms Thornberry, who is now demanding that the Mr Men and Little Miss books should be gender neutral and non-judgemental. Words such as silly, happy, bossy, chatterbox and naughty are apparently offensive. Perhaps Roger Hargreaves the author of the book, could write one about the very silly and bossy Lady MP!
As they say, children are not prejudiced, it is adults who make them so. Perhaps the shadow minister and her chums at the University of Lincoln who conducted the survey, could find something rather more worthwhile to do with their time.
The people who manage some of our national charities which are manned mostly by volunteers, such as the National Trust and RNLI appear to be turning the point of their organisations on their heads.
How can the National Trust dispute the view given by two very experienced, long standing volunteers, that by increasing numbers of visitors to certain nature reserves, the habitats of birds and wildlife would be threatened?
On the basis of expressing their well-considered opinions, and despite their particular expertise and knowledge of the area, these gentlemen were sacked.
And you really could not make it up that two highly experienced life boat volunteers have been sacked, because a female manager found a set of six amusing mugs in a cupboard which had mug shots of the crew superimposed upon the bodies of naked women?
The crew were ordered to dispose of them, and the incident marked a “safeguarding breach” and an investigation was launched.
How these mugs could interfere with the lifesaving skills of the crew, or offend anyone being saved, is a complete mystery.
Why ‘management’ should take such unreasonable dictatorial action in either case is beyond comprehension. No wonder less people are inclined to volunteer these days, and charities struggle when they are run by over paid, overzealous PC bureaucrats these days.
It is interesting that the RNLI is currently recruiting for volunteers. When stories like these hit the headlines it is understandable if sensible people are put off. In both these cases the volunteers should receive an apology and be reinstated. It is the over PC, offensive ‘managers’ who should be sacked.
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