Comments on: Let’s eat at home more

By: Jonathan M. Scott

Jonathan M. Scott — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:03:48 +0000

This is an excellent proposal and one which no doubt disgruntle the europhiles on the Government benches.

By: Derek W. Buxton

Derek W. Buxton — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 14:40:49 +0000

Unfortunately it all comes back to the EU, Heath gave away our control of the fishing grounds, Brussels "allowed" our fishermen to fish – just a little – but spent millions on refurbishing old boats and building new ones for French and Spanish fishermen, we paid as usual. CAP was designed to award French, German part timers, Spanish and Italian farmers whose efficiency was way below ours. Quotas were set up, all biased against our Country. But did our politicians of any colour tell us, not a bit, they lied. We were told by a number of economists that food prices would rise by 20%, a figure derided by the politicians, but true, they did. By the way, remember "free trade", major benefit of the EEC as it was, except of course, that when French farmers did not like it they stopped our lorries and burned the livestock. Big benefit that was, did anyone apologise. No, didn't think so.

So, we are stuck with an enemy who is out to defeat us but makes most of our laws. This is against the "Bill of Rights" which forbids taking orders from a foreign power, but the latest from Cameron a few days ago is that once Lisbon treaty is passed we cannot do anything about it. But by definition it is illegal to give away our sovereignty which the Treaty most certainly does.

By: AlanofEngland

AlanofEngland — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 10:41:38 +0000

This says it all, from Christopher Booker……"But the central point the British industry's leaders tried to put to Mr Shaw at his Smith Square office on Tuesday was that the British fishermen are in an even worse plight than many of their European competitors. This is because at least other more sympathetic governments have found ways under EU rules to give their fishermen financial help…..[don't they always?]

Spain, for instance, is allowed to give Â£98 million to its fishermen, to enable them "to stay competitive".France, which can give Â£106 million, has every intention of doing so. But although Britain is permitted by Brussels to give Â£78 million, Mr Shaw made it clear to the fishermen on Tuesday that they cannot expect a penny. The Government, he told them, "does not have the financial resources available"…[78 million....yet we give hundreds of millions, over a billion a month, to this rotten and corrupt EU]"

The real subtext of Mr Shaw's refusal was spelled out by Commissioner Borg in Brussels, when he said that the future for "European fisheries" lay not in "false solutions" but in "restructuring, to create a smaller, more fuel-efficient fleet". In other words, if thousands more British fishermen go to the wall, that must be part of the EU's long-term solution. Their French and Spanish competitors will be grateful that their governments do not agree with the immovable Mr Shaw. …..That is why, by the end of the year, a great many more of THEM will have survived than now seems likely in the country which, until it gave its fishing waters away to Brussels in 1973, had the largest fishing fleet in Europe.

By: Bazman

Bazman — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 06:57:26 +0000

The blame lies entirely with farmers. It's obvious when there is nothing, NOTHING that we cannot import cheaper than these over subsidised (disparaging words left out) farmers can grow or produce. Milk? France. Grain? Estonia and Canada. Itâ€™s cheaper to snuff a lamb in New Zealand, stick him in a fridge ship with a few thousand of his brothers, trundle the ship round the world then truck him to the shop than it is for an English farmer to snuff his lamb and carry it to the same shop in the back of his subsidised Range Rover.

By: DAVID VINTER

DAVID VINTER — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 23:40:37 +0000

You are right John Redwood, but why has it taken you politicians so long? And why are you so scared to even discuss the frightful topic of world overpopulation? [ In fact there are one and a half million more mouths to feed every week!]. Currently, the rate of increase of world food production is falling behind the extra growth of world population. Frankly as an Agricultural Economist, I don't think the world has a cat in hell of increasing total world food output by 50% in the next 20 years. We must control the world population increase![ see the websites of the F A O , and the Optimum Population Trust.]

Regards, David Vinter, Joint Hons Economics/ Agricultural Economics, Nottingham University.

By: Adrian Peirson

Adrian Peirson — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 23:30:01 +0000

The UK is a relatively rich country ? The wealth in our homes is Perceived wealth, the wealth in the stock market is largely precieved wealth also.
A country needs to produce and trade real goods.
would be be in this position if they hadn't given our fishing rights away.
We had some of the Best fishing waters in the world.
http://www.infowars.com/?p=2555

By: Tenuc

Tenuc — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:54:53 +0000

I agree with you that toe root cause is not the lack of land available to food prodution that is the issue, but that much land world-wide is no longer farmed for food.

In the UK and the rest of Europe, farmers are being paid to keep land out of use for food production. This was done to stop the beef and butter mountains et al and shows just how much food we could grow given the chance. Much land is now being converted from food to bio-fuel production, which will squeeze production and prices even more.

Time we pulled out of the power hungry EEC I think, and started digging for victory again!

By: Will S

Will S — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 13:38:15 +0000

I agree completely, but I am optimistic that a different approach will be taken once it becomes significantly cheaper to grow in Britain than to import. Change will occur, and the EU will have to adapt to the circumstances and allow countries to become self-sufficient again.

We are extrememly well placed in this country and self-sufficiency should be possible for us. One of the main tasks of an incoming government should be to prepare Britain for the large-scale changes that will have to occur in order to secure our continued prosperity.

By: Cliff

Cliff — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 12:23:21 +0000

Sadly John, it is not just food from abroad we are reliant on, it is virtually everything else too.

By: Tony Makara

Tony Makara — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 10:25:27 +0000

Very good analysis Mr Redwood. All nations would benefit from becoming more self-sufficient. The free-trade vs protectionism arguments do tend to put people into camps when what we need is a sensible balance between the two. If we can produce enough food in quantity for our domestic market we can keep the price low and avoid the unpredictable nature of currency differentials and imported inflation.

I should like to see the Conservative party award special tax status to British producers who supply the domestic market. Allow these producers to keep more of their profits to provide investment and incentive. If we want British entrepreneurs to supply the domestic market we have to make it worth their while to do so. We should even allow new producers to operate tax-free for a while to allow them time to build up a job-creating infrastructure. Too many producers are killed off by tax and regulation before they have even had time to get off the ground.