No cuts for some

 

An eerie silence from the farming lobby hides a new denial of information.

Not only are there no cuts in the sumptuous farm subsidies but they might even get a handsome increase in the 2.9% increase in EU payments. No-one is saying. There is media omerta on the worldwide increase in farm prices that have allowed farm incomes to rocket. No one is telling us about that. 

Nor have I have seen any press coverage of the new retreat from freedom of information. There was a long battle a few years ago to publish details on who was receiving what in the subsidies. There were some revealing figures of £millions pouring into the coffers of members of the royal family. There are also a handful of farming Tory Ministers and MPs, whose income is handsomely supported by handouts from the public purse.

Now we are told, that privacy must deny us details of subsidies to farming politicians and royals. The royals are immune from the petty restrictions that bother the rest of us in many areas. Politicians are obliged to declare their outside earnings. Farm subsidies are major interests that cry out for transparency.

 

Paradise lost

A few occasions are unique.

Never in my life have I used the Welsh word for 'beatitude'. It was appropriate as we were discussing languages that I should address the Patriarch of the Georgian Church in Welsh - using his title, 'Cyfarchion eich Gwynfyd.'

 

 

We were greeted in the palace with the glorious sound of a Georgian male voice choir. Most were dressed in gold cassocks, others wore jeans. They all sang like angels.

The Patriarch was once the Bishop of the now lost area of Abkhazia. He spoke passionately against the brutal divisions of the country. He had recently visited the Queen. Oddly much of the conversation with this supreme spiritual leader concentrated on dogs - including the derivation of the word cor (dwarf) ci (dog). 

 

Georgia was the second country in the world to embrace Christianity. Wales and Ireland were not far behind with the Celtic Church that flourished here before St Augustine came to spread the influence of Rome.

Richard Harries had modestly described himself as 'Independent member of the House of Lords' throughout the visit. He wore his bishop's colours for the Patriarch. Richard is best known as the Bishop of Oxford and has been delivering 'Thoughts for the Day' on the Today programme for the past 30 years.

A sign of the times was a 'goody bag' that included a greatly appreciated CD of the choir. I look forward to many hours driving down the M4 accompanied by the thunderous beauty of those fine voices.

 

Labour bargain

One beneficial result of the elections in the Irish Republic may be a substantial share of seats to the under-valued Labour Party. They could drive a hard bargain with Fine Gael as the price for coalition. Minor parties usually pay a high price for coalition. Labour must demand some of the major offices.

 

Comments

[Gerald]

If Labour in Ireland are able to gain enough seats and form a coalition with Fine Gael, I hope they are able to persuade Fine Gael to drop their proposal to re-introduce Stag Hunting. Apart from saving Stags in Ireland if such a proposal were introduced it would give encouragment to the Hunting Lobby in this country.

[Junican]

Mr Flynn,

I find it difficult to believe that SUBSIDIES can be anything other than public, if these subsidies come from the public purse. What is there to hide? "The taxpayer provided X (ultra-millionaire) with assistance of £yyyyyyyy in order to increase his profits from his farm" Taxpayers' money is a matter of public record and therefore cannot be secret. This thought should be a constitutional matter, although certain matters of 'national security' could be exempted.

I have read that 'The Royal Family' (or 'The Royal Estates' (same thing I suppose)), is claiming ownership of vast tracts of the sea bed as regards wind turbines. ????????????

I don't know what to say. Where do you begin? Could I say that The Royal Family only 'own' the land under the sea as Head of State? That is, in a representative sense? That is, the ACTUAL owner of this land is 'The People'? If that is not legally so, then the law needs to be changed.

[Patrick]

PF

I feel it’s important to make a clear distinction here when talking about farming incomes.

The corporate owned massive arable farms are the beneficiaries of huge subsides.

Let’s not forget the other side of the coin. Family size farms are fighting for their lives.

Take British Dairy Farming,
‘ Each week, nine dairy farmers in Britain are forced to sell up. In the heyday of British dairy farming, there were 28,000 in England and Wales. Today there are just under 11,000. As recently as three years ago, Britain was self-sufficient in milk. Now we import 1.5 million litres a day, mostly from Holland and Denmark. Indeed, the situation has become so dire that the average dairy farmer today makes £20,000 a year while working a 60-hour week.’ Telegraph 26/2/2011

The CAP still insists on running a system created in 1945.

The beneficiaries are corporate controlled businesses and associated producers of artificial fertilizers and pesticides like ICI & Monsanto.

The end product of its intensive farming system is soil erosion, sub standard food, destruction of wildlife and the end of small family farms.

We need to overhaul the system in favor of the smaller size farms before we lose them all.

Any subsides should be given in relation to soil sustainability and food quality.

Subsides for organic farming would do this as well as restore biodiversity that has been devastated since WW2.

We need to overhaul a stupid system and bring it inline with our present needs.

[Paul Flynn]

That's a fair point Patrick. Most Welsh farmers get relatively small subsidies. More evidence in today's blog on the point that I am making.

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Wow, I love a good dig but I'm not sure I could have done that; the items would have been too close to their original context for me, I think, but then again I've never done an estate sale. When I thrift I like to imagine the histories behind pieces, but in the end, I think I like the distance. Interesting though; you've made me think about the nature of thrifting a bit more deeply!
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