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The average citizen ‘bears the brunt’ – yet again – while the rich enjoy an ongoing ‘subsidy bonanza’

April 26th, 2013
The preamble to Devinder Sharma’s blog sets his messages in context:

devinder sharma 3Why can’t we make an effort to change the popular discourse, the mainline economic thinking that has only added to global problems?

This is what made me begin on a journey in search for the abandoned path to equity, justice and sustainability. My journey begins with the fundamentals — food, agriculture and hunger.

He returns to another aspect of the mainline economic thinking and practice which has added to global problems

Some years back he detailed the agricultural subsidies given to the rich and powerful in the European Union and the United States.

Sharma approves the concept of farm subsidies for ‘hands-on’ food producers, to ensure a reasonable standard of living for farmers, countering market manipulation of prices and the vagaries of the climate, but wonders how the subsidy bonanza to the rich and wealthy in the name of farmers can be justified:

stwr logo”Here is the earlier analysis, published by Sharing the World’s Resources — Farm subsidies: The report card (http://www.stwr.org/imf-world-bank-trade/farm-subsidies-the-report-card.html).

”At a time when the economy is faced with recession, and country after country is resorting to austerity cuts, I find no mention of restricting farm subsidies. Specially after the economic meltdown of 2008-09, I had expected the industrialised countries to cut farm support to the wealthy and divert the precious financial resources to creating employment opportunities. With this intention, I thought of doing a reality check.

“No, nothing has changed”.

Three cases are mentioned:
  • One of the richest people in Britain – the Duke of Westminster — received £6m during the same period.
  • Sir Richard Sutton, who features in the Times Rich List, still got £1.9m in farm subsidies.
  • The Queen is reported to have received a subsidy of £7m in the past ten years (http://bit.ly/A8TSTw).
His conclusion

”Well, the message is loud and clear. For the rich and powerful, life goes on as usual.

“Whether it is economic recession or depression, the rich remain untouched.

“It is only the average citizen who has to bear the brunt and be prepared to rough it out”.

 

 

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Posted in Corporate political nexus, Economy, EU, Government, Parliamentary failure, Vested interests

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‘Educating’ the public about GM has failed – let’s get Minister Heath to frighten them

April 16th, 2013
david heathDavid Heath, Minister of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has been using emotive words according to the Telegraph:
  • survival,
  • forced to dig,
  • threat of food shortages,
  • British families have been warned,
  • dramatic rise in food prices.
Knowing full well that most people won’t have the time, the skills or the land to grow their own food, Minister Heath is warning them they will have to do this.

BBRSC header

Support comes from the pro GM Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBRC) which speaks of the ‘threat’ and adds another scareword: “disastrous”.

But they offer the easily frightened a get-out clause – accept genetically modified crops

BBRC’s website informs us that it is one of 7 Research Councils that work together as Research Councils UK (RCUK) – funded by the Government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Its budget for 2011-12 was around £445M and its members’ links with the large biotech companies are many and varied.

Label GM food – sensible Hong Kong does!

gm labelling HKThe one blocking proposal which really frightens the GM industry here and in America is the requirement to label their GM produce – that they fight tooth and nail, knowing that sales of such would be very low. See the Hong Kong government website.

European Union countries once again under siege

In order to make the huge profits they anticipate, corporates like Monsanto and their political friends and allies in government are once again planning to lobby this and  other European Union countries to lift current restrictions on the use of GM technology.

But there is active opposition

Marches against Monsanto in 190 cities of the world on May 25th have been announced; Lee Ryan is the London march organiser.

‘Anonymous hacktivists’ accuse the company of “altering the nature of our food supply without concern about long term effects on human health” and of “creating a monopoly on the supply of seeds for farmers.” They also claim to have found “increasing evidences of long term environmental damages.” Anonymous’ statement says: “For too long, Monsanto has been the benefactor of corporate subsidies and political favoritism. Organic and small independent farmers suffer losses while Monsanto continues to forge its monopoly over the world’s food supply, including exclusive patenting rights over seeds.”

“Today we are asking you to take a first step and help us to inform the public about Monsanto’s secrets. Join us in the march to the streets to show the world and Monsanto that we are aware and want them to be hold accountable.”

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Posted in Advisors and consultants, Conflict of interest, Corporate political nexus, Democracy undermined, Environment, EU, GM, Government, Lobbying, Ministers, Vested interests

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Incinerators 2: the proposed Javelin Park incinerator (Gloucestershire)

February 23rd, 2013

graphic javelin park incinerator

 A report has been produced by Ynys Resources Ltd, a team of waste consultants

It finds that:

  • the need for an incinerator at Javelin Park is not proven and the proposal potentially breaches EU law;
  • more modern and environmentally friendly alternatives to mass burn incineration should be considered such as mechanical biological treatment and advanced thermal technology;
  • the proposed incinerator is so inefficient that it qualifies not as an energy recovery facility but as a waste disposal option – on a par with landfill;
  • the facility would burn a considerable amount of recyclable material and would create around eight times more hazardous waste than was put into it.

“If Gloucestershire were to invest in flexible pre-treatment facilities… capital expenditure would be lower, recycling figures increased, hazardous waste arisings would remain level and opportunities for more efficient use of fuel and heat could be found,” the report says.

Ynys questions the business case underpinning the project, saying ‘rather than providing service and financial certainty, the proposal represents significant risk to Gloucestershire County Council’ because GCC could be liable for annual £1 million penalty payments by 2020 under the terms of the contract.

County councillor Stan Waddington, said the report, commissioned by the campaigning group GlosVAIN, is “fundamentally flawed and full of misinterpretations and inaccuracies”.

 

Source: http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/10222910.Report_by_waste_consultants_says_Javelin_Park_incinerator_not_needed/?ref=mc

 

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Posted in Advisors and consultants, Books or reports, Environment, EU, Health

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Secret State 8: there were least two ‘bute’ whistleblowers: denials and admissions

February 18th, 2013

Michael Hart 3Cornish beef farmer Michael Hart asks: “Does anyone know why the Irish did DNA tests in first place, as I understand it is not routine policy?”

There was a ‘local’ whistleblower to thank for initiating this investigation

Ireland was the first EU state to carry out tests on the presence of horse meat in beef and make public the results. It was claimed that the initial investigation had been started due to a tip off from a whistle-blower from within the meat industry, but that has been denied by the FSAI, though later admitted by DEFRA secretary of state Owen Paterson.

whistleblowers 2‘The Grocer’ reports that, speaking in the House of Commons on the 11th February, Owen Paterson said: ‘The reason the Irish agency picked up this issue in the Irish plant was that it had local intelligence that there was a problem” . . . in other words someone did blow the whistle.

It was also reported in the FT that a former official said he helped draft a letter to the environment department (Defra), in April 2011. It warned that horsemeat could get into the food chain because of weaknesses in the passport scheme designed to prevent contamination by the anti-inflammatory drug known as bute.

The report adds: “UK food regulators have launched internal inquiries into claims that ministers were alerted over a year ago to the dangers of illegal horsemeat getting into the food chain”.

Several British farmers have contrasted the strict regime under which they have to operate with the apparently lax procedures of retailers and processors

The minister, the chief medical officer and some veterinary scientists have downplayed the health risk of bute to humans – generally failing to mention that the danger is of accumulation, rather than a single ‘dose’.

bute sachet3Michael Hart sent this picture of a sachet of bute medication (not clear because of reflective foil cover) which carried instructions which he felt indicated that bute accumulates to some extent in the body.

He asked: “Why am I as a farmer jumping through lots of hoops on traceability of sheep, pigs and cattle when clearly retailers and processors don’t really care about it, otherwise they would have found out a lot earlier than they did”.

 

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Posted in Civil servants, Conflict of interest, Corporate political nexus, Democracy undermined, Economy, EU, Government, Health, Secret State, Whistleblowers

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