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Member for

12 years 11 months

Posts: 6,535

The media has recently carried many reports highlighting the problems of dairy farmers and the price they are getting for the milk they produce.

I heard one quote of 89 pence for four pints (two quarts) of milk sold at a supermarket, which price, it was alleged, was far cheaper than the farmer could sell it for.

So, the red hot, fresh off the press question is why is cheese so expensive? Let me confess an interest. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool, nose sniffing, eye wobbling, cheddar gobbling cheese muncher of the first degree !

I lurve and adore all cheese without distinction of flavour or origin so why was my gaze seemingly locked on to shelf after shelf of creamy indulgence? Eighteen pounds per kilo, that's why !! Ok, that was an extreme. Prices varied around that figure depending on the cheese on offer. But ! But ! With the raw material from which the cheese god is made fetching record low prices surely, surely, the price of cheese at the moment must be artificially high?

If so, why so ? Boiling it down to proper and understandable proportions means that the price of cheese is around £7 -8
per pound. It isn't as if the making of this exquisite confection is labour intensive requiring say, to be trodden by the sweet and delicate trotters of twenty virgins. No, it is made primarily by the dead hand of machinery requiring nothing more than a glob or two of axle grease and a squirt of WD 40 to maintain the process.

Luckily my wife was on hand when I declared an attack of CPV (cheese price vertigo) and was able to persuade the manager to provide a free glass of Waitrose water.

I think that I can feel a trip to Rip Off Britain coming on !

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 16,832

Something interesting I heard today.

Pippa Middleton received a £400,000 advance for her recent book. It sold around 20,000 copies.

Member for

12 years 11 months

Posts: 6,535

The part that does astonish me is that nowhere on any shelf scrutinised, did I see any bargain/cheap/reduced/sale priced inducement for cheap cheese. Why ever not? They're giving the milk away, why not the cheese ?

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

Considering the caution displayed by most publishers these days that sounds like a punt in the dark of the most extreme folly. Do they get any of it back? If not a double act of extreme folly.

Member for

12 years 11 months

Posts: 6,535

Looks like we might just have become Mr. Obama's best friend. The D.Tel. 11th Feb. comments that the President is concerned that America's 'go to ally' that's us, - their phrase not mine - is afraid that we won't maintain our national defence budget currently (allegedly) running at 2% of GDP.

Well, I call that a bit of a turn around in attitude. Didn't seem so long ago that our American buddies, at Obama's election, were distinctly snooty about our value to them and the direction that the Atlantic Alliance would be taking.

Let's have a chorus or two of The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

I always have the impression that the view we are offered of the relationship between us and the US is more often than not the view of the media of the relationship rather than the reality, which is probably left for private consumption.

After all if the media is to be believed the relationship waxes and wanes on a monthly basis.

Member for

12 years 11 months

Posts: 6,535

There is none so welcome as "a sinner that repenteth". It is unbelievably reported (D.Tel. 18th inst) that Mr. Cameron has been persuaded to see the light regarding grammar schools.

As the lack of grammar school support from the Tories was partly responsible for my anti Tory flounce some years ago, it looks as tho' I might have to consider a divorce from Nigel and leap back into Dave's loving embrace. Huh ! what a revolting idea.

Still, it's a start. The founding of new grammar schools is to be favoured. Does anyone know if there is an election in the offing ?

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

Unless I have misunderstood all he has done is offer his support for the expansion of existing Grammars, driven by the Tonbridge case. I am not aware he has or is even considering the green light to Grammar expansion. I hope I am wrong.

Member for

12 years 11 months

Posts: 6,535

What am I missing ? The media is full of reports concerning three young girls who have apparently gone AWOL to join an organisation in the Near East.

Lots of handwringing, mega piles of angst, recrimination by the ton, what for? What have they done ? They appear to have upset their families but, that will pass.

The decision to go and the planning required indicates that a certain level of successful organisation was necessary. My question is: Why are people running around like headless chickens ? Presumably the girls were capable of making an informed choice ? They exercised that freedom and are now where they would prefer to be. Stop making such a fuss.

Member for

12 years 11 months

Posts: 6,535

At the time of the London Olympics, this was mentioned by some as a possibility; that has now been converted to a reality. A D.Tel (report,) 25th inst. reveals that several drones have been seen over various significant sites in the French capital, Paris.

These machines were seen over the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Les Invalides and other notable tourist sites around the capital. No operators were either seen or apprehended.

Heaven alone knows how one deals with this potential terrorist threat.

Member for

12 years 11 months

Posts: 6,535

My D. Tel. (report, 2nd March) contains the unsurprising news that D. Cameron has failed yet again to deliver on his promise of containing and reducing the level of immigration. Has he ever managed to deliver on anything ?

The other newsworthy item in the same paper is that welfare payments to asylum seekers has cost the British taxpayer 1.2 billion (yes, billion) since 2010. The current cost is running at almost three quarters of a million pounds A DAY.

Letters of complaint to No.10 please.

Member for

12 years 7 months

Posts: 851

My D. Tel. (report, 2nd March) contains the unsurprising news that D. Cameron has failed yet again to deliver on his promise of containing and reducing the level of immigration. Has he ever managed to deliver on anything ?
.

Yes, he and the coalition have brought the Foreign Aid budget to 0.7% of GDP. Something to be genuinely proud of in my opinion.

To put into some sort of perspective, the £265 million that was spent supporting asylum seekers (don't forget, quite a few are genuinely here in fear of persecution or death) was 0.00037% of government spending in 2013-14. Or put another way, £4.08 per head of population in the UK.

Member for

16 years 2 months

Posts: 2,248

Net migration to the UK is 0.47% (rounded up) of the total population.
Time to wind up the drawbridge and start boiling the oil...
Or perhaps for the population to take a long hard look at themselves and accept that it is not "immigrants" that have brought Britain to the apparent state it is perceived to be in today but the generation of predominately white Anglo-Saxon, predominately over-privileged and predominately sense of entitlement laden post war born petty nationalists who have dropped the ball rather spectacularly (if the perceived state of Britain today is indeed accurate.)

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

I suspect that the nearer we get to May the more the electorate will be exercised by the key point for most of the electorate in almost every election - the economy. Which party will do the best for my pocket? Most other elements will become secondary.

Member for

12 years 11 months

Posts: 2,841

Well Charlie nice Mr Cameron says you can overstay your time with/in/on council property parking by up to 10 minutes without getting a fine. A sure fire election winner in my book.(shame I have a blue badge and don't pay anyway!)

Member for

20 years 7 months

Posts: 8,505

Because the supermarkets want their profits to be as high as possible. Apparently they are are actually paying the farmers about £1 a gallon less than it's costing the farmers to produce the milk. Yes I know grass is free but if you still want milk in the winter you need winter feed for the cows.

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

I know, Paul - I think that that parking concession could just swing the vote his way!!;)

Member for

12 years 11 months

Posts: 6,535

In response to Herr Junckers ideas on military matters, the D. Tel. in part of their editorial ( 10th March,) wrote:

" EU and whose army ? "

Member for

12 years 11 months

Posts: 6,535

Boxing news.

Anyone interested in boxing ? The so-called Fight of the Century is now on the cards for May 2nd next. Floyd Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao. They are regarded by pundits as being slightly over the hill but, you could've fooled me! It should be some contest. My 50p will be on Mayweather to edge it on points.