ANIMAL FORUM

> I only normally resort to conspiracy theories when there is an extreme
> discrepancy between rhetoric and actual practice which I cannot explain
any
> other way. I am coming to hold that view over the relationship between
the
> landowning elite and their supposed enemies in New Labour, not only
because
> of the seemingly permanent impasse over foxhunting (and the constant
refusal
> to invoke the Parliament Act on the matter) but because of an infuriating
> report in the Times business pages of 22nd January. This has the
government
> secretly scuppering a reform of the Common Agricultural Policy proposed by
> the European Commission, which would have ended handouts of over Ł187,500
to
> any farmers anywhere in the EU.

> I only normally resort to conspiracy theories when there is an extreme
> discrepancy between.

> Robin Carmody wrote:
> > I only normally resort to conspiracy theories when there is an extreme
> > discrepancy between.
>
> The land owning elite ROFL proof positive that Robin is trapped in some
> 19thCentury time warp.
>
> Todays elites are not land owners, people with big estates etc, the elite,
> are those that run trade unions, and big business, especially business
> involved in the procurment of government contracts.
>
> Land owning elite dear god, its like a throwback to some Leninist
uprising
> in the 1920s.
>
> Completely out of touch with the modern world.

>
> Gaz
>
>

> I only normally resort to conspiracy theories when there is an extreme
> discrepancy between rhetoric and actual practice which I cannot explain
any
> other way. I am coming to hold that view over the relationship between
the
> landowning elite and their supposed enemies in New Labour, not only
because
> of the seemingly permanent impasse over foxhunting (and the constant
refusal
> to invoke the Parliament Act on the matter) but because of an infuriating
> report in the Times business pages of 22nd January. This has the
government
> secretly scuppering a reform of the Common Agricultural Policy proposed by
> the European Commission, which would have ended handouts of over Ł187,500
to
> any farmers anywhere in the EU. The infuriating thing is that only 224
> farmers in the UK receive more than this, but the amounts involved are
> vast - according to Defra 11 farmers are entitled to more than Ł1 million
a
> year.
>
> The government claim that they torpedoed the reform because Britain has
more
> large-scale farming than other EU states so would have been entitled to
less
> money overall from the CAP had the reform been introduced, but the
> counter-argument is that New Labour have ensured the continuation of a
> status quo where rich landowners get paid vast amounts of money to sit on
> their arses and do nothing much - the *absolute antithesis* of the Attlee
> governments effect on the landowning elite, with the introduction of
death
> duties and the general social changes so that, for the first time, *they
all
> had to work*. The decision also perpetuates inequality between the
regions
> (ie vast amounts of money going to Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk and
> very little by comparison going to the more inherently agricultural
> economies of the West of England). Quite apart from this, it contravenes
> every public statement made in recent times by the government on the CAP,
> from Gordon Browns call at the Labour conference last autumn to tackle
the
> waste of the CAP to Tony Blairs apparent public frustration in 2002 when
> every EU government except France seemingly called for reform, but France
> torpedoed it as usual.
>
> Whatever is happening here, it stinks - a betrayal of all the hopes many
of
> us had for Labour to seriously challenge waste and inequity. I am coming
to
> suspect that there have been whispers behind the scenes influencing the
> government to behave in this way, an arrogant sense on the part of a tiny
> elite of being above a democratically elected government which that
> government has kow-towed to. I wonder where the leaked Prince Charles
> letters from 2002 come into this, if at all?
>
> RC
>
>

> I only normally resort to conspiracy theories when there is an extreme
> discrepancy between rhetoric and actual practice which I cannot explain
any
> other way. I am coming to hold that view over the relationship between
the
> landowning elite and their supposed enemies in New Labour, not only
because
> of the seemingly permanent impasse over foxhunting (and the constant
refusal
> to invoke the Parliament Act on the matter) but because of an infuriating
> report in the Times business pages of 22nd January. This has the
government
> secretly scuppering a reform of the Common Agricultural Policy proposed by
> the European Commission, which would have ended handouts of over Ł187,500
to
> any farmers anywhere in the EU. The infuriating thing is that only 224
> farmers in the UK receive more than this, but the amounts involved are
> vast - according to Defra 11 farmers are entitled to more than Ł1 million
a
> year.

> God...when are you people going to learn !
>

> Did you really expect new labour to do what it said that it was going to
do
> ?

>
> As for Foxhunting, then if you really thought that there would be a ban,
> then you must be living in cloud cuckoo land !

> Tony Blair is far too smart
> for that !

> Although I hate labour and everything that it stands for,

> I do
> accept that he is a brilliant politician. he never had any intention of
> bringing a ban on hunting !

> Think it out ! look at all those thickos who
> followed him thinking that he would ban hunting !

> The guy wants to be
> president of Europe...

> Just think what would happen if he tried to ban
> hunting in france !
>

> No, its not going to happen
>