Off topic fishing Ban 545

Yes.

Yes.

I reckon it will; UK will become a country rather like, say, some of the S.American countries with a small number of very rich people and the majority of the population living a rather poor lifestyle with many out of work.

Why? Because not only are people coming here to work for lower wages but we are exporting jobs which means that countries we could outbid (or simply take from) in the past will be able to outbid us for food and whatever else we are trying to buy on the world market. That's something we are not used to so we cannot imagine it. Think of a situation where the minority is supporting the majority, viz out-of-work and pensioners, from their taxes; how much tax is the "working man" (ok or woman) going to be prepared to pay so that those being supported can afford to pay world prices - prices he is already having to pay to feed his own family.

So why are these prices going to be high? We don't have a war which is sinking grainboats and Atlantic convoys as in WW2. What we do have is international compebreastion by countries whose people are starting to earn wagessimilar to ours and it will just take an "incident" which affects yield in one of the main producing areas - weather, flood, pest outbreak, or even local politics-fanatics - for demand to outstrip supply and then prices will increase.

We might be able to offset some of the problem, at least for staples, if we produced our own food; in the last war if you couldn't get something you wanted you either went without or made something yourself. We can't go without food. So are we gearing up uk food production? At least for staples? You tell me. Everyone is saying "Global production and living on imports is ok because we are not going to have threats of war upsetting supplies." They don't seem to have heard of weather, floods or pests.

And just one more thing if you're still with me and then I'll shut up. Smkts surely give us low prices so a better chance of weathering these price rises don't they? Yes, to some extent but (a) they have to buy on the world market too, and (b) what do you think is going to happen to their prices when they have end local compebreastion and probably swallowed each other to some extent eg Morrisons-Safeway?

Why are we not seeing it now? It takes time to build up - haven't the foggiest how long, ask the economists - and we don't know when the next catastrophe will be but we seem to be getting a few more than usual lately - just need one to hit the major food production areas.....

Cheers, To the future, Jane

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