Monday, February 04, 2008
Farmers smiling in the rain.
This blog rarely ventures into the world of farming, despite this being my only source of income since last May when I lost my seat in the National Assembly. I use the word 'income' loosely because there wasn't any of it in 2007. If I'm free on a Monday morning, I usually spend an hour or so in the Welshpool Livestock Market, catching up on gossip and the trade. Today, it was 'chucking it down', but I could see smiling faces peering out from under the waxen hoodies. Fat lamb prices were up to a level that leaves a profit. And this on top of last week's store cattle sale where trade was smile-inducingly 'hot'. No good to me of course. Like most upland sheep farmers, all my fat lambs went before Xmas - but I did have the pleasure of seeing some of Montgomeryshire's farmers smiling in the rain.
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8 comments:
I do not wish to be rude, I have been self employed for many years and employ a small team, so I speak with a degree of experience.
You say you use the word income loosely, but perhaps if you spent more time do the "day" job you might well have more success.
At least you have had the tax free sum of at least £20,000 golden good bye to live off since last May.
Some business politicians to me are like golfers who spend too much time on the golf course, then wonder what happened to their business's whilst they are away from them.
Bit like Nero having a fiddle whilst Rome burnt.
This blog must have taken a fair bit of time up since your return from the Bajan shores.
And if I am being very honest with you, you seemed to have drifted away from being a True Conservative.
I would not normally be so direct, but I know only too well of the demands of business at the moment,so to see some one like you going hither and thither, on your little jaunts around mid Wales, leaves me quite sure you are not putting your all into the "business".
I by the way have always voted Conservative, so am not having a go for the sake of it.
d roberts - and you are quite right. The main reason that I do not make a profit is that I choose to do other things. I spend less than 25% of my time on the farm. Like a lot of business people, I worked all hours to establish myself, and to ensure our children were well established as well. Then, I decided to diversify my life. I suppose I could retire, as most of my friends have done, but I enjoy spending some time on my farm. I still hope that one or more of the children will retire to farm as well. I intend to carry on farming until I die.
Where I do disagree with you is when you comment that I have moved away from being a true Conservative. Several others comment in the same way, without outlining what they mean - except those who want to see the Assembly abolished. I am a pragmatist, that adopts policies based on where we are rather than where I would like us to be. This blog is about discussion and debate - so tell me where you think I'm not a Conservative so that I can defend myself.
fair enough glyn. at least your not moaning about no profit. without wanting to suck up i think you are a good face for the conservatives. i hope those who criticise will accept your offer to say why. im looking forward to the debate.
Imho, Glyn is a Conservative.
The confusion that some might have “probably has to do with" what grouping or camp that Glyn and other Conservatives fall into. If I might use some chemical/scientific terms, there are thermoset Conservatives and thermoplastic Conservatives. If one can visualize a bucket – a bucket with a layer of thermoset plastic at the bottom of the bucket with a layer of thermoplastic on top.
The thermoset grouping is set in their ways and will only budge if a LOT of heat is applied to them. Thermoplastic (and I think Cameron is in this grouping) can, once warmed up, be receptive to new ideas.
Now, there's an interface group (somewhat akin to the interface between water and oil sometimes found in large marine vessels, where varieties of Aspergillus conservatartis can grow - without requiring light, which should tell you something about this grouping). Now some of the thermoset conservatives at the bottom of the bucket, and furthest away from the interface between thermoset/thermoplastic boundary, are very set in their ways. Only extreme heat will make them change position on most issues. This grouping can be persuaded (once weaned off troffing) to relocate to a nice sized golf resort or motor-yacht club.
Moving upwards and towards the interface/boundary we observe thermoset conservatives that require medium heat to shift to common sense positions on vital issues. Moving on upwards through the interface-boundary we find ourselves in the thermoplastic territory where Conservatives embrace new ideas with gusto. Take Cameron, he’s in the thermoplastic territory some way above the interface/boundary.
I would like to see you say where you might like us to go.
You seem set on keeping the assembly going now.
To think the money spent on this assemble is still only a third in monetary terms of what the Government have bailed Northern Rock out for.
Put it that way, it's a waste of bloody time and our money.
When one thinks of what the old Welsh office accomplished under amongst others Wyn Roberts and co, it makes me laugh out loud.
Would be Wyn be writting blogs argueing the finner points of the price of fish?
Nah, would he hell as like!
On the other hand would he have bothered standing for the assemble in the first place?
Thought not!
anon - I too would welcome comments outlining where the disagreement is.
christopher - blimey. Are you saying my party's a 'bucket' case?
sun tsu - When I think about where I would like the party to go, I don't think there is any point in spending time considering options that are not in play. It was not me that created the Assembly. I was the only person in Montgomeryshire who organised public meetings in 1997 to oppose it. It was not my decision to remove the idea of abolition from any future referendum. Until the decision was taken, I was publicly advocating that this option should be put. All I do is try to make some sense of the constitutional reality of the 2nd Government of Wales Act under which power is currently being transferred to the Assembly - without any reference to the people in a referendum.
I too know Lord Roberts of Conwy, and I don't think I've ever known a more pragmatic politician. It would have be really interesting if he had written a blog over the last few years rather than his autobiography.
Glyn ... all tongue in cheek Glyn! I did put the thermoplastic conservatives at the top of the bucket! Better to be in the bucket than "kicking the bucket"! Which begs the question which party is kicking the bucket? I have a gut&bone feeling ... and it's a disconcerting prediction - I'm not sure you want to publish it on your website given what read like your version of the recent Fred-Thompson swan song. But it makes for sobering reading and foretells a limited oblivion (but not for the Conservative Party), "limited" sort of IDs the party concerned. Eric Cantona might observe, “In the animal kingdom it’s not always the good guys that get eaten alive.” I guess most of us know that politics can be cruel, but what of a hidden hand that can deliver judgment in our time and space, a smack down; as they say, a week is a long time in politics. So Party Beware. Your days are surely numbered and we are not talking complex or imaginary numbers, just the real number variety.
Dr Wood, applying heat to Conservatives sounds a very good idea. ;-)
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