Total lack of common sense

Not so many weeks ago, Dominic Cummings announced that he would like a large number of weirdos and misfits to apply for jobs in government departments. By gum, he has really rung the bell! Dr Tim Leunig is a Professor at the London School of Economics who has been seconded to a government position. He is the chief scientific adviser and chief analyst at the Department of Education and economic adviser on housing at the Department for Communities and Local Government. He is also associate Professor of economic history at the London School of Economics.

Now his latest proclamation adequately displays his total lack of common sense. He has declared that growing food in the UK is not economically necessary and that we should import all, or most, of our food in exactly the same way as in Singapore.

Now Singapore is covered from top to bottom by concrete and development, with a population (as at 2017) of 5.614 million and a total area of 721.5 km2. The known population of the UK (as at 2018) is 66.3 million (and probably more), with a total area of 242,495 km2.

Compared with Dr Leunig I am obviously of low intelligence, as it puzzles me why he has these two countries as a meaningful comparison. It may well be that lateral thinking is a useful tool in deciding policy, but this particular example portrays vividly the plethora of useless individuals employed by our civil service. I fervently believe his surname has one too many ‘Gs’ in it. What really worries me is that he has been guiding our next generation of youth in further education and ultimately employment, yet somebody is actually paying his salary! If there is any more money available for daft ideas, please give me a ring.

PS He is only 49 and having spent all his life in academia small wonder he does not know how many beans make four.

I have decided to flex my muscles and proclaim that my philosophical belief systems are worthy of protection. I have decided not to pay tax any more as fleecing the old and unemployed is grossly unfair. I have decided only to have a shower once every two months as this keeps the mice away in the winter and the wasps away in the summer. I have decided not to watch Piers Morgan any more because he is a self-opinionated egotistical bore, whereas I do not have any opinions of any worth.

How is it that vegans have been allowed to disrupt other people’s enjoyment of meat and meat products without any interference from the laws of the land and with apparent impunity, even though meat has been the most important part of our diet for thousands of years? I do not preach to them and I begrudge these people being able to preach to me by means of protest. The latest wheeze is for nudist groups seeking to turn their choice of lifestyle into a philosophical belief system worthy of statutory protection. It’s fine to display yourself in a protected and private environment, but don’t believe that the rest of us want to witness you revealing your assets on the high street.

I can’t quite understand the furore surrounding the possible importation of American chickens washed in chlorine. It is not a health hazard and I don’t hear of droves of Americans dying through its consumption. We have to face the fact that all or most of our prepared salad leaves are washed in chlorine to prevent organisms expressing themselves, and washed potatoes in plastic bags are treated exactly the same way to prevent them from sprouting. I suggest growers and suppliers of all these products play on the provenance of their wares and let the consumers decide British is best. Incidentally, all public swimming pools and our domestic water supply is treated with chlorine.

Prices for sheep meat are the highest they have been for five years and beef looks like it could follow suit. One cloud on the horizon, however, is the distinct possibility that coronavirus will necessitate the closing of the livestock markets. We don’t have to go back many years to witness the carnage imposed on the livestock trade when markets were closed for 55 weeks. The major players in the slaughter industry and the supermarkets had a field day. I do not trust any of them to play ball and provide a realistic return if my worst fears are realised. Keep supporting your local live auction – you will miss it 100% when it is gone.

PS Even though I have recently had a knee operation, I have promised to get the ride-on charged up. Management is over the moon!