#therese cogffey

[eaglesnick]

LET THEM EAT TURNIPS

Yesterday’s newspapers and digital media were full of comparisons between Therese Coffey and the Queen of France, Marie Antoinette. France then, as Britain is now, was experiencing massive food-inflation, and when Antoinette was told that French families could no longer afford the price of a loaf of bread she allegedly replied, “Let them eat cake.”

Coffey did much the same, the Sun printing this headline:

“LET THEM EAT TURNIPS  Therese Coffey tells Brits hit by tomato crisis to eat turnips instead.” (Sun: 23/02/23)

At one level Coffey’s reaction to food shortages in the UK can be taken as humorous but that would be a mistake. Coffey may not of actually said, “Let them eat turnips”, anymore than Marie Antoinette said “Let them eat cake ”. But what Coffey has said, with not a hint of humour, is her reply to those in England who are forced to use food banks because of increasing poverty. She categorically ruled out:

“… help for farmers and consumers facing higher costs…'it is not the role of government to provide free food’ or to intervene in markets."  (Guardian:06/12.22)

More callous still is her total lack of understanding regarding the plight of poor working families.

'If you can't afford food, work harder': Environment Secretary Therese Coffey sparks backlash by saying anyone who is struggling with cost-of-living crisis should take on longer hours.”  (MailOnline: 23/02/23)

Coffey will not “intervene in markets” because that goes against the free-market economic philosophy of the Tory Party. Unfortunately, there is not a “free market” when it comes to food purchasing. It is the big supermarkets who control the market, who dictate the price paid to producers and ultimately the supply and price of food on the supermarket shelf.

Energy price increases have led to higher costs for UK growers of salad crops and the supermarkets have chosen to go overseas for supplies rather than pay UK producers. Bad weather in the overseas producer areas has then led to a shortage of certain crops and hence food rationing in UK supermarkets.

All of this is understandable and, in as much as the supermarkets are trying to keep prices as low as possible for the consumer, commendable. What is totally unacceptable is the government’s total lack of planning and support for UK producers when it comes to food security.

Thanet houses the largest glasshouse growing complex in Europe and historically these homegrown salad producers supplied the majority of our supermarkets. This year, a year of massive energy price increases, the Tory Government has decided NOT to support these growers.  Instead,

“The government seems to be more interested in getting retailers together and talk about alternative sources for produce in the future rather trying to support British growers...” (Farming Today This Week: 25/03/23)

Clearly Therese Coffey has NO plans or strategy to secure food supplies for the 70 million inhabitants of our small island. We have seen industry after industry disappear from our shores because of rigid Tory adherence to “free market” principles. Over the last decade 600.000 jobs in UK manufacturing have disappeared. We cannot afford to let this happen to our food production.

Therese Coffey, rather than telling poor working families to work harder if they want their children to eat, should concentrate on her own responsibilities and devise a plan to guarantee food security within our own borders rather than rely upon a non-existent free market.

We all know what happened to Marie Antoinette. If there is any natural justice Therese Coffey will suffer the equivalent political fate.