Friday 30th March

Well isn't the country in a bit of a pickle at the moment, we have been in the grip of a nasty "Foot & Mouth" outbreak now for over one month and it's gonna take many more months before we can once again say, that we are a country free from the disease.

Whilst we can not blame the government for that fact that the infection started we can start blaming it for the fact that they have allowed it to go further than it might have done. Although they were fast in actually taking action, they soon became slow in the actual disposel and killing of animals. Although this would have not halted the disease it would have spread maybe a little less than it has and also may have shortened the length of time that the disease is spreading.

There was no reason why the army could not have been brought in 2 weeks before Tony Blair requested such action, the disposal of animals from killing to burying would have taken up to 24 hours at the most, in most cases. But instead he dithered and seemed to allow the assumption that he would not have the army going into farmers fields shooting animals and wildlife. He and some of the press for two weeks just seemed to miss the point. The army with it's man power and heavy equipment was ideal for helping in the first instance in the actual disposal of dead animals.

At the begining of the crisis Mr Blair and his government over reacted in their attempts to keep people away from farmers land, and basically scared people into not going into the countryside itself at all. This has probably damaged the leisure industry more than the actual disease itself. Mr Blair is now finding it hard to even convince the world that tourists should come to the UK and enjoy the countryside. It is now doubtful that enough tourists can be convinced to come to the countryside at all this summer. This is bound to drive many a business bankrupt.

We have recently found out in the press that the outbreak started with one farmer feeding infected pig swill to his animals. Since it is widely known and has been for years that pig swill provides many dangers for infections other than foot & mouth, it seems astonishing that such a practice has been allowed to go on in the farming community. The government in defense started saying that "well only one and a half per cent of the farming community used pig swill", well if one case can do this to a country that is one and a half per cent too many, and too late. We have finally learned over last few days that we will at last be outlawing pig swill, but that's like shutting gate after the horse has bolted.

Mr Blair has been trying his level best not to look as though he is thinking about the general election, something he has failed at well and truly. His little slip at a recent European Conference has thrown any last little doubt, even loyal supporters of his government had about his lack of thinking on any possible general election. it is beyond me that a governement with one of the biggest majorities ever should need to go to the polls now, when he has at least a year left in this term of office. But we can all remember his last pledge to his Labour cronies at the last election and that was to have a Labour government elected for two terms, something Labour has never managed. It seems that Mr Blair is more interested in future history and personal ambition than that of the plight of the people within his country. It is because he has such a huge majority that he thinks that it does not matter if he goes to the polls now, even with most farmers not voting or voting for the Tories he is bound to be re elected so why not, this is how arrogant he actually is.

I'm personally hoping that Mr Blair does call an election for May the 3rd because longer term it will do his government more damage and will lose him more seats come the election. It will also show to everybody including his spin doctoring followers that he is more interested in himself and his party than the people of this country. It will also hopefully damage further chances of Labour getting in for a third term. I think Mr Balir either way in a second term of office is going to have a much rougher ride, having still to deliver on promises not kept in this term of office and in-fighting within a reduced majority of seats within his own government.

At the moment the future of farming is in some what of a mess, why on earth we insist on experminating with such foods as pig swill and specially mixed animal feed, with god knows what chemicals or animal remains in them, is beyond me. Over the last few decades of modern farming we have fed our poor farm animals with nothing put rubbish and we the customer and the population, not to say the poor animals have suffered for this and all in the name of modern farming. Need I also mention the Common Agricultural policy within Europe, what a disaster that has been and still the policy rains on ever harder and faster, without any real attempt to modernise it or change it. I don't usually agree with Prince Charles on most matters, but he knows his farming, all this modern experimenting with feed and chemicals has got to stop, if it does not other events and diseases will take place in the future.

So how much of this weekend will Tony Blair be thinking about "Foot & Mouth" and the "General Election". Well we wil have to see. All will be revealed on Monday. Will he do the decent honourable thing and postpone his personal ambitions until the autumn, or be greedy and go for his second bite of power. Well looking at the news at the moment it's looking 50/50.