More annihilation of British Farmers rights

Our poor old British counterparts are suffering yet more draconian public whims with the news this week that a dairy farmer who happened to be grazing his cows in a field with a public access walkway through it, will face $1 million pounds in damages for injuries received by a walker after she was attacked by cattle in Cumbria in 2003.

If ever we needed proof that the general public in Britain has gone barmy, this is it, and it goes to the very heart of why farmers here fought so hard over public access issues here recently - they saw the future - and it looks costly.

According to the Farmers Weekly UK a judge at Preston Crown Court ruled the farmer was liable because he had not properly considered the risk his cattle posed.

"Ms McKaskie (the victim), who was walking her dog across one of Mr Cameron’s fields, is claiming £1m for the injuries she sustained in the attack.While Mr Cameron is appealing against the decision, legal experts warned the judge’s decision could set a legal precedent and mean farmers having to remove cattle from fields.

However the NFU said there was nothing in law to prevent farmers putting cattle and calves in fields with public access.

"It is a concern that following a recent court case in light of the accident that there is a suggestion cattle should not be grazed in fields with footpaths,” the union’s Robert Shearsby told the BBC.

"The NFU advises its members on the requirements of the law and what should be done to minimise risks."

The ruling came after a police officer was paid £10,000 in damages by a landowner after he was trampled by a herd of cattle."

This is of course what happens when the rights of the public are put ahead of the necessity of producing food. Farmers in Britain may own the land but it seems they barely have a foothold on it, and that is why we see so many immigrating to New Zealand. Who can blame them!

Federated Farmers versus Sex Pistol rocker

Who would have thought it gov? Johnny Rotten, the teeth gnashing, spitting, torn punk rocker who hailed anarchy in the UK has a softer side - in fact the gnarled grizzled face Sex Pistol front man likes his butter - British only apparently.

It's a bit of a comedown for his fans though ain't it? God save the Queen and her fascist regime has now become God save our cows and the products of their bowels.

You see Rotten has become the face of a new British butter advertising campaign that extols the virtue of butter made from only British milk - not like that Kiwi stuff, he reckons.

But he didn't count on Federated Farmers Dairy Vice President Willy Leferink wading into battle.

According to Farmers Weekly UK Leferink has invited Rotten see for himself the way cows are kept down under.

“Never mind the butter, it’s the quality of the milk what counts,” Willy says. “While all milk may contain the same basic properties, Kiwi cows are in a league of their own.
“Grazing outdoors on GM-free grass and natural winter feed makes for happy cows and fantastic-quality milk.”
European Union tariffs were the only barriers holding back sales of New Zealand’s Anchor butter in the UK, he said.
“While I’d like to think of dairy farmers as being the rock stars of the New Zealand economy, I’d be pleased to host that old punk rocker, John Lydon, on my farm.
“Perhaps Mr Lydon could use some of the money he got paid for endorsing the British brand to pay for his flight down under.”
Only hand-crafted but expensive British butter matched New Zealand butter for quality, Mr Leferink claimed.
“New Zealand’s climate and quality pasture means we are in an agricultural sweet spot. British consumers literally taste freedom when they eat New Zealand butter.”
Dairy Crest’s butter advertising campaign featuring Mr Lydon sent sales of English Country Life soaring when it aired on TV screens across Britain.
The commercial reminded shoppers that the butter was made with 100% British milk unlike other brands from New Zealand and Denmark.
It was being supported by a website encouraging people to sign a pledge that they were "proud to buy British".

You can watch one of the ads here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mSE-Iy_tFY

'Awesum Johnnie'

With a little 'Keewi engineeoity', as the lad himself likes to drawl, Prime Minister John Key has catapulted from biking past houses with 'kids more fortunate' than him to the kind of capitalist wealth and power Wall Street bankers salivate over in their dreams.

Lucky then there is no Obama here to whip the rich boys into shape. Oh to be the proverbial fly on the wall for their future meetings.

Obama: " This gift is simply not acceptable John. You must be held accountable."

Key: "I know Barack but hey look, I only bought you Fiji as a gift from the New Zealand taxpayer. It's cheap as chips mate. I could have really gone to market and bought you Australia instead."

Who can forget the election night speech...such hallowed words,
invigorating, uplifting. "We did it," and the toothy grin reminiscent of
a night of mischief in a prep school dormitory with Bill English.

One wonders whatever happened to those kids he used to look longingly at as he
cycled past. Still, he got his own back didn't he, because right now those 'kids' are likely to lose their jobs, be bogged down in debt while forced to look at
their esteemed leader, smiling, like a thousand Cheshire cats following the Pied Piper and his merry rats, night after night on the television and wondering where it all went wrong. 'Up ya...ya middle class morons,' would have been a more acceptable description of Key's election night pre-pubescent elation.

So Christmas rolled around, as did the financial meltdown and Obama told his people that "this was America's time to put people back to work and to restore prosperity". New Zealanders' held their breath, anxiously waiting for our own leader's inspiring rhetoric that would make us bound out of bed with endless optimism, and say YES WE CAN! to every banker refusing to drop interest rates.

And so the Sainsbury teddy bear put up his best Christmas sparklers, and invited one and all to drinkypoos. Helen beside John. John scratching, itching, desperately resisting the urge to say 'nah nah nahnah nah' and then the piece de resistance.

Sainsbury (something like this anyway): "So John, do you have a message for the New Zealand people for the New Year."

(Cue the "Yes we cans, the timeless creeds, the eternal spirit of our nation speech.)

Key: "Weeeeelll I hopes ya all have a good holiday cos I'm bloody going to. See ya next year sumtimes."

All he needed was a pair of cowboy boots and a penchant for talking about 'them guys' and he could have passed for George Bush's illegitimate twin brother. And if all of that was making you uncomfortable in light of the ease and pace with which America's new leader was delivering his vision, add in a podium tumble and a humiliating tussle at Waitangi and Key began to resemble
more of a blethering baboon than a leader of the South Pacific.

What has made the entire saga that much more bizarre is watching a statesman like Labour leader emerging from the long shadows of the Helen era, one that seems to possess that rare quality seen in politics - dignity.

When Key is alone, (when Bill isn't pulling those tight strings from beside the press gallery Prime Minister podium), amusingly, the media look more and more to Phil Goff to provide them with a leader like summary of the event at hand, and it is becoming harder and harder to establish who really is the PM.

Take Waitangi for instance. Sure it was a debacle but it wasn't the shoving that made it so - it was Key gaffing when trying to explain the significance of Waitangi. You got the impression that the guy didn't really mean what he said, or know what he was supposed to say.

So unimpressive was his speech that One News cut to Goff who gave them exactly what they wanted to hear.

And why is this important?

Because in the current climate, as past history has shown us, the ability to look as though you are in control, to inspire, to aspire is crucial. In this respect Key is failing and allowing Bill English to look more and more like the 'mean ole' puppet master.

And even if Key has a serious lack of ability in his position it can be masked, as Churchill showed during World War Two. Churchill the man was not a visionary, nor a masterful politician. He was a shrewd orator able to manipulate his people to great heights. Even if Obama does nothing more than talk for the next four years it will at least lift his people, and help them to help themselves - a sentiment our Prime Minister desperately needs to learn.