"Farmers are blue-collar workers, some of the most multi-skilled workers on the . . . planet and the bedrock of an economy"

Farmers are being wilfully ignored and their livelihoods destroyed by dreadful governments obsessed with the crass logic of net zero and corporations trying to asset grab farmland. And that’s why farmers are protesting across Europe. As I discussed with @thecoastguy / @GBNEWS pic.twitter.com/0RjDSfDW9P

— James Melville (@JamesMelville) January 20, 2024

Many Industries have been torn apart over the last 40 years but farming is consistently has the additional aspect of the net zero agenda farmers are concerned that this is going to affect their yields their livelihoods and the governments are completely out of touch with her what the farmers needs are what we are experiencing in Europe which goes one stage further is effectually is effectively a blue-collar rising, a blue-collar strike because enough is enough for governments who are failing to take care of business of a primary source of the economy, namely farmers.

Scotland is certainly not at the stage of what the German farmers or the French farmers are doing, but I think there is the same mood, the same feeling that they're being neglected by the government.  When you're getting severe pressure in terms of brokerage agreements with supermarkets where farmers are getting pennies for for their crops and their products and at the same time governments are implementing draconian, net zero measures, it's almost impossible for farmers to make some sort of profit.  And what's happening beyond that because farmers are under so much pressure major corporations are coming in and plundering the land and taking the land in an asset crab and then paradoxically offering more Net Zero Solutions such as destroying the landscapes and environments with mass production solar panels.

2:09. Is arrogance on the part of decision makers do they have a sense of how angry not just the farmers are but the greater population and do they care? 

2:19. I think arrogance is a huge part of this, and James makes a good point.  Let me tell you what an experience I had with a Dutch farmer.  The Dutch government was trying to implement their hydrogen restrictions by 2050, and the farmers correctly said, "What do they think we are doing with fertilizer?" because they have it for free.  So they tried to reduce fertilizer use anyway because it's something that is expensive.  But you've got some bureaucrats sitting in a windowless office who looks at this and says, "Oh, 30% looks like a good number.  Let's do it."  But I think there's a second factor that James also alluded to-- communication.  When we say forgotten community there's this old saying, "Out of sight, out of mind," and we don't see the key areas of the economy like farming, mining, energy the attention it deserves.  Maybe I'm being facetious here, but I mean it.  We have debates about drag queens story hour, but maybe we should have something like "Farmers Story Hour" or "Coal Miners Story Hour."  Maybe we should imbue young people with a certain respect about where these things come from that make modern life possible.  Then maybe we would have much more respect for farmers and others.

3:30.  You're saying, in Gareth is saying the same thing that people in Wales are not ready to rise, and you're saying that people in Scotland aren't quite at that stage, but as Ralph says wouldn't be almost beneficial if the farmers rose because the old media is not covering this, they're not drawing attention to it; quite the opposite, mis-portraying it.  Don't the people need to be confronted by the everyday reality of the farmers so that they remember that even there what it is to be what if they do 

4:00. I agree with all of it.  I think there needs to be a blue collar Rising.  We got a challenge in this country remember the poll tax in our history and what happened there if people rise up in a piece of way mbss mobilization change can happen and it comes back to the point you mentioned before that we got to start raising awareness about the bedrock and foundations of our economy and that is the producers.  The farmers are kind of root and branch, and they need to be heard in Westminster.  But the only way I think we can do that is to take a leaf out of the book from the Dutch also the Germans and the French and also going back to the Canadian truckers.  I think we need to support it.  It's our job to raise awareness for this because as you said it's not getting enough coverage.  The last thing I would say is that ironically this is sort of a campaign that the left used to be behind.  Where are the large forests of the left right now?  This is not some sort of far-right protest.  This is nuts and bolts of survival for our country and many other countries.  Food production and the workers that go with it, it's not just the farmers, it's the circular economy around farming: the shops, deliveries, all of it, has to be taken into account.  I remember the country the lines and march we had 20-30 years ago.  There were about half a million people that descended on London.  Maybe it's the time now to coordinate and galvanize a rural community and our farmers to do something about this and to vote with their feet effectively onto Westminster and make our highfalutin politicians listen to what is one of the primary and important industries in this country.