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Johnstone's View 25th April 2008

In a developed country, it can be easy in times of plenty to allow the difficulties facing developing countries to be one of our top priorities. It is ironic then, that the conspicuous consumption, for which we have developed a taste, is itself one of the most damaging influences on the third world.

Climate change is by far the most fashionable of the ‘new religions’ with which we have to cope. The phrase, ‘new religion’ of course, is controversial in itself but I use it for a sound reason. While there is undoubtedly a scientific basis for the phenomenon of global warming, the followers of the ‘cult’ have elevated it to the point where it has become an article of faith, requiring politicians like myself to accept conclusions for which there is no basis in fact whatsoever.

I then find myself in front of audiences of the converted who have no appetite for discussion of their pet subject in any terms other than there own. Needless to say I often leave them disappointed and, ideally, a bit angry.

We have of course, had a number of famines in recent years with pictures of starving people on our televisions inspiring us all to raise money to buy food to send to Ethiopia or Sudan or one of the many other localised emergencies there have been over the years.  It needs to be pointed out however, that most of the starvation we have seen in our time has had its origin in the politics or the economics of the affected regions.  The idea that our financial donations, either through charity fundraising or government aid can actually help the situation is dependant on a physical surplus of food which can actually be delivered to the people who need it in times of shortage.

Here in this country we have another growing group of relatively well off individuals who have been campaigning for years to end subsidised food production and, as a result of the 2004 mid term review of the European Common Agriculture Policy, have now got their way,  making us significant food importers again for the first time in a generation.  Food commodity prices have rocketed as a result.

We here in the Northeast, and in fact across most of the United Kingdom, still rely largely traditional farming methods.  Most of Scotland, 82% in fact, is classified as Less Favoured Area and will never lend itself to ‘factory farming’.   Never the less, these traditional methods are not good enough for some who pursue the organic ‘faith’.  While the rest of the world successfully employs new bio-technologies to increase food production, we have political movements dedicated to their rejection.

Add to this another expensive taste which we have acquired; borrowing.  Many of us borrow to buy a home or to invest in a business but personal borrowing is dwarfed by the growth in government borrowing.  As the chancellor borrows, so that we all might live beyond our means, it is the people of the developing world who find themselves the victims of our insatiable appetite.

It now seems that every day that passes, our ‘feel good factor’ is diminished.  Our great economic boom has become the great economic bust, and many of us find that we cannot cope with simultaneous high prices for food and fuel while at the same time the cost of living is rising faster than at any time since the mid 1980’s, although the chancellor tells us that inflation is actually low and that the cost of living is something entirely different (?)

There is a real danger that, with so many problems of our own to worry about, we might loose interest in the problems of the third world.  We must not allow this to happen.  In our times of difficulty we must be prepared to reconsider our frivolous self indulgences and deal with our problems, and those of the rest of the world, in a practical and logical way.

We must look for ways to stop global warming but we must prepare to cope with the consequences if we can't.  In a world where there is not enough food to go round, we must produce more of it at home and foster greater production overseas so that surpluses are available in times of crisis – the starving can't eat money. Finally we need a government which believes that Britain should be a net contributor to the worlds economy, not the parasite it has become.