British Comedy Guide

I read the news today oh boy! Page 2,533

Don't let the Turnip comment dilute what was really said which was that the average British person will all have to work more hours in order to keep up with the lifestyle of an average European.
But Brexit is also partly responsible according the UKs largest tomato growers the APS group

'Brexit has also added cost to operations, predominantly through the additional cost of employing seasonal workers. In 2022, companies were required to pay workers coming to the UK on the post-Brexit seasonal worker scheme from overseas an additional 60p an hour on top of the government's national minimum wage, a decision which Pearson said cost the company "millions" more.
However, the farming minister, Mark Spencer, informed delegates at the NFU on Tuesday that this year growers would only be required to pay workers the national minimum wage.
The length of stay permitted for workers on the post-Brexit seasonal scheme has also proved challenging for tomato businesses with a nine-month season, during which time they require an additional 1,250 people on top of about 750 full-time employees.
Under post-Brexit visa rules, seasonal workers are only allowed to stay for six months at a time, meaning two cohorts of staff are required.
"What that means to us is I now have to train everybody twice. I have to use my best people to train the new people, so my productivity at the peak of the season is really struggling," Pearson said, adding this was true for the whole industry.
Technology is unlikely to replace pickers any time soon. APS is working on developing a robotic hand, but estimates it is still about five years away from being rolled out.

I can't remember when there was a year without shortages of grown crops.
Too wet, too dry, too just right....
I've even had to force my rhubarb.

I agree there is always shortages and always a reason behind it. It's just that we now have to pretend that some factors are false as they are now classed as being unpatriotic to factor into any sensible debate.

Back to toms...
To give the govt its due, it did try to circumnavigate the problem of cumbersome EU trade by signing a deal with Morocco in 2019.
(It's almost as if, even back then, they knew trade was going to be badly affected?)
The govt actually crowed about it - and it was all well and good in a glut - plenty of Moroccan toms on the shelf so we don't have to eat that European muck.
Sadly the UK deal was a bad deal - no change there then - nothing like as good as the existing deal the EU did with Morocco.
So in lean times we get slim pickings.
The reason we're dealing with Morocco is because dealing with the EU became difficult.
The reason Morocco has stopped dealing with us is because the EU is more important to them.
Of course, we used to be part of the EU.

And on the subject of "not peddling my prejudices" - I know this is your site and everything, but if it's OK for you to say the unions are dragging us back to the fifties, I think it's OK for me to say what I think about Brexit, wouldn't you say?

You say tomato, I say tomayto

Let's call the whole thing off (due to brexit)

Quote: lofthouse @ 24th February 2023, 5:22 PM

You say tomato, I say tomayto

Let's call the whole thing off (due to brexit)

A lot of it's off already.
We've been getting decidedly manky veg on our shelves for months now.

Brexit shoehorned in for everything.
During the war..........

And yet two days ago:

Quote: Lazzard @ 22nd February 2023, 10:09 AM

Brexit aside - which isn't the only issue by a long chalk -

Now, once again, it seems to have boiled down to Brexit.

I'm no lover of Brexit myself (at least in the short-term and with the incompetence & intransigence of our current parliamentarians on both sides) but you can't just lazily blame every problem that occurs on Brexit when it's actually down to the weather, the pandemic, Ukraine, our geographical position as an island or any number of other factors. It weakens the argument when Brexit is truly the cause. Much like the boy who cried wolf.

I'm reading that, according to documents leaked this week, the Titanic never encountered an iceberg. The story was a face-saving invention.
What happened was - the beer, wines and spirits were flowing freely and somebody, just for the fun of it, suggested having a vote on whether they should continue their journey to New York or open the seacocks right there and then.
52% of the passengers were British and the rest, as they say, is history.
Image

Quote: Billy Bunter @ 24th February 2023, 7:23 PM

And yet two days ago:

Now, once again, it seems to have boiled down to Brexit.

I'm no lover of Brexit myself (at least in the short-term and with the incompetence & intransigence of our current parliamentarians on both sides) but you can't just lazily blame every problem that occurs on Brexit when it's actually down to the weather, the pandemic, Ukraine, our geographical position as an island or any number of other factors. It weakens the argument when Brexit is truly the cause. Much like the boy who cried wolf.

I literally said Brexit wasn't the only issue.
In fact you kindly quoted me on it.
So I clearly don't 'lazily' blame everything on it.
The fact that I later expound on the role Brexit is playing in the situation doesn't negate that.
It has improved nothing and has made a bad situation worse.
Fortunately the wheels are coming off now, and with luck a new adminstration can beging to repair the damage.
Meanwhile, I'm off for a mozarella and turnip salad.

Quote: Stephen Goodlad @ 24th February 2023, 5:53 PM

Brexit shoehorned in for everything.
During the war..........

It always comes down to leaf or romaine.

Quote: Lazzard @ 25th February 2023, 10:47 AM

It always comes down to leaf or romaine.

DOH!

And now, you need to pay a penance for that.

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 25th February 2023, 2:53 PM

DOH!

And now, you need to pay a penance for that.

Sorry - now I feel radicchio.

Quote: Lazzard @ 25th February 2023, 2:56 PM

Sorry - now I feel radicchio.

RIGHT! That's it...........Go on!! Get yer coat. Out right now, and don't come back until you're sorry!

Sorry - but there's loads more.
Cos that's just the tip of the iceberg.

*runs away*

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