I don't like living in England....

[thirdcrank]

Until recently we had no choice here. There is still no greengrocer in town. A once a week market stall only. We have had a veg box for a number of years but that is not a choice available to everyone: either it doesn’t exist or the cost is too great.

I do get that but I also remember life as idealised in Coronation Street or as caricatured in Open All Hours when the corner shops were the only option - especially in the days of rationing - and customers were often poorly treated. Supermarkets were successful because they treated customers so much better.

There's also whatever is the opposite of rus in urbe the town in the countryside: people move out into rural areas, drive into town for most of their shopping but assume the local services will continue, even though their traditional customers have been displaced.

[PDQ Mobile]

I do get that but I also remember life as idealised in Coronation Street .....

An idea hard to recognise/reconcile!

[thirdcrank]

Just one example: when I use eggs I break them one at a time into a cup to check they are not rotten.

[Paulatic]

Just one example: when I use eggs I break them one at a time into a cup to check they are not rotten.

Blimey, as I keep my own hens I didn’t know people did that.
Out of interest how many rotten eggs do you find in a year?

[thirdcrank]

Blimey, as I keep my own hens I didn’t know people did that.
Out of interest how many rotten eggs do you find in a year?

None. It's a habit from long ago. What I was trying to say is that in the days of the ubiquitous corner shops, some sold stuff no matter what state it was in and in the absence of alternatives and when local shopkeepers were inevitably a cut above their customers they could get away with it. My point is that supermarkets changed that by giving people an alternative.

[Jdsk]

Whisper who dares, but I don't see any 'way forward' for Labour - 'new' or 'old' - in my lifetime. Maybe in a generation or two? The latest notch advanced in their self-destruct mechanism, which has been clicking regularly for years: this item popped up only today. Much as I detest the egregious Priti, I detest her for her policies and political stance; not for her name, religion or the colour of her skin.

At least the perpetrator of the offending tweet has apologised, which does him some credit. But far better not to have delivered the racist insult in the first place.

What about Unite's relationship with Labour, seeing as they are the biggest funder? What about McCluskey, who seems to be able to dictate Labour policy without being answerable to anyone? Yes I know all about "he who pays the piper calls the tune". Trouble is, a piper is only there to provide entertainment and ceremony (or in a few cases drive out rats and sprogs). The Labour party is supposed to be providing much more than that - an alternative government.

Would it be better if taxpayers, and only taxpayers, funded all political parties? Could a fair system be devised?

I've said this before, and I admit to being biased in this matter - the 'way forward' as I see it, has to be with the Greens.

"The co-leader of the Green party, Jonathan Bartley, has issued an invitation to the Labour leader to discuss a progressive alliance on left-of-centre politics, after a record showing in last week’s local elections."
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... -for-talks

But on your wider point...

I'd expect a Labour party that was less likely to win a general election to cause an increase in voting for social democratic parties including the Green Party and the SNP.

And the near future might see the realignment appearing in local politics well before UK politics.

Jonathan

[mjr]

People tend to shop in supermarkets for reasons which have led to the dominance of supermarkets. Put another way, supermarkets have thrived by giving the majority of their customers what they want.

Until recently we had no choice here. There is still no greengrocer in town. A once a week market stall only. We have had a veg box for a number of years but that is not a choice available to everyone: either it doesn’t exist or the cost is too great.

Lots more veg box coverage since lockdown made people want to avoid supermarkets and they got frustrated with the home delivery pickers squashing the salads or foisting off short life stock.

[Tangled Metal]

Should explain that Riverford do a 'British only' box for those who insist. But they've seen the benefit of diversifying to gather a broader customer base (they also supply organic meat boxes which are of no interest to us).

The main factor for us is that the produce is organic. Even though we top up with veg. from the supermarket that's not organic.

All right, call me a hypocrite....

You're not a hypocrite if you're buying it on an honest basis without claiming it's a green solution.

BTW how do you know it's organic? IIRC there was a scandal of grain coming into Germany from non organic sources from the East only to be mixed with German organic products and being passed off as organic. I think I read it in the guardian so usual caveats about it being the truth and not a lie or something dishonest.

The organic tag seems like marketing to me. Good food does not need to be organic to be healthy. It's about safe production not following soil association rules to become organic accredited.

I buy veg from a very good, local supermarket chain. For British grown vegetables they are completely open about their sources. In fact that use them in advertising.

Having worked in the head office I actually recognised some of the farms as the ones my parents went to when I was a kid. They operated farm shops from way back in the early 80s and are generational farms. By this I mean they're operating possibly on 4th generation running it. The use of artificial chemicals was always limited because the soil was just so rich. They knew their stuff and produced veg that is the match or beating of most organic veg IMHO.

[ClappedOut]

Let them eat rhubarb! © Nim Carline

I am eating rhubarb right now

We have a plant in a tub, a friend said darkness and don't eat first inch or two by leaf as oxalic acid or something?

[Tangled Metal]

They supposedly like human waste too. AIUI you used to traditionally see them outside rural toilets. The ones that were a long drop and needed digging out occasionally. My parent's old place used to be three cottages and out back was the communal toilet. A double dunny!! Apparently it was a place to meet and gossip among the ladies of the cottages in the dim and distant past. It was 300+years old.

[661-Pete]

BTW how do you know it's organic?

How do I know if the Pope is a Catholic? Yes, some things I have to take on trust. Riverford own their own farms, or else work in close cooperation with their partners in Europe. And the business is a cooperative. Of course this doesn't prove anything. I mentioned the Flat Earthers in another post. You can't prove that the Earth is round...

The organic tag seems like marketing to me. Good food does not need to be organic to be healthy. It's about safe production not following soil association rules to become organic accredited.

Well, for some produce labelled 'organic' it may be. But if it's the case with our source, they're doing a very good job of convincing us that it's not marketing...

It's just that they, like I, believe that the planet is at risk.

[Jdsk]

... and don't eat first inch or two by leaf as oxalic acid or something?

There's a lot of oxalate in the roots and leaves and I would suggest never eating them.

There's much less in the stalks. I haven't seen that two inch rule before. The oxalate isn't thought to cause problems in most people, but there are conditions in which you should be careful. If in any doubt talk to your GP.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhubarb#P ... l_toxicity
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalate#P ... al_effects

Jonathan

[Ben@Forest]

They supposedly like human waste too. AIUI you used to traditionally see them outside rural toilets. The ones that were a long drop and needed digging out occasionally. My parent's old place used to be three cottages and out back was the communal toilet. A double dunny!! Apparently it was a place to meet and gossip among the ladies of the cottages in the dim and distant past. It was 300+years old.

My grandfather used to take my dad (at a very young age) to harvest young tomato plants from the local sewage works, tomato seeds are not digested by the human body so find their way through the sewage system and grow in the dried sewage. I think it's still the case but of course water companies don't let people people into sewage farms to dig them up...

[al_yrpal]

Theres some place up in Yorkshire where they force Rhubarb in darkened sheds. Wonderful stuff with custard or ice cream. Our new place has a 75 yard long south facing brick wall I am planning figs peaches and grapes. There is a lot of Rhubarb there already. Near where I lived in South Oxfordshire we had PYO Asparagus. Called Spargle in Germany and sold from roadside booths.

Al

[fastpedaller]

I haven't read all the thread, but one observation I will make is that living in England (from what I've seen on TV etc.) is a lot better than living in a lot of other Countries. Maybe our lot isn't perfect (there may be different interpretations of what 'perfect' is), But living in war-torn Countries or those with Communist regimes or other oppression must be a whole lot worse.