Owen Patterson - an MP past his sell-by date?

[Guest]

Did anyone catch the interview (one could say, bloodbath) on Channel 4 last night when Krishnan Guru-Murthy interviewed Owen Paterson - an apology for an Environment Minister? rarely have I seen a more miserable, flustered, out-of-depth and incompetent clown of an interviewee. He came out with some real corkers...for example, "that hamburgers should not have any significant horsemeat in the them". Any? There should be NONE, Minister. You, Sir, are a buffoon.

The response by the Food Standards Agency has also been knee-jerk and ill-thought through. http://blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/...shambles/12720

Does make you wonder. Not that Labour would fare any better.

[amateur51]

Did anyone catch the interview (one could say, bloodbath) on Channel 4 last night when Krishnan Guru-Murthy interviewed Owen Paterson - an apology for an Environment Minister? rarely have I seen a more miserable, flustered, out-of-depth and incompetent clown of an interviewee. He came out with some real corkers...for example, "that hamburgers should not have any significant horsemeat in the them". Any? There should be NONE, Minister. You, Sir, are a buffoon.

The response by the Food Standards Agency has also been knee-jerk and ill-thought through. http://blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/...shambles/12720

Does make you wonder. Not that Labour would fare any better.

Those-in-the-know are blaming the deep cuts in Food Standards staff in local authorities.

Where's Which? in all this? The furious voice of the consumer needs to be heard!

[LeMartinPecheur]

Where's Which? in all this? The furious voice of the consumer needs to be heard!

Ummm, possibly HMG has sorted that one already by giving Which? an increasingly official status in the "Consumer Landscape" (nice bucolic, passive, peaceful, reassuring phrase coined by HMG itself) as guardian of consumer education, consumer codes etc in succession to the Orifice of Fair Trading.

So soon they probably won't feel able to say boo to a goose either...

[amateur51]

Ummm, possibly HMG has sorted that one already by giving Which? an increasingly official status in the "Consumer Landscape" (nice bucolic, passive, peaceful, reassuring phrase coined by HMG itself) as guardian of consumer education, consumer codes etc in succession to the Orifice of Fair Trading.

So soon they probably won't feel able to say boo to a goose either...

Interesting point, LMP - what a shame if you're right

But surely you're not saying that Dave & Gideon have created another quango by the back door?

[teamsaint]

seems that some of those responsible for supplying neddy meat haven't been quite as good as they should have been in the past....
a rather large worm can this one, from what I read and hear.

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/maeve-dineen-unwelcome-return-to-spotlight-for-the-great-survivor-goodman-28959092.html

as for politicians....waste of space, totally, as far as I am concerned.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Interesting point, LMP - what a shame if you're right

But surely you're not saying that Dave & Gideon have created another quango by the back door?

Seriously am51, I don't see this as 'creating quangos' so much as delegating resonsibilities that belong inalienably to government, national and local, to charities and independent 'pressure' organisations.

It's happening a lot all across the board. Soon it'll be solely Help the Aged's fault if old people are dying in squalid poverty

Silly boy, I said 'if' when I meant 'when'

[Barbirollians]

Does Owen Paterson have a daughter ? Expect her to be force fed on telly a horse lasagne some time soon !

The Tories emasculated the FSA a couple of years ago to please their food industry mates. Listen to the Food programme on Radio 4 tomorrow .

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Whilst agreeing that all food should be accurately labelled, it does seem nonsensical to go into a panic about horsemeat, which is no more dangerous than cattle meat or sheep meat. All three are vegetarian animals, so should not have concentrated toxins. Dog or cat meat would be an entirely different matter.

I think the current reaction has little to do with food safety, or with the accuracy of labelling. It may have more to do with our discrimination between animals, regarding cattle, pigs and sheep as commodities, but horses, cats and dogs as friends. It has more about these preconceptions than anything else.

[Petrushka]

Whilst agreeing that all food should be accurately labelled, it does seem nonsensical to go into a panic about horsemeat, which is no more dangerous than cattle meat or sheep meat. All three are vegetarian animals, so should not have concentrated toxins. Dog or cat meat would be an entirely different matter.

I think the current reaction has little to do with food safety, or with the accuracy of labelling. It may have more to do with our discrimination between animals, regarding cattle, pigs and sheep as commodities, but horses, cats and dogs as friends. It has more about these preconceptions than anything else.

Quite possibly so. For myself, however, it is the accuracy of labelling that is an issue with all the duping of the consumer that that entails. On the whole, I'm fairly relaxed about eating horsemeat as I'm sure I have done when on holiday albeit without being aware of it.

The Patterson interview was utterly risible and I hope someone can provide a link so we can all enjoy.

[Barbirollians]

There is an appalling rumour going round that Findus knew that their lasagnes were made with horse but thought nobody would find out as the recipe included maskapony cheese !

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Yes, but appalling rumours are often just that, whipped up by the tabloids.

[Beef Oven]

Did anyone catch the interview (one could say, bloodbath) on Channel 4 last night when Krishnan Guru-Murthy interviewed Owen Paterson - an apology for an Environment Minister? rarely have I seen a more miserable, flustered, out-of-depth and incompetent clown of an interviewee. He came out with some real corkers...for example, "that hamburgers should not have any significant horsemeat in the them". Any? There should be NONE, Minister. You, Sir, are a buffoon.

The response by the Food Standards Agency has also been knee-jerk and ill-thought through. http://blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/...shambles/12720

Does make you wonder. Not that Labour would fare any better.

Does it really matter? It's only the people from council estates that buy this awful food anyway and they don't care, so why should us better-off people on these boards worry?

[Mr Pee]

Does it really matter? It's only the people from council estates that buy this awful food anyway and they don't care, so why should us better-off people on these boards worry?

I think I am safe enough. I shop at Waitrose.

As the saying almost goes, you pay peanuts, you get horseys.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I think I am safe enough. I shop at Waitrose. .

[Petrushka]

Why do we need to import so much stuff anyway? Surely with many foods, including meat, we should be self-sufficient instead of importing sub-standard rubbish from who knows where?