tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post3252232291398708943..comments2024-03-28T22:32:50.562+00:00Comments on Liberal England: Forty years is a long time in politicsJonathan Calderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730157683743989696noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-36659956409031005842014-11-02T21:51:10.411+00:002014-11-02T21:51:10.411+00:00The 1974 sugar shortage had different causes. Deal...The 1974 sugar shortage had different causes. Deals with Caribbean cane sugar producers broke down and the British Sugar Corporation (a quango) intervened on behalf of beet producers. There was not enough sugar for a while.<br /><br />Local cafes ceased to put a bowl of sugar on the table, owing to theft. Consumers have not been trusted with the sugar bowl ever since. Fine Fare (who were they?) limited customers to one or two bags. <br /><br />The 1975/76 potato price increase hit families hard too. UK government acknowledged in Hansard that it was an international problem.<br /><br />Try: http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1975/jul/31/potatoes<br /><br />"Mr. Freud: I realise that the Minister could not have foreseen the weather conditions or the potato shortage, but is he aware that the potato manufacturers in my constituency had to lay off a substantial number of people because the Minister was unwilling to issue a permit 2024 for the import of potatoes from Common Market countries? I am sure that it must cost the country much more to pay these people unemployment benefit.<br /><br />Mr. Bishop: The hon. Member should not over-dramatise the situation. I am aware of the circumstances to which he refers, in his constituency, although these were due to other factors besides those which were apparent. The difficulty with the supply of potatoes for chips was limited to certain areas of the country, and we do not expect a recurrence of that situation in the future."<br /><br />It seems that Mr Bishop did not understand that during WWII rationing, government ensured that everyone could buy a bag of chips. Phil Beesleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18442987962398498812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-10019036817705922732014-11-01T23:04:35.290+00:002014-11-01T23:04:35.290+00:00Well yes, but it was a time of oil shocks and almo...Well yes, but it was a time of oil shocks and almost hyperinflation (heading for 30%), which meant that people lost all sense of prices and values, especially as it closely followed botched decimalisation, which had the same effect. Government intervention, which was ad hoc and temporary, prevented abuse by shopkeepers, publicans and the rest. There were also automatic pay rises linked to inflation.Peter Harveyhttp://www.lavengrobooks.comnoreply@blogger.com