On Thu, 5 Dec 2002 09:30:58 +0000, Tim Lamb
wrote:

In article , Jim Webster
writes
world shortages and EU aid payments. But celebration would be
prematu the bad news is, it is all downhill from here.
(The Times, September 27 1996)

I wonder if they have ever looked back at this cutting and realised
what an
absolutely true piece of reporting this was!!
If farmers had known what was coming after this I am sure there would
be far
less about now, most could have sold up then and been better off now
if they
had never done another days work.

Hm. If The Times could see it coming, why couldn't the farmers.

simple, you remember the one the Times got right, over the period there
will have been scores of predictions in various media, some of which
might well have been right.

what a maroon

Also we had no experience of EU politicians learning from their
mistakes. Whatever financial mechanism caused the '96 cereal bonanza was
soon adjusted:-(

McSharry reforms?

Yes, obviously, that was one of the ingredients. The farmers can't say
they didn't know about it, nor that they were so naive as to think
that the reform would warm better than wetting ones pants does.