days of yore

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Good morrow Dear Reader.

I hope the sun has risen with you and your hay rick is rat free, your cow is managing to keep producing milk from her one remaining udder from the dried straw you've been feeding her over the 'driest summer since '76' and your well hasn't run dry just yet.

Why the evocation of days gone by ? Well it does seem to me that with every passing day we appear to be coming closer to calamity day, judgement day, call it what you will. Electricity being the item foremost on my mind, as I use the stuff to extract honey, warm wax, steam clean frames, warm honey to bottle it and do a lot of this by the light of a bulb. How in the name of all that's holy will an 'average' family of 4 be able to pay, from after tax income, a fuel bill of £3.5/£4.5/£5.5k over the coming year when they are used to paying (a fair price) £500-£750 a year for their energy needs.

Even if we decided to stop supporting the Ukrainians in the war (and I'm not supporting that for one minute) the sanctions would remain and the price of gas on the world market would remain stubbornly high as long as the Nord Stream pipeline remained closed, and other pipelines diverted to 'favourable' countries. And one doesn't just build an ACME unfolding nuclear power station like they do in the cartoons do they ??

I was talking to my father when he was helping on a honey stall at the weekend (helping is actually pushing it - he had accompanied my mother to the event so he and she could go on a river trip and he was merely resting his legs in a folding camping chair at the back of my stall) and he said that for the past 40 years - as long as he'd been married (actually its 56 years but who's counting) he and mum had said we needed an energy policy that didn't pander to the CND (at the time) and the non-nuclear brigade and we should have built two new reactors for every one coming to the end end of it's life using the British designed PWR reactors that were proven and safe. I have to say I couldn't agree more.

Then a chance conversation in the week with an elderly ex-engineer who had a good rant about the anti-fracking brigade saying that they (and the media) conveniently (or ignorantly) ignored the fact that north sea oil was largely extracted using the same technique after the initial surge of oil flowing from a new well. The fact you have to 'force' it from the ground using a method not unlike hydraulic fracturing, and has been done safely for 50+ years, has been completely overlooked.

Going back to my own energy use - having had more than my fair share of troubles extracting this season (two broken extractor speed controllers) and a bee shed that is increasingly not bee proof as the wood warps and flexes with age, resulting in many midnight oil burning sessions to extract the next batch of supers, my mind was cast back to the 'old days' when honey wasn't spun, it was cut into squares and put into oil cloth and packaged in little cardboard boxes (no polythene cases or windows then) or the entire crop was crushed and strained using, one presumes, muslin or sacking, and bottled in early glass bottles with cork lids, all during the day in a lean-to full of robbing bees (no electricity to work by night) and then a big fire and cauldron to boil down and melt the wax for candles and industry.

I sometimes wonder when people hark back to the 'good old days' whether they were 'as good' for beekeepers anyway. I know I'd rather have a proper extraction system that can spin a few supers at a time in a bee-free environment and have the ability to warm/strain honey as required into clean glass jars with secure lids or buckets for longer term storage. I certainly wouldn't want the faff of rendering just wild comb, even if it were from just a few hives (skeps) and wonder how some of these 'modern' natural beekeepers put up with the inevitable mess, and lets face it, waste of honey, in the processing of the comb.

I suppose the only benefit is they do it in the spring after their colony has died out and they render some honey from some dark combs left in the hives so the bees won't find the honey....

On the stall yesterday a 'know it all' 'the bbka says it isn't allowed' beekeeper who has 3 hives said I can't label my honeycomb (sections and cut comb) as 'Raw' or the chunk honey as 'Raw'. (even though neither product is strained or processed in the conventional way). I said I could do with it as I liked as it nicely surmised the state of the comb, and I didn't claim other run/set jarred honey was 'raw' as that had been through more filtering etc etc. Her lips pursed and I could tell she would be 'having conversations' with well known local beekeepers in her group as she name checked them. I couldn't give a scoobies...This year I've seen and heard more absolute codswallop and utter excrement being spouted by ever more 'experts' who've 'done all the exams' and then it transpires that they have 2 hives and one died last year and the other has swarmed and they have managed to take 19lb of honey off the total.

Experts.

Yeah right.

Yet all the BBKA can do is raise petitions and make political rumblings and align themselves with all sorts of organisations who aren't beekeepers and simply want the beekeeping shilling to fund their own subscription services. They don't understand the real merits of beekeeping to provide pollination services or management of colonies to provide a proper surplus of honey, let alone manage the health of their bees - I shook my head in disbelief when I saw their press release about thymol earlier in the year.

As for my own season - record honey crop and still 4 apiaries to clear which I need to do before the ivy starts (it's about to burst into flower about 4 weeks early) and plans afoot for next year. Beekeeping certainly helps take your mind off the problems of the world and oneself, now if only I could get a bee-proof extraction facility sorted this week !


KR


Somerford
 
You're right of course, but does any political party actually want voters who think ? they might just think that the political leadership isn't worth a candle and put their X somewhere else. ;)

Some want them to think but some don't want them to think critically and actually research what the politician is saying. People love their sensationalism and are more inclined IMO to believe an outright lie than believe the truth simply because they feel more important if they have some big bad politician to save the rest of us from. The Canadian trucker convoy was one of these situations.

Another case in point is Steve Bannon. He is on tape discussing Trump party strategy and ( I am paraphrasing) he says that they want to flood the news with stories and conspiracy theories regardless if they are true or not. The aim is not to tell the truth but to create chaos and most of all to create a distrust for the main stream media sources. That way, anything they say after the distrust seed is sown, anything they do wrong that is reported in the media will be met with distain and seen as false. Why? Because people who support them will look for any reason to not believe their support is wrong or misplaced, humans hate to admit they were duped.

I am trying to be more careful of painting all politicians with the same brush of corruption, without actually looking into the individual, simply because that is easier.
 
Well said. It is clear that there are currently certain political individuals (internationally) who wantonly indulge themselves and impose their own peculiar brand of chaos theory upon the gullible, knowing there is a ready audience willing to act for them.
Hitler was an early advocate and enacter of such policies.
 
An interesting little titbit from a newsletter I get was suggesting that as we live in a capitalist society, we can't fault the power producers when they sell their power to the highest payers, and the highest payers at the moment are France and Germany whose 'misguided' green policies have seen their conventional power generation systems deteriorate to the point of being close to non-viable. The point of the article was a simple way to lower UK household bills would be to stop the export of power across the European interconnectors and use it in the UK.
 
The point of the article was a simple way to lower UK household bills would be to stop the export of power across the European interconnectors and use it in the UK.
maybe we shouldn't have sold our utilities off to foreign investors then
 
Hitler was an early advocate and enacter of such policies.
Out of curiosity I looked up the current dictators and authoritarian regimes. In 2022 there are 57 dictatorships in the world. Defining a dictator as the ruler of a land rated “Not Free” by the Freedom House in their annual survey of freedom.
 
Out of curiosity I looked up the current dictators and authoritarian regimes. In 2022 there are 57 dictatorships in the world. Defining a dictator as the ruler of a land rated “Not Free” by the Freedom House in their annual survey of freedom.
and the number is rising - you only have to look at the arrests these week of people who have done nothing more than exercise their 'freedom of speech' which the farragists and other xenophobes keep banging on about when it suits them
 
An interesting little titbit from a newsletter I get was suggesting that as we live in a capitalist society, we can't fault the power producers when they sell their power to the highest payers, and the highest payers at the moment are France and Germany whose 'misguided' green policies have seen their conventional power generation systems deteriorate to the point of being close to non-viable. The point of the article was a simple way to lower UK household bills would be to stop the export of power across the European interconnectors and use it in the UK.
There was me thinking France was sitting pretty on its long investment in nuclear. Just shows how a tidbit in a newsletter can prove you wrong I suppose.

It's not widely apprecieated, but a 'free market economy' is a better way to describe our arrangement than a 'capitalist society'. For one thing it makes it easier to make the point that 'the market' is nothing more and nothing less than the sum of the laws and regulations that enable it.

Its not a wild beast. Its an artifact designed and constantly maintained and tweaked to serve social ends.
 
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and the number is rising - you only have to look at the arrests these week of people who have done nothing more than exercise their 'freedom of speech' which the farragists and other xenophobes keep banging on about when it suits them

That is quite worrying. I saw one person was allegedly arrested for holding up a placard reading "Not my king" on the grounds that it may offend someone. If we're going to start arresting people for something as pathetic as that then half the posters here would be banged up by now.

James
 
It's not widely apprecieated, but a 'free market economy' is a better way to describe our arrangement than a 'capitalist society. For one thing it makes it easier to make the point that 'the market' is nothing more and nothing less than the sum of the laws and regulations that enable it.

Agreed. We may once have had a capitalist economy, but I'm unconvinced that we meet the intended definition any more. Perhaps not since WWII.

James
 
An interesting little titbit from a newsletter I get was suggesting that as we live in a capitalist society, we can't fault the power producers when they sell their power to the highest payers, and the highest payers at the moment are France and Germany whose 'misguided' green policies have seen their conventional power generation systems deteriorate to the point of being close to non-viable. The point of the article was a simple way to lower UK household bills would be to stop the export of power across the European interconnectors and use it in the UK.
Does the article quote sources?
 
It's not widely apprecieated, but a 'free market economy' is a better way to describe our arrangement than a 'capitalist society'. For one thing it makes it easier to make the point that 'the market' is nothing more and nothing less than the sum of the laws and regulations that enable it.

Its not a wild beast. Its an artifact designed and constantly maintained and tweaked to serve social ends.
Its certainly tweaked by those who are in a position to do so. Not so sure about serving social purposes though.
 
and the number is rising - you only have to look at the arrests these week of people who have done nothing more than exercise their 'freedom of speech' which the farragists and other xenophobes keep banging on about when it suits them
yes an intolerant society allows extremists of all flavours to flourish further fuelling discord.
 
Today it turns out that Kwasi Kwarteng thinks he can fix the financial situation by allowing bankers to become even more wealthy. Because that's what we really need, apparently. I wonder what it was that he did before he became an MP? Oh, wait...

James
 
The gvts in the Western world are "directed" to theirs policies by money "men". The Bilderberg group are always visible in the background and many believe they manipulate the press and social media to support their end goals.... often to support their candidate in whatever political party they believe will achieve their aims.

TTIP is a prime example of their work. It agreed to sell the EU health care system to US health care providers... whats wrong with that? There is a clause that states if "any" gvts creates any policy or situation that reduces profits for the shareholders then that gvt "must" make up the shortfall in those profits. I believe we got out of TTIP when Brexit happened, but when people like Boris openly say that the idea of selling off the NHS is "Churchillian in its brilliance" then there is little hope for the NHS.

Liz truss co-wrote Brittania unchained with Raab, Kwarteng, Patel and Sidmore. In that book one of them said the UK needs to adopt the workers rights principals observed in China.... so sweatshops then. Liz keeps on stating we need to get rid of the EU laws imposed on us...why when there are virtually none. The laws they are talking about are workers rights and human rights. The Labour shortage caused by the loss of migrant labourers from across the EU has seen an excelleration of the removal of those protections by our gvt. 48hr limits to working weeks are to be removed. No fault dismissal is half way here, P&O showed that with the fire and rehire scandal.... shocking said the gvt, but what did they do beyond that?

The cost of living crisis is a perfect distraction for the further degradation of human rights across the board. Mainstream media won't cover it because their paymasters are members of the Bilderberg group. Is it a mere coincidence the Trump and Johnson are brothers from another mother? Absolutely not, they were chosen to test how the distraction idea including "fake news" could manipulate societies, and it was shown to work. I think if this was an episode of Dads Army, Fraser would be screaming "We are all doomed!"
 
The gvts in the Western world are "directed" to theirs policies by money "men". The Bilderberg group are always visible in the background and many believe they manipulate the press and social media to support their end goals.... often to support their candidate in whatever political party they believe will achieve their aims.

TTIP is a prime example of their work. It agreed to sell the EU health care system to US health care providers... whats wrong with that? There is a clause that states if "any" gvts creates any policy or situation that reduces profits for the shareholders then that gvt "must" make up the shortfall in those profits. I believe we got out of TTIP when Brexit happened, but when people like Boris openly say that the idea of selling off the NHS is "Churchillian in its brilliance" then there is little hope for the NHS.

Liz truss co-wrote Brittania unchained with Raab, Kwarteng, Patel and Sidmore. In that book one of them said the UK needs to adopt the workers rights principals observed in China.... so sweatshops then. Liz keeps on stating we need to get rid of the EU laws imposed on us...why when there are virtually none. The laws they are talking about are workers rights and human rights. The Labour shortage caused by the loss of migrant labourers from across the EU has seen an excelleration of the removal of those protections by our gvt. 48hr limits to working weeks are to be removed. No fault dismissal is half way here, P&O showed that with the fire and rehire scandal.... shocking said the gvt, but what did they do beyond that?

The cost of living crisis is a perfect distraction for the further degradation of human rights across the board. Mainstream media won't cover it because their paymasters are members of the Bilderberg group. Is it a mere coincidence the Trump and Johnson are brothers from another mother? Absolutely not, they were chosen to test how the distraction idea including "fake news" could manipulate societies, and it was shown to work. I think if this was an episode of Dads Army, Fraser would be screaming "We are all doomed!"
Love your location!🤗
 
Its certainly tweaked by those who are in a position to do so. Not so sure about serving social purposes though.
Probably the main function of the market is to income to the state through taxation. It is this income that allows us to have any sort of supportive structure, from govenrment and the judiciary, to the military and police forces, schools, hosptials and social services, down through roads and bridges to the drainage and sewage systems.
These functions all strike me as serving the public interest. And there are plenty more., just in this category.
 
yes an intolerant society allows extremists of all flavours to flourish further fuelling discord.
Pardon? I would say it is a _tolerant_ society that allows extremists of all flavours to flourish.
But I wouldn't descibe those groups as extremist. They are nationalists.
 
Today it turns out that Kwasi Kwarteng thinks he can fix the financial situation by allowing bankers to become even more wealthy. Because that's what we really need, apparently. I wonder what it was that he did before he became an MP? Oh, wait...

James
He's just putting into play the economic philosophy that Truss stood on. Small state, small 'n' neo-liberal economics, attract business with lower taxes.

Unfortunately we are in a competition with TROTW for the role of tax base.
 
An interesting little titbit from a newsletter I get was suggesting that as we live in a capitalist society, we can't fault the power producers when they sell their power to the highest payers, and the highest payers at the moment are France and Germany whose 'misguided' green policies have seen their conventional power generation systems deteriorate to the point of being close to non-viable. The point of the article was a simple way to lower UK household bills would be to stop the export of power across the European interconnectors and use it in the UK.

Last December when there was NO windpower for three weeks and all gas and coal (!) stations were running flat out, we were imported electricity flat out form France and Norway and Holland etc.

The fact that this newsletter was unaware of it suggests they are not competent to make any comments on UK power generation.
All the numbers are available on Gridwatch for free. ANYONE who comments on UK electricity production and does not read Gridwatch should be ignored.
 

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