Author wrote:
Hi Mark
We are massively paranoid about compensation here in the UK, to the
determent of 'knowledge' and our sanity.
I agree the Americans throw more money into research and from my limited
knowledge they are not afraid if a 'theory' proves to be wrong and have no
basis. They are also not afraid to ask questions. They see all of this as
furthering the cause and research. We on the other hand are afraid of
admitting we got it wrong, and not enough people ask questions. Something
in us, says we cannot ask questions. What right do we have – we might also
be made to look silly! Stiff upper lip and all that tosh... So repeated
Governments get away with doing what they do to us. And, in keeping with
what you say Mark, if you do not belong to the 'old boys' establishment –
then you are always going to be on the outside looking in.
Wherever you look today good old independent advise has almost become a
thing of the past. From vets, doctors, supermarkets someone is pulling
someone else's strings via financial inducements. Most of the public cannot
see it, and go blindly along buying what is shoved under their noses, in the
belief that this is 'best' for whoever whatever...
In looking for 'blame factors'. Then the animals are going to be on the
loosing side everytime. After all they cannot stand up in the dock and say
'well what what about all those chemicals you let the farmers use for years.
I am just a sheep – but my money would be on them being the cause'! The
public understand the wording 'blame the farmers, mad cow diesease, etc etc'
better then they do OP's and perhaps this is an easier pill to swallow then,
countless Governements having sold this Countries health to the person with
the 'biggest and fattest wallet' in terms of gratitude and payback for
services rendered.
Coleen
----- Original Message -----
From: <...>
To: <...>
Sent: Monday, October 27, 2003 11:46 AM
Subject: Re: [farmtalking] RE: Governments

Hi Colleen,

I totally agree with you about the Brits and their reluctance towards

being

open with research data , etc. It is all to do with protecting the vested
interests, should any product ever prove to be held accountable for

causing some

health catastrophy that will lead to massive damage payments at the end of

the

day. I think that, in respect of your discussion, the difference between

the

Brits and the Americans is that the Americans tend to throw more money

into

researching the possible / likely environmental health negatives of a new
invention , before they license its open release onto the market. Whereas,

the

developers in this country tend to channel all of the available money into

perfecting

the invention ( no bad thing ), yet largely skimp investigation of the
possible negatives for fear of sinking the whole project. Furthermore, the

licensing

authorities in this country are abit more incestuous – Key individuals

from

the relevant industry bodies dominate the ranks of the supposedly

impartial

government committees that are granting the licenses for their very own

own

products. At one time, 75% of the veterinary products committee were made

up of

pharmaceutical company folk . Hardly democracy. Well, the US EPA also has

its

problems, but not as bad as goes on here.

I have just written a letter to a farming paper which discusses this very
same problem. Its in response to the UK government scraping a meeting to

be held

about the neurological effects in the farmers who were exposed to

agricultural

organo-phosphate insecticides. A phenomena that was government compelled

here

in the UK –

Re: DEFRA ditch OP summit.

Dear Sir,

Back in 1984 when my farming business defeated the UK government's

compulsory

OP warble fly order in the high courts, I felt that there was a

possibility

of persuading officialdom that neuropsychiatric repercussions would

inevitably

follow any compulsory OP treatment programmes; thereby getting the

authorities

to reconsider their policies.

But nobody took any serious notice, and all anti-OPites found themselves
subjected to a prolonged campaign of ridicule and dirty tricks from the
appropriate departments. They were criminalised and marginalised until

they lost all

self worth.

Today, we are dealing with a DEFRA who have surrendered every last iota of
government independence to the commercial interests of the multinational
corporations. They have betrayed the healthy interests of the very people

and

environment who they are supposed to be serving.

In this respect, it is not surprising to read that DEFRA have ditched the

OP

summit ( FG 24/10/03). In one sense, their officials are finally being

honest

in stating that there is nothing new to discuss. On the face of it, they

have

never had any genuine intention of advancing the debate . We all know that
agricultural OPs were proven to be toxic to human health back in the1950s,

plus

we all know that the government could never afford to cough up the

compensation

for the raft of illhealth damages that has directly / indirectly resulted
from the compulsory overdosing with OP – Neurodegenerative disease in
farmworkers, BSE, ME, etc, etc. The government has craftily installed the

enemy onto both

sides of the OP chessboard, and this has kept the debate in stalemate for
many years now.

The answer is for the people of this country to bypass the so called sugar
daddy state and get on with policing our toxic problems for ourselves. We

need

to become responsible as individuals for our own health, and simply refuse

to

buy the classes of chemical or food that are currently leading us into the
abyss of self destruction. That is the only way to stop the heart rot.

The government will never own up to the fact that their compulsory OP
licensing had given us a diverse array of neurological diseases such as

BSE, or that

the fungicides they have licensed for inclusion into our soaps have given

us

skin cancer , or that concorde's sonic shock waves have blasted the atomic
equilibrium of the ozone layer to pieces. They just make silent retreats;

and , if

anyone starts shouting, they misappropriate the blame onto a natural
scapegoat like sheep scrapie, ultra violet rays or the methane from

livestock manures.

Sincerely, Mark Purdey. (
www.markpurdey.com)

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