December 19th, 2021.
A couple of letters ago I suggested that we should get popcorn in, sit back and watch the Boris show. Well, I have ordered popcorn by the shedload to see me through the holiday and into the new year whilst we watch the Johnson administration collapse.
Today, we saw the resignation of Lord Frost, who is also a cabinet minister and was responsible for leading the Brexit negotiations. He said that he couldn’t continue working for Johnson anymore and gave his reasons as now that Brexit is secure, the challenge for the Government is to deliver on the opportunities that it has given the UK.
He expressed his concerns: “concerns about the current direction of travel. I hope we will move as fast as possible to where we need to get to: a lightly regulated, low-tax, entrepreneurial economy, at the cutting edge of modern science and economic change.” These comments are diametrically opposed to the changes that Johnson has made in the last 12 months. The UK is moving to a high tax regime, against the advice of the Chancellor. More regulations are being introduced especially with regard to the implementation of more green policies, all of which are expensive and require regulation to implement. Society is becoming more controlled than ever, in contradiction of traditional Conservative policies.
Just announced – his replacement is to be the Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. This is either a brilliant move or a disaster for Boris. Liz Truss is one of the front runners for his job so he must be hoping that this role bogs her down with the EU negotiations and/or saddles her with blame when it doesn’t go well. Or it could strengthen her hand as she gathers support from her allies and increases her visibility with the public.
Meanwhile, Lord Frost is close to Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor who has been bounced by Boris into unpopular, expensive, and damaging economic policies. He is another front runner to replace Boris. Cynics may suggest that Lord Frost has resigned to put pressure on Johnson and may re-join a Sunak cabinet if he succeeds in following Johnson. As I have suggested, it is time to order popcorn by the shedload.
In the real world, away from the Westminster bubble, down here in Cornwall, it is reported that 80% of our early daffodil crop will be rotting in the fields as we can’t get the labour to pick them. Johnson’s government promised to issue extra visas to enable the growers to recruit appropriate staff from overseas. As usual in the UK, this has got bogged down in bureaucracy with the application process taking months.
The industry is worth £100 million – with nine out of 10 of the nation’s daffodils coming from fields in Cornwall.
But last year 274 million stems were left in the ground due to a lack of workers available to pick them. This year is forecast to be even worse.
Now growers are warning farmers may stop producing them altogether, rather than waste time and money growing flowers that have to be left in the ground.
West Cornwall MP Derek Thomas says plants left to rot this year were worth around £1 million in VAT revenue.
While Johnson fluffs around in Downing Street, the country is going down the drain. Cornwall has had its daffodil industry ruined, hospitality and tourism are on their last legs and the manufacturing industry can’t get the staff they require because there is a shortage of housing. In some areas, 80% of the homes are owned by non-residents as second homes.