Madness

Regulation in these islands has gone mad. Allotment holders in Carlisle, who have donated home-grown vegetables to the local hospice have been banned because their gifts breach health and safety rules.

For years amateur gardeners at Botcherby Paddock, Carlisle, have donated their produce to Eden Valley Hospice for them to sell at its city centre shops. But hospice managers told them this week they would not take any more because it contravened health regulations.

The legislation says products like jam must be sold with a list of ingredients and information about where it was made. Fresh produce like fruit and vegetables must be sold from chilled cabinets which Eden Valley Hospice do not have.

Frank Dolan, spokesman for the allotment holders, said the group were heartbroken.

"This has upset a lot of people. There is a lady here in her 90s who has made jam for the hospice for years and she is devastated.

"People have been donating their produce to the shops for a long time without any problems. We have never had any complaints before.

"But we were told this week the hospice would no longer accept it. This has put a lot of people's backs up.

"These health and safety rules are totally out of control. You can't do anything nowadays, it's barmy.

"What's the difference between this and taking produce to a harvest festival or a gala day? Are those going to come under threat now?

"We don't blame the hospice; they do a wonderful job and they are only following orders.

"But it will be the poor folk who are patients there that lose out because of this."

He's right. The laws are barmy. The FSA said: " The rules don't apply to food that isn't prepared as part of a business. So this means that most food being sold for charity won't need to be labelled, including food sold at one-off events such as church fetes and school fairs. But if you regularly sell and package food for charity, for example, jars of jam or boxed cakes, you might have to follow regulations."

I suggest there is a surplus of staff at the FSA.

Shame on the FSA and it's disappointing that the Hospice hasn't put up more of a fight to defend the good folk who contribute to their income.

John Stevenson is the new Conservative MP for Carlisle. He ought to be onto this right away and ensure these difficulties are resolved. After all it's his boss who says the 'Big Society' is the means to a more secure financial and sustainable future for us all.

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If You Want a Mortgage, Don't Smoke or Drink

If the above was my home (which it is not), I could be forced to provide detailed information about the amount of money I spend on alcohol and tobacco when I have to remortgage.

According to the Times spending on shoes, clothes and childcare could also be assessed under a new, industry-wide "affordability test". Self-certification mortgages are also at risk of being banned (yes that word again), making it more impossible for those who are self-employed to own their own home. It's never been easy for the self-employed with their irregular incomes to acquire mortgages and they've usually had to pay a higher rate of interest, but now that dreadfully incompetent government agency, the FSA has decided lenders need to be far more rigorous about their financial checks of potential borrowers.

We all know the 'toxic debt' in which banks became involved wasn't all UK based debt - the majority of it was banks buying it from the US thinking they would make a killing, plus the greed of lending to those who very obviously would not be able to keep up payments.

There is a far more serious issue here though. This intrusion on our lives just has to be stopped. How much longer are we going to permit this government to pry into our very private affairs?

This won't stop with mortgage applications, believe me. It will filter down to any applications to government departments. I can see the day when, if you want to start a business and require a loan, your lifestyle will be probed by these faceless suits and one of them will hold your future in their hands. They won't stop at just alcohol and tobacco either. That's just the beginning of this latest social engineering policy.

Why are we just giving away our rights to this degree? Surely there are politicians who will stand up and speak for our freedoms? There will be those who say if you live a good lifestyle you have nothing to worry about - that's not the point. The point is that my life is mine - it doesn't belong to anyone else and how I choose to live it is my decision. There used to be sensible punishments for irresponsibility but no longer.

For the past 25 years or so various governments have broken up our society which used to have moral values and trust. Is it any wonder trust no longer exists in today's society?

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DUNFERMLINE BS UPDATE

UPDATE

For those of you who are interested in what's being written about the Dunfermline Building Society today I've found some excellent blog posts  -  Moridura, the Spectator Live, Paisley Expressions and Leaves on the Line have all contributed to the subject.

The Scotsman has 3 articles one, two and three (the third being by Bill Jamieson) while the Herald carries 4, this headline plus two, three and four. 

The indecent haste of this sell-off leaves many unanswered questions.

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