Marie Antoinette famously demonstrated the aloofness of the French aristocracy on the eve of the 1789 revolution by declaring, when told that the peasants were too poor to buy bread: "Let them eat cake!" But even she didn't demand that bread prices be increased in order to discourage people from wasting the crumbs.
That, however, is exactly what the Countess of Mar, one of the 92 remaining hereditary peers in the House of Lords, has just done. The 72-year-old aristocrat demanded: "Does the noble lord not agree that food is too cheap in this country?" If we had to pay more for it, she argued, we would be less inclined to waste it.
Does she ever visit a supermarket or does she send her servants to do the shopping for her?
Millions are struggling on static or falling incomes and battling against inflation in food prices, energy prices and many other essentials. Food prices have been rising recent months, up 3.8 per cent in the past 12 months. In some staples the inflation is higher still: 4.5 per cent in the case of fruit and 6.5 per cent in the case of vegetables.
The price of probably doesn't matter too much if you are paid £300 a day - tax free - just for turning up at the House of Lords where the countess can enjoy lunch in Parliament's Barry Room restaurant partly courtesy of the taxpayer. Last year the restaurant was subsidised to the tune of £1.44million: more than half the cost of running it.
What we see playing out in the world is a great Monopoly Game. Winner takes all...all lands, all properties, all food production...everything. And everything is done to maximize profit. As the song goes we " owe our soul to the Company Store"
That, however, is exactly what the Countess of Mar, one of the 92 remaining hereditary peers in the House of Lords, has just done. The 72-year-old aristocrat demanded: "Does the noble lord not agree that food is too cheap in this country?" If we had to pay more for it, she argued, we would be less inclined to waste it.
Does she ever visit a supermarket or does she send her servants to do the shopping for her?
Millions are struggling on static or falling incomes and battling against inflation in food prices, energy prices and many other essentials. Food prices have been rising recent months, up 3.8 per cent in the past 12 months. In some staples the inflation is higher still: 4.5 per cent in the case of fruit and 6.5 per cent in the case of vegetables.
The price of probably doesn't matter too much if you are paid £300 a day - tax free - just for turning up at the House of Lords where the countess can enjoy lunch in Parliament's Barry Room restaurant partly courtesy of the taxpayer. Last year the restaurant was subsidised to the tune of £1.44million: more than half the cost of running it.
What we see playing out in the world is a great Monopoly Game. Winner takes all...all lands, all properties, all food production...everything. And everything is done to maximize profit. As the song goes we " owe our soul to the Company Store"
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