Farming Versus Finance

I'm pessimistic about the future of this island because far too many people think talking and doing are the same thing.

How many times in the last 10 years have you heard something like this from a politician or civil servant: "We need a diverse economy to offset finance and farming is the cornerstone of our rural economy?"

Now has things improved or got worse in the last 10 years? No, they've got worse. 10% of farmland was turned over to "development" - as if covering the island in grey concrete and black tarmac is a development

Why does the government hate farming? Three reasons:

1. It's nothing personal. They hate every business that diminishes their dependence on the finance industry. They want us totally dependent so that they can keep threatening us with its loss. It's a classic drug-pusher strategy: get you hooked and then raise the price by threatening supply
2. They want your land for housing. Yes, they could use less useful sites and poor farm land but they won't because those areas don't offer the best return. 50% of the land is used for farming. Guess which 50% they want to build on?
3. No one cares about the future. They all want a quick buck now. So, selling the land for development is easier than working it to earn more money over a longer period.

So what does the future hold?

More land loss and less farmers until such time as property speculation ends.