David Cameron's statement on Foot and mouth

"I spoke to the Prime Minister this morning and have been meeting with farmers here in Oxfordshire. We fully support imposing a ban on the movement of farm animals - this was one of the vital lessons learnt in 2001.  Livestock farmers face real difficulties with higher feed prices, the dislocation caused by floods and TB in cattle. We must do everything possible to make sure this is not a further blow to farming.  The other great lesson from 2001 is that it was not just farmers that suffered but also shops, holiday cottages, pubs and hotels. People who are planning to go on holiday in the countryside must go ahead. Farmers and rural communities should know that the whole country is on their side."

10.45pm: According to BBC Online the strain of Foot and mouth "is one not normally found in animals and is linked to vaccines.  It is identical to the strain used at the Institute for Animal Health at Pirbright, three miles from the farm."  Warmwell is suggesting that the outbreak may not be sourced at the Government laboratory of Pirbright but Merial, "the pharmaceutical company whose research work into FMD etc also requires biocontainment facilities, [and] is very close."

Comments

[Ali Gledhill]

People who are planning to go on holiday in the countryside must go ahead.

...unless they are running back to London to get in front of a camera to tell people to go to the countryside ;)

Seriously, though, I think this brings into question the PM's belief that he can survive without a deputy as long as he stays in the UK for his holidays. By coming back to London this week, he admitted that he cannot effectively act as PM while on holiday. He must appoint a deputy to fulfil this role in future.

[Cllr Keith Standring]

We in the UK surely need a new Prime Minister entirely, who is capable of realistically tackling the real issues facing the UK and especially its future.

Someone who will restore our Parliamentary Sovereignty, Criminal Justice System, British Freedoms & Democracy and much, much more. All of which has been sacrificed by politicians of all Parties, in their endeavour for self-aggrandisement by immersing their huge snouts into the deep troughs of EU sleaze.

We don't need another Deputy Prime Minister - we need a new Prime Minister who is a British Patriot!

[tapestry]

DEFRA have begun slaughtering not only infected herds but also adjacent perfectly healthy herds just like last time. They are incinerating the carcasses and not burying them which is known to spread the virus (EU rules forbid burial which was the practice in 1967). There is no mention of vaccination which is how FMD is dealt with in the rest of the EU, where outbreaks never spread more than a few miles.

Is this FMD going to be used by Brussels like 2001 to try to destroy as much of British farming as they can? It looks like it.

DEFRA are instructed what measures to take from Brussels. There is nothing Gordon Brown can do about it.

[tapestry]

From France 24 -

Farmers and the government said they were prepared to accept the innoculation of infected animals, in a reversal of previous policy, as scientists worked to determine the exact strain of the disease and if vaccine stocks were available.

no sign of any innoculation yet

[Rachel Joyce]

As I have highlighted in my blog, there was a report in 2002 that was heavily critical of the government's handling last time (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2497015.stm ).
DC needs to remind people of this and the recommendations of the report.

[KL]

It seems that a number of Snr. Individuals within the Civil Service believe that Gordon Browns "spin" doctors organised the placement of the virus. To make him look in control of a situation for the british people.

[Jake]

Every virus can be typed .
The virus " is identical to the strain used at the Institute for Animal Health at Pirbright, three miles from the farm."

so we know where it came from . There is a scandal here .

Why , oh , why isn't Mr Cameron seizing the opportunity to kick up blue murder about the Labour governemnt's record on farms, foot and mouth and agriculture generally

instead of conspiring with Brown and legitimising him with
" We fully support imposing a ban on the movement of farm animals - this was one of the vital lessons learnt in 2001. "

It is not the job of the opposition to conspire with the government
- unless it is to the opposition's advantage -
the job is to oppose and find fault with the government and this affair should be contrived as an opportunity to do that so far that is not being done .

[Jack Stone]

The duty of an opposition is to oppose but it is also the duty of an opposition to be a government in waiting.
If Mr Cameron or any other member of the front bench played party politics in national crisis like this they would look like nothing more than party politicans not national leaders.

[Jake]

The legal duty of Her Majesty's Official Opposition is to oppose . Full stop. If you don't believe that go along to Disraeli's burial vault at Hughenden , Bucks and ask him . He will give you a short answer .

While it is acccepted , wishfully ,by the members of the Opposition party that they are possibly a government in waiting it has no right to presume that it is .All the other opposition parties can and do presume that they are also and they might be right .

There is a trap in being the Official Opposition . It is in allowing oneself to dissolve into complacent ,compliant , smugness - which is just what the Gobernment wants - and therefore not to perform that function of beady , unrelenting , sceptical , disbelieving and quizzical examination of government affairs and policies and the offering of alternatives which is what opposition is all about . It is NOT about being nicey nicey to the government or affording them any relief - even on a Sunday .

It is NOT about approving the actions of the government in any way other than perhaps in cases of clearcut national emergency which this is not really . Even then , one holds back and carefully and consistently reserves one's position .
Ian Duncan Smith fell into this classical trap when he was duped into approving of the invasion of Iraq - which is the real reason why he is no longer the Conservative leader .

The leader of the opposition is under no obligation to come forward to approve of government plans or actions - other than where it useful to the opposition .

There is a reason why Labour are so contemptuous of the LibDems . It is because they know that they just have to promise to let them a sniff of a napkin from the government table and the LibDems will come running . Works every time .

What Mr Cameron has done is redolent of this LibDem begging of crumbs from the government table in return for which they will conspire with the government .

"I spoke to the Prime Minister this morning "

should have been

"The government has found it necessary " (which the leaves the blame with the government if things should go wrong )

and then used the opportunity to follow with an attack on the very open goal of the appalling record of this corrupt shower over the last 10 years in defending British agriculture and the discrimination against English agriculture which is ongong - complete with a list of instances .

Thats opposition . It is also Opposition .

You could always call Alistair Campbell for advice on how to do it

[Matt Wright]

The party needs to firmly oppose and this is just such an issue. Its not inappropriate to ask why the hell this Govt has yet again been found wanting. We are an island. Foot and mouth is not something that just comes along regularly. Govt must be accountable for this sort of thing. What other bio-security is being mismanaged. Our job and our duty to the public is to hold the Govt to account,

Matt

[TomTom]

Cameron's televised statement seemed quite reasonable. When the tests reveal which lab handled this strain of F&M it will be time to be more forensic in commentary