I have business interests in food and fuel and I take offence at HMG (the country's management) somehow blaming the downturn in the economy on food and fuel prices rising.
This in a society that wastes a third of its resources i.e. this weeks announcement that the UK puts £10billion worth of food straight from the fridge to the pedal bin....crazy when you think about it.
This week I attended an event organised by Fiona Hall one of the north easts three MEPs ...... for me it focused my mind on the need to act now to survive oil prices in advance of $125.
I feel for rural residents in the north east who are on low incomes and are having to find extra income to pay for food and fuel - which are hardly luxuries. The irony is that world commodity prices have been all over the place during that last year or so leading to the market readjustments we have seen. To look after the environment the costs of life's necessities need to reflect the full cost of production - including the environmental costs.
So all in all we have to adjust to the new economics...as a board member of ONEnortheast I have this week been briefed by our regional economist and I am convinced that the north east is as well placed as any and I think we should say it loudly. The best way to ward off negativity is focus on our sucess and work hard to move ahead of other regions while they focus on self-pity!
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