Ash trees

So now we are to lose our ash trees, even though the people who put themselves in charge knew it was coming. I heard some minister or other – all Tories blur into one for me on the radio (or into a few apparent breeds when you can actually see them) on the radio yesterday insisting that all was being done as quickly possible because... a ban would come into effect today

They didn't say well the Labour Party didn't do anything either, which would have been true but irrelevant, because they weren't admitting that there was any avoidable problem.

But one found out, as this and that was said over the day, that the government (Labour and from 2010 Tory / Libdem) was asked to act some time in 2009. So we're probably looking at three years for this disease to get hold during which well-paid liars played with themselves.

At some point – I think it was today's Farming programme – I heard that we couldn't have done anything because of the EU. The Farming journalists tend to be a little more alert than the political and this one asked if that was the case. He coughed in murmured reply and said he thought so, but he couldn't say for sure.

Fiddling with themselves for three years.