Has Prince Charles lost it? Today's pronouncements on GM crops have a touch of the Marie Antoinette.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/08/12/eacharles112.xml
PC's previous position on green issues has been logical, if perhaps a tad extreme. The stories running today, though, seems to betray a fundamental lack of comprehension of the pressures facing 'normal' people.
It's widely acknowledged that we're facing a food shortage globally, with a corresponding bump in prices locally. Don't get me wrong - his own Duchy Originals, in common with many organic products, are very tasty - but I severely doubt that PC has ever had to rummage in a supermarket's Discount Deli to grab the best red-tag deals.*
That's before we take account of the fact that organic food, by its nature, doesn't keep as well as its cheaper, steroid-laden alternatives. Like it or not, we are presently structured around supermarkets. That means one trip a week, and even outside of summer much fruit and veg will go in two or three days.
Ms Dive and I tried organic living for a while, and whilst we were very very taken with the quality of the produce (hat-tip to Abel & Cole), our food bills went through the roof and achieving variety of cooking using only seasonal veg was taking time and prep that we just didn't have.
This isn't to say that PC is entirely wrong - there's a point to what he's saying - but it's a massive concern that he feels he can take it to such extremes without thinking what the ultimate consequences will be.
*Camden Sainsburys, Aisle 3 - best Pork-Pie-Discounts evah
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