Looks as if this (the book) is a detailed discussion of the points that @Mrs_Maureen_OPinion has posted here. I wonder whether anything will change after the current problems?
Looking at that synopsis, Iâd say he has a good grasp of the ongoing predicament, but has probably fought-shy of the unhealthy influence the large supermarkets have over government, and the article understates quite how much the supermarkets are bleeding primary and secondary producers white. Our food-supply chain is in very great danger right now, to the extent that even calling-it to attention is dangerous, given weâre only ever 3 meals away from rioting and lootingâŚ
Like so much else, reform will only be possible if we make serious structural changes to our political system - because (setting-aside party political point-scoring) that is nothing more than a corporate oligarchy, serving the interests of whomever pays for it. If we donât disconnect politics from vested-interests (in effect turn politicians into extremely well-paid civil servants who are prevented by strictly-enforced laws from holding any non-political offices of any kind), then nothing will change for the better.
Desirable, but nearly impossible in a free-market democracy. We might stop the oligarchs from influencing the politicians directly, but I donât think we can stop them influencing the voters. The market is good at driving out âinefficiencyâ but bad at protecting intangible âgoodsâ. This time itâs resilience/headroom. People will drive to another petrol station to save a penny a litre. So they all end up very close to the edge.
VB
Many do that because they are chronically underpaid. Above a certain point, peopleâs time becomes more important and theyâd decide itâs just not worth a 10min drive to save 60p (chances are itâs not worth the fuel they use to get there now but thatâs a different argument). If firms stopped treating staff as costs to be reduced and paid them properly, many people would make different decisions but many currently have no choice
This is not necessarily true. What is closer to the situation can be approximated with:
The market is very good at protecting the sheep from the wolves. It is not good at protecting the sheep from the sheep.
There is also some evidence to suggest that markets are a great environment for breeding better wolves as they definitely do not discourage the wolves from predating upon each other.
Does that not depend on external regulation ? It is true that markets can welcome regulation. They like to be able to say âyouâre protectedâ as long as the same constraints that that brings also apply to their competitors. But if the market was genuinely free customers would be looking at chlorine-washed chickens going cheap (sorry) and farmers with higher standards would either have to lower them or to work hard to convince us, including KFC, not to buy them.
VB
Itâs only impossible if you are absolutist about it. Right now, influence is 100% with the vested interests. The rest - our so-called democracy - is just the process of giving the sheep (viz Olan) a choice of what colour bucket the wolvesâ dinners are delivered in. We need to significantly reduce that influence so that a lot more decisions are taken for the wider good of all. Itâs not about giving the sheep 100% of the say (sheep are fucking idiots, after-all), but Capitalist democracy can work well (least-worst system), provided the biggest, baddest wolves donât get all of everything.
There is a big literature on âregulation creep/regulator captureâ. A number of the countries that really suffered in 2007/8 did so because either the regulators were so hamstrung by poor legislation and lack of funding they were useless (this is particularly true for the UK and RoI). OTOH you had situations like the USA and RoI again where the regulators were in the pocket of the market. No point in having food standards laws if you only have 5 inspectors for the UK and you tell them to focus on beef when illegal chlorinated chicken (or Shergar and Red Rum in your burgers, or salmonella in the egg supply) is the issue.
I just got 11 points on Mastermind! Liverpool music scene 70âs & 80âs. The guy actually doing it only got 1 more than me and he must have been studying it, not simultaneously drinking wine and posting shit on here.
Big bright thing in the sky, South West, about forty degrees up from horizon.
Jupiter/Saturn I presume?
Brightest thing up there.
I donât know but I can categorically rule out a FlyBe jet
Venus? Been there a few days per Sky Map.
Venus
Hah! I did his general knowledge questions too, and tonight, fellow meatmen, I would have won Mastermind!
Cheers, itâs a bright little fucker.
https://stellarium-web.org/ for the pooter - thereâs a mobile app for those of you embracing C21st
Hours of fun 
Embracing the C21st is soooooo 2019. 2020 is about the medieval dahlink what with the plagues and the prospect of Malthusian die-off when the crops fail.
Oh yes, yes, yes, oh yes. Not for me this Time of shouty little screens of self-regarding vacuity, nagging bleepsânâwarbles, and general accessibility to others. Nononononononono! Especially not That.
It can all hie hence in a fornicatory manner, in the general direction of âAwayâ.
Clear proof that this really is the end of days.