Recently in politics Category

I'm going to resist cracking the obvious pancake-related jokes here (I'm sure you can fill in the blanks when it comes to a story about MPs and pancakes).

It this year's Parliamentary Pancake Race which was organised by the charity Rehab and saw MPs, Lords and political correspondents race with full frying pans around a circuit near Parliament.

Sponsored by British Lion eggs, it was officially started by chef Gary Rhodes. "I had thought managing a kitchen was a challenge, but it was nothing compared with overseeing the MPs, Lords and political correspondents racing round flipping pancakes and ensuring that everything didn't end up a complete dog's dinner," he says.

One of those taking part was Lord McNally (pictured left).

The MPs won, incidentally. You could say they battered their opponents. Sorry - I couldn't resist that one.

Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones is not your typical farmer.

He came to Britain, aged four, from Jamaica in the 1950s with his parents and grew up in inner-city Birmingham.

One of nine siblings living in a two-up-two-down, he found himself retreating to his father's allotment which he called "an oasis away from the misery of my surroundings". And it was there, age 11, that he made a promise to himself that one day he'd own his own farm.

I'm not a name dropper, as you know, but let's just say Biggins is yesterday's man.

Anyway, when I was with Boris this morning...

I'm no fan of DEFRA Secretary Hilary Benn, but credit where credit's due - he's one MP who has acted reasonably when it comes to expenses.

Suggestions for other captions gratefully received.

"Where is he, where's Osama bin Laden, you punk?"

After the turkey-based (based.... baste, geddit?) frivolity, something more serious. DEFRA.

Farmers have never been big fans of the governemnt department. And it's not hard to see why when you read stuff like this. I've just heard that they spent more than £1m on furniture removal contracts in just three years, according to a parliamentary question. That equates to £7365 a week.

"At a time when people are struggling to make ends meet it is astonishing that Defra is spending such vast amounts of money rearranging the furniture," said shadow environment secretary Peter Ainsworth.

"Ministers should focus a little less on where the tables and chairs go and a bit more on delivering a better environment."

The line about rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic springs to mind...

I've been following the countdown to the American election with interest - but one farmer in the States obviously feels very strongly about it. He's cut an image of Sarah Palin into a maize crop. 

Anyone interested in the NFU (and indeed the changes in farming over the past 100 years) might want to get hold of this new book by Guy Smith, From Campbell to Kendall: A History of the NFU. 

If you're a big fan of the organisation, you could even read it while you're drinking a glass of the ale specially brewed to celebrate its centenary.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been at the NFU Centenary Conference this week.

You can read what the PM had to say here, or follow other news from the event on the Food For Thought blog.

I've got nothing against the DEFRA secretary Hilary Benn. At least, I certainly didn't have.

Depending who you listen to, Pancake Day (which is today) is either thriving or dying as a tradition.

Lots of things have brought down governments in the past – never, to the best of my knowledge, squirrels.

OK this is unlikely, but the thorny subject of grey squirrels is increasingly becoming a party political issue.

Penrith and Borders Conservative MP David Maclean has tabled an early day motion setting out his concerns about the increasing number of grey squirrels – blamed for the downfall of the red.

Politicians all too often overlook the countryside.

I get the impression they're (slowly) waking up to the importance of this section of the electorate, however.

It seems as if it'll be high on the agenda in the forthcoming American election - certainly if these comments by presidential hopeful Barack Obama are anything to go by.

Not very often you find yourself laughing at Radio 4’s Today programme. But that’s what I found myself doing this morning – laughing out loud, in fact, at a quarter to seven. The subject of this early morning merriment: hornets.

Here's an idea that should be implemented in this country:

The mayor of a Russian city has banned civil servants from making lame excuses rather than helping people out.

The list of forbidden phrases includes "there's no money", "somebody else has the documents" and "I think I was off sick at the time".

So, the new DEFRA minister Hilary Benn is a vegetarian. I’m all for freedom of choice – and we should, after all, judge him on his actions not on his eating habits - but I still reckon the guy’s missing out big-time.

Here is my list of "10 dishes that might tempt the Minister back to meat". Things, in other words, that I reckon could “cure” him:

* A bacon bap with lots of tomato ketchup (particularly when hungover)
* Roast beef with horseradish sauce (followed by a nap in front of the telly)
* Steak and kidney pudding with puff pastry
* New-season lamb chops with mint sauce - perfect with boiled potatoes and fresh veg from the garden
* A 16oz fillet steak with chips, mushrooms and tomatoes (lots of mustard, essential)
* Lancashire hotpot (unbeatable on a cold winter's day)
* Pork, leek and apple sausages with mash and beans
* Roast pork with crackling, sage and apple sauce
* Barbecue spare ribs
* Spicy meatballs with tomato and basil sauce

What are your suggestions for dishes that you think might tempt Hilary Benn to eat meat again? Post your comments here, or join the debate at our forums.

So, we've got a new DEFRA minister, Hilary Benn.

Here are 10 things about him you may not know.