Let them eat cake

"European farm ministers are wrong to defend the notorious common agricultural policyMARIE-ANTOINETTE would have been proud of Europe's farm ministers this week, as they debated what to do about the high price of food. True, ministers did not quite sigh ?qu'ils mangent de la brioche? as they discussed the hungry (as tradition alleges the French queen did when told that the poor of Paris had no bread). But that, in essence, was the message from the French, Germans, Spanish and Austrians, as they leapt to defend the common agricultural policy (CAP), which helps Europe to produce some of the priciest food in the world.At least Marie-Antoinette had the excuse of a sheltered upbringing. It is harder to explain the conduct of some European Union governments. On the one hand, their leaders claim to be deeply concerned about the impact of food prices on the ?vulnerable? at home and abroad (to quote the sonorous conclusions of an EU-Latin America summit on May 16th). Yet in Brussels three days later several farm ministers called for the retention of policies that make food in Europe expensive. ..." (2008-5-22)

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