Genetic Modification - Good Or Nightmare?
August 10 2010
Speaking as someone who studied genetics at university, it doesnt surprise me that many scientists in this field want to use the rapidly evolving information that they are receiving almost daily in their research, and that in itself is no bad thing.
Scientists are the people that come up with new ways of combatting cancer, and new ways to help the world in many ways. That is the aim. To stop suffering. To aleviate pain and hardship.
The problems come with companies and individuals that want to profit from the results of this research, possibly using it far beyond where the scientists would be happy to go, and this is where you and I come in.
The public now, after B.S.E. and M.R.S.A. are only too aware of how using scientific advances for the purposes of profit, and a gung ho attitude to health and safety of people animals crops insects birds plants etc can result in complete devasation and disaster.
We are getting, if not already got, to the point where we are all saying 'hang on a minute, yes it is cheap meat but my children could die a horrible death at an early age if they eat it, or 'the bees could die and we could all starve', or 'why are one in three children now suffering from a food allergy?'.
More and more of us are looking to buy bread without additives and fat and sugar, or meat that has come from an animal that has been well looked after, or veggies that have not been sprayed with chemicals that may affect our health, or had unstable genes blasted into it's DNA, or food without additives that may cause food allergies or ADHD. Surely none of this is too much to ask.
We are told that we cannot be fed if these mehods are not used. I am pretty sure that we would all prefer to eat a smaller amount of meat that will not harm us than a plate full of meat that will. Apart from anything else, eating too much meat is also linked to colon cancer, and so eating small amounts would also be healthier in the long term. Although my first instinct about the thought of eating GM meat and vegetables wouldnt be one of huge concern, I cannot help but have the niggling thought that I would also not have thought that BSE could pass the species barrier from animal to human by eating the meat. For this reason, I do not think that we should mess with nature on such a large scale as she has a tendency to bite back!
We are also seeing fields of crops grown to feed 'cheap' meat, and the ever inceasing demand to factoy farm our poor cows and sheep. Much of the land in the U.K. is grassland and not useful for crop growing and so ideal for livestock. Crops grown for factory farmed cows and sheep however could feed people instead.
Instead of politicians and councils treating our money like Monopoly money, we need to ensure that they start treating it as though it was their own money, or they were running a business and had to make sure they spent efficiently and wisely. Until that happens we will see one ridiculous suggestion after another, with politicians and councillors flailing wildly, trying to impress us with new ideas, and buying new gadgets that are not necessary, and going on trips to other countries to 'see how they do things'. All on our money.
I do not like to talk too much about politics, but must say that, for me, David Cameron is like a refreshing cool breeze on a humid day. He actually answers quesions and has common sense. I have never been a fan of the Conservative party, after seeing how Margaret Thatcher ran things, but now find that my allegiance has changed, and firmly believe that David Cameron is going to be our saviour, and take us out of the crisis brought about by the Monopoly game, risk taking, pools winner spend spend spend mentality of Gordon Brown and the Labour party over previous years, where the divide between rich and poor has, ironically, got wider. Maybe something for union leaders to think about before they try to destroy us all by taking action to destroy companies, just when they need to have the support of their workers, so that we can all gain in the future when things are on a firmer footing. I say this as someone who firmly believes in the benefits of trade unions, following the horrific way that workers were treated before their existence. Workers, however, need to understand that the employers provide their jobs.
The thing that politicians, and all of us, need to bear in mind, is that we must not panic. We must prioritise. We cannot cut back on our children's food quality - we will have a generation of behaviour problems if we do. We cannot bully the quiet and the vulnerable by making cuts affecting mainly them because it is the easy option. Our childen, our farmers, our elderly. It is the reponsilbility of local and central government to make decisions, but it is up to us to make sure they do the right thing. We are lucky to have David Cameron as that is what he wants also. He cannot do it on his own. Lets hear the voices of the quiet, gentle, logical people and not just the noisy ones that like to be the cente of attention. It is down to us.
Lets support our local farmers and fishermen, who care for the animals and crops that we eat, fighting daily with nature to make sure we have food on our table. Let us ask our local M.P. to ensure that the farmers and fishermen are released fom ridiculous triplicate reams of paperwok from DEFRA, the Environment Agency and multiple other organisations, and allowed to get on with farming and fishing.
The future is bright, the future is David Cameron and the British people, working together to ensure a sustainable Britain, for the sake of all our childeren
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