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| Windsor: hypocrite or confused? |
Charles Windsor is in the headlines once again. This
time he’s reached new heights of odious hypocrisy.
During a recent address to
the Oxford Farmers’ Union, Windsor warned of the threat to Britain’s rural way
of life from “insensitive development.”
He said: “It is the people and what they do
that creates the beating heart of our countryside … it comes from the tractors
in the fields, the skilled workers, the livestock, the growing crops and the
landscape’s biodiversity.”
Windsor continued: “All these
elements make up a living, breathing countryside which is as precious as any
ancient cathedral.”
But meanwhile, in Cornwall
plans continue for the construction of new housing and a giant food
centre on Duchy of Cornwall land just outside Truro. The mastermind is … well, guess who?
Windsor says his Truro project will allow local food producers to compete
with supermarket giants, and provide much-needed accommodation. But his plan would
destroy a beautiful valley, replacing it with urban sprawl he supposedly
abhors. Farmland which currently supports a fine dairy herd would be wiped out,
together with cherished trees and hedgerows.
Despite Windsor’s sometime claim
to support Cornish food producers, one of the partners behind his scheme is
Waitrose – the toffs’ supermarket which coincidentally stocks his own expensive
Duchy Originals wares.
Waitrose would share the new
food centre with a consortium, which would buy goods from local sources and sell
them under a brand called Taste of Cornwall. But the supermarket would have
three-quarters of the store, Taste of Cornwall merely the remainder; so much
for helping local producers.
Truro City Council’s leading
local opposition to Windsor’s stupid idea. The Council believes shoppers
would visit Waitrose, perhaps have a look at the Taste of Cornwall items and
then return home without bothering to go into Truro itself. The result? A ruined city centre: renowned Georgian streets deserted, the
farmers’ market gone, indie shops closed.
Windsor’s previous meddling
in country planning led to the Poundbury development in Dorset, his
deluded dream of the perfect English village. A hotch-potch of inferior
buildings, the pop-up wasteland has failed to create any sense of community and
is detested as self-important by local people in nearby Dorchester.
For Cornish folk who want
it, near Truro there's already a food centre at the A30 Fraddon
turn-off. Selling over-priced unnecessary items, the centre’s effete
snootiness is counterpointed by its location. Thanks to a McDonalds further up
the gradient, the spot’s known locally as Hamburger Hill.
It's here! A huge welcome to Valentine's Day, as we're induced to show love for our partners by giving them hopeless junk.
