Hay Festival.
As reported in the Guardian 26-5-2008
MONTY DON RETURNS IN REVOLUTIONARY MOOD.
Writer, broadcaster and national treasure Monty Don was in revolutionary mood as he made his first public appearance since a stroke led to his retiring as presenter of Gardeners' World.
Of his health, Don said: "I'm fine. I'm recovering well. I can't do regular TV - you know what it's like, 12 hour days - so I am happy to have that burden taken from me at the moment." He stepped down from the BBC television programme six weeks ago.
"I intend to make a full recovery," he added. "I am pottering about at the moment, having a nice time." Friends, he added, have said he looks better than ever; and he quipped that his ill health was due to "not eating enough organic vegetables".
If he seemed the merest fraction less hale than his old self, Don was certainly on fighting form, as his new role as president of the Soil Association was announced at the Guardian Hay festival.
Sharing a platform with Patrick Holden, the Soil Association's chief, Don spoke of his ambitions to turn the organisation into a people's campaigning body that will transform attitudes to food and the environment.
"My attitude to politicians is that they are a pretty useless bunch on the whole," he said. "You have to become a rabble. One should scare them and pressure them, and subvert the system from the ground up."
He said the movement should mobilise Britain's 11 million gardeners, and involve everyone from large-scale farmers to those growing a single basil plant on a windowsill.
Holden said that, in light of environmental concerns and what he believes is a looming oil crisis, he was calling for "a national policy of self-sufficiency in staple foods". Large centralised distribution systems will become economically unviable, he argued, and food will have to be produced locally. Imports should be limited, though he said there was still argument for shipping in certain cases.
"Maybe third world countries will have to suffer as a result of our national food policy," said Don.
"You don't necessarily have to stop all trade, but maybe you have to modify it. We should be trying to make third world countries resilient so they don't have to trade food."
He recalled a recent visit to Cuba, describing the "resilience" of the country in the face of the dwindling fuel supplies that had followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. "Calorific consumption halved. People responded by doing what they could do. People had to be self-sufficient. They had to grow their own herbs for medicine. In Havana, there were 300,000 people working on the land, growing superb-quality vegetables." Self-sufficiency, he argued, was thus not only desirable but possible; and he praised the exceptional quality of Cuban compost.
Holden and Don advised the turning over of private gardens, public parks or open space surrounding offices to vegetable-growing. He called most parks "boring and ugly", saying "planting designed by committee is always at best bland and at worst vile." Vegetables, he said, were beautiful.
In a statement last week, the BBC said: "Monty Don has decided to stand down as the main presenter of Gardeners' World.
"Monty has presented the series for the past five years but has been off our screens for the past six weeks as a result of a minor stroke. Although he is making a good recovery he feels unable to commit to regular filming for a while."
It said that Don would be "sorely missed by viewers and the production team".
tp://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles ... 63,00.html
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"My attitude to politicians is that they are a pretty useless bunch on the whole," he said. "You have to become a rabble. One should scare them and pressure them, and subvert the system from the ground up."
Seems to me that Monty Don’s presidency will be very much like that of George ‘dublya’ Bush’s. A very dangerous farce.
One thing for sure is that with the Soil Association things will not change because this is what they have been doing for many years.
JB
Monty Don Again!
Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter, Chief Spud
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alan refail
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I'm sure many of us will follow Monty's progress with interest and support. There's a man who talks real sense 
but he is a prat with a platform and that scares me 
Angi,
If you read what I said properly I compared Monty Don's presidency to that of George Bush's and not George Bush himself.
So you want all the parks and open spaces turned over to vegetable production. What utter rubbish!
At this present time 24000 African children die each day (one child every 3.6 seconds) so you condone that as well I suppose! Of course you don't! To do as Don suggests is to deny the Kenyans of there chance to get foreign currency to trade and increase the wealth and prosperity of their nation.
Monty Don has been selected by the SA as their mouthpiece in other words a puppet.
JB.
If you read what I said properly I compared Monty Don's presidency to that of George Bush's and not George Bush himself.
So you want all the parks and open spaces turned over to vegetable production. What utter rubbish!
At this present time 24000 African children die each day (one child every 3.6 seconds) so you condone that as well I suppose! Of course you don't! To do as Don suggests is to deny the Kenyans of there chance to get foreign currency to trade and increase the wealth and prosperity of their nation.
Monty Don has been selected by the SA as their mouthpiece in other words a puppet.
JB.
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Shallot Man
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With the price of vegetables soaring, I have yet to see an announcement that laid aside farming land is being brought back into cultivation.
I'm glad that Monty Don is making a good recovery from his stroke and I wish him all the best for the future.
I have to agree with Kevin though, as I don't feel that the SA has the best interests of this country at heart.
I find it personally very depressing that this find land of ours has to import food from 3rd world countries....it's not as if we haven't got the land to keep us self sufficient in food but we have to be practical and pragmatic. Since the EU repeatedly shafts the farmers and fishermen of this country, I feel that a rebellion such has been dempnstrated in Ireland recently, is on the cards and very much overdue. We need to tell the EU to get stuffed as we will govern ourselves....and the farmers and fishermen should be fully supported by the populace of the UK.......
Maybe i'm just dreaming that this will happen....but it needs to and those people that raise our food, whether it be animal or vegetable, should be fully supported and have the kind of treatment that the French and Spanish get
I have to agree with Kevin though, as I don't feel that the SA has the best interests of this country at heart.
I find it personally very depressing that this find land of ours has to import food from 3rd world countries....it's not as if we haven't got the land to keep us self sufficient in food but we have to be practical and pragmatic. Since the EU repeatedly shafts the farmers and fishermen of this country, I feel that a rebellion such has been dempnstrated in Ireland recently, is on the cards and very much overdue. We need to tell the EU to get stuffed as we will govern ourselves....and the farmers and fishermen should be fully supported by the populace of the UK.......
Maybe i'm just dreaming that this will happen....but it needs to and those people that raise our food, whether it be animal or vegetable, should be fully supported and have the kind of treatment that the French and Spanish get
Lots of love
Lizzie
Lizzie
Johnboy, I so frequently refuse to get drawn into the discussions posted here, mainly because they are so ill informed, but I can't let your comments go unanswered. I think to quibble about the semantics of your statement is just plain pedantic. If you are right then Bush is also just a puppet of the system. I also think it ridiculous to suggest that the dying thousands in the third world is down to the Soil Assn. I think that might have something to do with the greed, over the last three centuries, of those in Europe and America!
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alan refail
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Angi
You have expressed my feelings perfectly, and you have my full support. For your views to be put down in the way Johnboy did is unpardonable. For people to replace discussion with terms such as "utter rubbish" and "Monty Don is a prat" says so much more about them than the topic in question.
The more a certain few keep "banging on" about Monty Don and the Soil Association, or for that matter anyone whom they disagree with, the less their views will be listened to; it's getting more than a little tiresome.
You have expressed my feelings perfectly, and you have my full support. For your views to be put down in the way Johnboy did is unpardonable. For people to replace discussion with terms such as "utter rubbish" and "Monty Don is a prat" says so much more about them than the topic in question.
The more a certain few keep "banging on" about Monty Don and the Soil Association, or for that matter anyone whom they disagree with, the less their views will be listened to; it's getting more than a little tiresome.
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Cider Boys
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Well I think the Soil Association do deserve Monty Don's support. I will listen to their pontifications with much interest and merryment.
However in the real world I notice that some of our political leaders are now supporting the case for GM foods.
When problems become closer to home reality starts to dawn!
Barney
However in the real world I notice that some of our political leaders are now supporting the case for GM foods.
When problems become closer to home reality starts to dawn!
Barney
Hi Angi,
My statement was meant to convey that Monty Don's presidency will be a dangerous farce. Dangerous because he will be a mouthpiece for an association that has the most ridiculous policies and the sheer fact that although Monty Don fronted Gardener's World he has very little knowledge of growing anything.
He was there as a presenter and the script was only just out of camera shot at all times.
So now you have a liaison between the people who have tried their best to make organics a religion and somebody who can only spout on gardening and growing only so long as he has a script written for him.
I ask one thing. Have you ever seen Monty Don publicly answering gardening questions. The answer to that has got to be a 'no' because he wouldn't know what to say.
As I say a dangerous farce!
Pedantically,
JB.
My statement was meant to convey that Monty Don's presidency will be a dangerous farce. Dangerous because he will be a mouthpiece for an association that has the most ridiculous policies and the sheer fact that although Monty Don fronted Gardener's World he has very little knowledge of growing anything.
He was there as a presenter and the script was only just out of camera shot at all times.
So now you have a liaison between the people who have tried their best to make organics a religion and somebody who can only spout on gardening and growing only so long as he has a script written for him.
I ask one thing. Have you ever seen Monty Don publicly answering gardening questions. The answer to that has got to be a 'no' because he wouldn't know what to say.
As I say a dangerous farce!
Pedantically,
JB.
Alan,
Your Quote:
The more a certain few keep "banging on" about Monty Don and the Soil Association, or for that matter anyone whom they disagree with, the less their views will be listened to; it's getting more than a little tiresome.
As far as I am aware this is the first time that Monty Don and the Soil Association have ever been linked on the forum.
I have watched the antics of the Soil Association for about 60 years now and they are still not as popular as you seem to imply. To me they are the ruination of organic growing.
With Monty Don he is a TV presenter and nothing else.
He and the Soil Association are now trying to trade by using a familiar face to again fool the public.
I can now imagine a boy saying to his father 'can we go to the park and play football Dad' and the father saying 'sorry son the football pitch has been taken over by the Soil Association to grow vegetables.'
You may think that paragraph stupid but you read what Monty Don said and comment on that if you dare!
JB.
Your Quote:
The more a certain few keep "banging on" about Monty Don and the Soil Association, or for that matter anyone whom they disagree with, the less their views will be listened to; it's getting more than a little tiresome.
As far as I am aware this is the first time that Monty Don and the Soil Association have ever been linked on the forum.
I have watched the antics of the Soil Association for about 60 years now and they are still not as popular as you seem to imply. To me they are the ruination of organic growing.
With Monty Don he is a TV presenter and nothing else.
He and the Soil Association are now trying to trade by using a familiar face to again fool the public.
I can now imagine a boy saying to his father 'can we go to the park and play football Dad' and the father saying 'sorry son the football pitch has been taken over by the Soil Association to grow vegetables.'
You may think that paragraph stupid but you read what Monty Don said and comment on that if you dare!
JB.
Well I'm glad I'm not a lone voice. Johnboy, I don't want this discussion to go on and on as others have in the past. I think we must agree to differ on our opinion of Monty and the Soil Association. I will have to bow to your superior knowledge of the mighty power of the SA, and to the fact that you were present at the filming of GW. As to Monty's knowledge of gardening, no, I cannot profess any first hand knowledge of his ability to answer gardening questions, but I would like to suggest that his enthusiasm has encouraged many more people to take up their spades and grow their own, which can only be a good thing.
Hi Angi,
We will have to agree to disagree. As for Monty being so popular and doing so much I differ from your opinion. he has had the reverse in this area.
Prior to Monty taking over Gardener's World the talk in the pub on Sundays was always GW since then nothing is mentioned about GW.
The order for GW magazine at the local shop was 18 and now they do not sell a single copy and I cannot find anybody who admits to watching the programme or reading the magazine. On the other hand KG magazine has a very high following selling 14 copies a month.
Monty Don lives quite local to me and he is generally disliked because they all know him to be the fraud he is.
JB.
We will have to agree to disagree. As for Monty being so popular and doing so much I differ from your opinion. he has had the reverse in this area.
Prior to Monty taking over Gardener's World the talk in the pub on Sundays was always GW since then nothing is mentioned about GW.
The order for GW magazine at the local shop was 18 and now they do not sell a single copy and I cannot find anybody who admits to watching the programme or reading the magazine. On the other hand KG magazine has a very high following selling 14 copies a month.
Monty Don lives quite local to me and he is generally disliked because they all know him to be the fraud he is.
JB.