Will’s World: Slings and arrows of outrageous IHT misfortunes

Who is Sir Keir Starmer’s chief communications adviser? Does anyone know?

I could google it, of course, but frankly I’d rather have my testicles slammed repeatedly in a car door than wade through a load of career civil servants’ online bios, so I’m not going to bother.

Whoever he or she is, they aren’t doing a very good job.

See also: How life insurance can protect against IHT liability

In the ranks of people throughout history who’ve been notoriously crap at what they do, they’re right down there with the bloke who was responsible for providing lifeboats on the Titanic, the 12 different publishers who rejected JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter manuscript, and the Welsh Rugby Union.

Choice words

I’m referring, of course, to the latest disingenuous statement by our prime minister. When speaking to Sky News recently, he said it was a political choice between reducing hospital waiting lists and keeping “a tax break” for farmers.

“We can’t have both”, apparently. Those bloody farmers, making your nan wait years for a hip replacement while they’re rolling around in banknotes like Scrooge McDuck.

It makes you wonder what on earth they’re thinking, or indeed smoking, at Labour HQ.

In an age where perhaps political leaders’ greatest challenge is taking people along with them, to double down on a wildly unpopular policy with the very community who feed the populace seems at best staggeringly naive, and at worst criminally negligent.

I’ve kept my powder dry on the tax changes until now, because I’ve felt conflicted about it all.

Part of me thinks that in the long term there’ll be some good outcomes from it – not least that the younger generation will gain control of their farming businesses much sooner than is currently typical, with all the resulting dynamism and energy that can bring.

But I worry that so many farming “influencers” have become de facto leaders of the protests because of their high profiles.

Many of them do a superb job in showcasing our industry online, and I applaud them for that.

However, that doesn’t mean I want them representing me or speaking for me, especially when you don’t have to scratch very far below the surface with some of them to find some particularly unpleasant views.

I’m also greatly disturbed by the appearance of far-right politicians and commentators at the protests who suddenly claim to be our greatest supporters.

There’s only one thing those types care about, and that’s themselves. We’d do well to remember that.

No chance

Despite some of my reservations, though, mostly I just feel desperately sad for anyone who’s been caught out by the changes and didn’t have the chance to hand over their farm before they came into force.

I had a cup of tea with a friend recently who’s in this situation, and to say he’s at the end of his tether would be a vast understatement.

This is a man who’s rarely had a day off his entire life, works incredibly hard, loves his family, invests in his business, and generally contributes hugely to rural society. Now, overnight, his entire farming future is in jeopardy through no fault of his own.

How can that possibly be right? And how can a government that claims to represent the best interests of working people not only refuse to listen to them, but then add insult to injury by perpetuating misleading falsehoods about them.

It’s no wonder people are angry and confused; the farming community deserves so much better than this.