Nogger's Blog

05/12/11 -- Credit is due to James Nott for getting a dull Monday off to a bright start by emailing me this image this morning.

We've just had our first few flurries of snow here in North Yorkshire this morning, and the wind certainly has a bit of a chilling bite to it all of a sudden. Let's hope that's enough to get the last of the cows indoors! Whether it means we will see a bit of a pick-up in feed demand remains to be seen.

It's another big week for the euro with Sarkozy and Merkel meeting in Paris today ahead of the Dec 9th deadline that they gave us when the details of their cunning plan are to be revealed.

Hmmmmm, I remain unconvinced. I wonder what the markets would make of a "we need more time to finalise the cunningness of our secret plan" announcement? Whatever treaty changes they want to make will presumably need ratifying by at least the 17 countries that use the euro if not the entire 27 member states? And how long is that going to take?

Meanwhile, the Italian Welfare Minister apparently broke down in tears on national TV yesterday when outlining the severity of the pension reforms she is being forced to introduce to tackle the budget deficit.

Still, I suppose a politician in tears on the telly makes a change from seeing them kissing babies heads or getting eggs (or punches) thrown at them.