[Closed] EU just plain stupid, no wonder people are voting UKIP

Will sleep tonight thanks EU.

dunno whats sadder?

the EU doing stuff like this or people who get upset about it

The EU makes the rules, the UK follows them & gets upset the rest ignore them and carry on. Simple system really.

The fact that restaurants will no longer be able to put unlabelled, cheap olive oil onto tables will definitely make me vote for fascist scum.

I can think of a whole raft of reasons why Britain should leave the EU, the introduction of tamper-proof packaging for olive oil in restaurants isn't one of them.

IMO anyone who takes an anti-EU position based on how olive oil dipping bowls are presented in restaurants needs to learn grownup politics, besides the fact that it is rather bizarre to feel strongly that olive oil dipping bowls [i]shouldn't[/i] be in tamper-proof packaging.

And that BBC article in the link is deeply misleading imo. There [i]has[/i] been a dramatic increase in negative attitudes towards the EU across Europe, but it has absolutely nothing to do with regulations such as this one and everything to do with the economic crises now gripping much of the EU.

The biggest change in attitude is in countries such as Spain which is suffering severely in the economic downturn, and the smallest change is among East European countries which have not suffered anywhere as much economically. It has nothing to do with olive oil packaging, the shape of bananas, or any other Daily Mail/Sun fueled nonsense.

I wouldnt say that I am upset about it, Im discussing it here in Madrid with a couple of artisanal producers and a restaurant owner and laughing about how it will be totally ignored and not enforced, but if I could get hold of a pdf version of the hedge knight graphic novels then it might cheer me up.

All depends on your perspective I guess. Although on the face of it, it seems ridiculous - how else are you gonna stop dodgy places recharging their bottles with cheap s***, but charging you for premium quality?

I'd imagine the rule was proposed by countries where they care a lot about the quality of the food they eat.

And that BBC article in the link is deeply misleading imo. There has been a dramatic increase in negative attitudes towards the EU across Europe, but it has absolutely nothing to do with regulations such as this one and everything to do with the economic crises now gripping much of the EU.

The biggest change in attitude is in countries such as Spain which is suffering severely in the economic downturn, and the smallest change in attitude is among East European countries which have not suffered anywhere as much economically. It has nothing to do with olive oil packaging, the shape of bananas, or any other Daily Mail/Sun fueled nonsense.

Yup.

but don't underestimate the fickle and dumb people in Britain vote for the most inane reasons.
these little snippets simply fuel the fire.
Hence UKIP now showing massive gains in bi-elections.

This table made me smile.
[img] [/img]

http://www.pewglobal.org/2013/05/13/the-new-sick-man-of-europe-the-european-union/

All depends on your perspective I guess. Although on the face of it, it seems ridiculous - how else are you gonna stop dodgy places recharging their bottles with cheap s***, but charging you for premium quality?

Agreed. But by the same token, how do you know your chicken breast is really corn fed and not a battery farmed special? Or that you beef is really hung for 28 days before being served. At some point we have to trust our restaurateurs to not be shameless crooks.

Fear not we have discovered a solution as the restaurant dosent charge for the oil it doesnt have to define what olive oil it is so we can all sleep well.

How it works is the EU issues regulations that member states implement. The implementation allows for reasonable exceptions. This will be part of a bigger set of regulations to improve hygiene in restaurants and café's, which the UK already actually does quite well, so these regulations will just be absorbed into the currently applied rules with little difference.

All depends on your perspective I guess. Although on the face of it, it seems ridiculous - how else are you gonna stop dodgy places recharging their bottles with cheap s***, but charging you for premium quality?

since there dosnt seem to be a link anywhere to the ruling, whats to stop restaurants just selling generic 'olive-oil' in re-fillable bottles and any premium stuff has to be in these fancy bottles. Since the main criticism is that we are being fleeced on not getting what we pay for, if i pay for oil, and get oil, then whats the issue?

The Commission, the EU's executive branch, says the move will protect consumers and improve hygiene.

This will be part of a bigger set of regulations to improve hygiene in restaurants and café's, which the UK already actually does quite well

Is this the end to re-fillable ketchup containers then? no-more unsealed bottles of Heinz on the table? etc.

[quote=STATO ]
Is this the end to re-fillable ketchup containers then? no-more unsealed bottles of [s]Heinz[/s] [b]cheap, cash-and-carry ketchup[/b] on the table? etc.
FTFY 🙂

If you pay for a premium product, get something inferior, [i]and don't notice,[/i] who's at fault here? (-:

I wouldn't know premium olive oil from Crisp 'n' Dry, but if someone passed off happy shopper ketchup as Heinz I'd tell immediately.

Classy, me, y'see.

The Commission, the EU's executive branch, says the move will protect consumers and improve hygiene.

Well they would say that, wouldn't they?

I really can't see what the problem is, and as its olive oil its something that's not really aimed at the UK but is protecting/controlling those more likely Med based.

It's pointless petty bureaucratic meddling, and while Ernie might be correct that [b]this one issue[/b] is not a big deal, it's symptomatic of the arrogant, ivory-tower attitude that exists in Brussels.

and as it's olive oil it's something that's not really aimed at the UK but is protecting/controlling those more likely Med based.

First they came for the olive oil, and I did not speak out, for I do not go to fancy Mediterranean restaurants....

its a problem that doesnt exist and doesnt need a regulation, as hygiene is not an issue as there are no cases of people getting ill from olive oil poisoning from a restaurant. it is simply a move to support big oil producers ie big business getting regulation to support itself and to limit small producers access to the market.
as restaurants arent charging for the oil its not a regulation that can be enforced.
except in the UK where restaurants take the piss and charge you for bread and oil.

except in the UK where restaurants take the piss and charge you for bread and oil.

I've never been charged for bread and oil in a restaurant.

as restaurants arent charging for the oil its not a regulation that can be enforced.
except in the UK where restaurants take the piss and charge you for bread and oil.

Perhaps they could just charge for bread (which may be artisan from refined essence of gold, or it may be warbies), and give the oil gratis?

[i]I've never been charged for bread and oil in a restaurant. [/i]

No? We have many times, so can't be that unusual.

its a problem that doesnt exist and doesnt need a regulation, as hygiene is not an issue as there are no cases of people getting ill from olive oil poisoning from a restaurant. it is simply a move to support big oil producers ie big business getting regulation to support itself and to limit small producers access to the market.

+1

Good to know our taxes are being spent so wisely.

I wouldn't know premium olive oil from Crisp 'n' Dry

I bet you would in a taste off.

I've never been charged for bread and oil in a restaurant.

I have, twice fairly recently. Once in Spain and once in France.

I have, twice fairly recently. Once in Spain and once in France.

That can't be right it's UK that happens.

Drac - Moderator
I've never been charged for bread and oil in a restaurant.

You have, just indirectly.

You have, just indirectly.

Noooo!

The bastards how dare they try and protect me from being conned or from a disease ...i want my inalienable human right to be ripped off and get ill now **** off and leave us alone

😆

I love anti-EU rants, almost as much as I like to watch the party in the blue corner once again tear itself apart over it. And it's all for nothing.

Right so... Maybe there really is a "I paid for expensive olive oil and got Lidl own brand" issue here. But if there is, it only affects people who pay for expensive olive oil, which must be a tiny minority surely? But dealing with it like this impacts everyone else who wouldn't pay for expensive olive oil because, well, **** that.

So is this possibly a case of policymakers looking at their own first world problems and not realising it's not an issue anyone else has?

My parents know the chef and owner of a fairly well known Birmingham restaurant, and he uses branded olive oil in the restaurant and Aldi (or Lidl - as to me they're interchangeable) oil at home because he prefers it, but customers would feel cheated.

people getting ill from olive oil poisoning

[url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic_oil_syndrome ]Some reading to refresh your memory[/url]. A thousand people died in that one.

I paid for expensive olive oil and got Lidl own brand

Edit: don't believe wikipedia too implicitly, the deaths above were probably caused by excessive pesticide residues on salad-stuff from Almeria ([url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2001/aug/25/research.highereducation ]Guardian analysis[/url]) There was a load of aniline contaminated oil in circulation though.

I'm rather more concerned with this than the pointless olive oil meddling:
[url= http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/01/25/eu460.jp g" target="_blank">http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/01/25/eu460.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
(Click for PDF)

Top snippage there, Sandwich. The original including the bit you snipped was:

no cases of people getting ill from olive oil poisoning from a restaurant

Guilty as charged aracer as my edit almost covers. Fat finger cutting and pasting skills to the fore!

Sandwich - Member

It's good stuff from Lidl and Aldi, recommended by family members to me many years ago and it has the aP seal of approval too.

I don't doubt it but the whole point of paying for expensive olive oil is to get expensive olive oil- quality isn't relevant. You could give them Castrol and they'd be happy as long as it was expensive genuine castrol

At which point we come back to the question of whether anybody actually pays for a specific brand of olive oil in a restaurant. Paying for olive oil I can believe, but a specific brand/quality? Maybe that's only something which is an issue if you're on an EU expense account.

Though having checked back, that's exactly the point you were making earlier, so you appear not to be able to make your mind up whether you're for or against this.

I don't think the point of the regulation is to prevent another case of that 1981 dodgy oil problem. At least if it is, it's taken an amazingly long time for the authorities to act.

I think it's more about propping up manufacturers of branded olive oil . Which is why there isn't a similar regulation about ketchup - the ketchup manufacturers haven't done the right lobbying in Brussels (yet).

Was that at me Aracer, or Sandwich? Looks a bit like it's at me but I'm not sure how my opinion could be unclear so, maybe not

How do people feel about vinaigrette 😉

seems odd as usually you get both with your bread.
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