JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF
CONSUMER GROUPS
THE GRASSROOTS CONSUMER WATCHDOG • ISSUE 196 • APRIL/MAY 1999
I have been looking in my reference books for the origin of this phrase "May You Live in Interesting Times "but cannot find it, says John Brown. It is apparently an ancient Chinese curse with a deeper meaning than at first comes to mind, hinging on what is meant by 'interesting'.
We, at NfCG, have been, and still are, living in interesting times. We survived a drastic cut in income which forced us to close our office. Bob Gale, as Chairman then, led us through this difficult period and we have come out of it stronger and better - but that is only my view.
Our present chairman, Marie Jennings, is pushing us forward with remarkable energy. She is asking a number of knowledgeable people, both inside and outside NfCG, to look closely at us and give us the benefit of their opinion.
An interesting time was had on March 4th by those attending the House of Lords reception, hosted by our President, Baroness Wilcox, accounts of which can be found elsewhere in this issue.
Another interesting time was had by those who attended the Members Meeting at BSI on March 20th. An account of this event, and the training session that followed, which was about computer-aided surveys, will be featured in the June/July issue of Consumer News. We are to offer a Survey programme to each Group and a day's training on how to use it.
Also in March the NfCG Food Network met in London at the kind invitation of MAFF. As one can imagine, this too was a very interesting meeting with a frank outline of progress with the pending Food Standards Agency. The proposed levy on all food outlets came in for some criticism, and the Network was able to draw up a telling comment on the consultation paper on Draft Legislation.
Our peripatetic Chairman, Marie Jennings, was in Barbados in January, where she participated in the "Smart Partnership" Conference with the Commonwealth Partnership for Technology Management. Approx. 180 delegates from some 30 Commonwealth Countries attended.
Her presentation attracted great interest and must qualify her for living in interesting times, particularly as invitations to participate in other events in Jordan and Malaysia are expected while Botswana and Zimbabwe seem possible.
Another who seems to be having an interesting time is Baroness Wilcox who now broadcasts 'consumer spots' regularly on the British Forces Broadcasting Service worldwide, reaching an audience of between five and nine million.
Webmaster Dick Mackie (webster@ncf.info) has had an interesting time recently. The NCF Website is now featuring several back issues of Consumer News, as well as copies of several consumer group magazines. Of particular interest to those contemplating changing electricity and gas suppliers is the chart giving details of the various tariffs on offer [http://www.ncf.info]
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