There's a song that's very popular in clubs around my way in Sussex, about the farmer - how he eats his own ham, pork and lamb, and treats everybody to drink, and is generally a self-contented fellow. Good tune, and very singable.

Trouble is, every time I hear this romanticised tosh, I think of the great East Anglian emigration of the early-mid 19th century - 30,000+ agricultural workers pressurised to ship out to Canada and Australia to save the cost of the Poor Law. And if you want a more modern take on the generosity of the farmer, read "Akenfield",

As for the Eric Bogle songs and "Hanging on the old barbed wire", don't get me started...