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Irish not-a-famine of 1925
Apparently, Ireland almost had a famine in 1925. I didn't know about this until I tripped over a reference to it today, and it seems that it was kept quiet by the government of the day.
But here's a quote from the Irish Times of May 27, 1925, in an article on taxation on donations: "Some months ago, when the West of Ireland was in the grip of incipient famine, a large firm in England offered to send a ton of chocolate to Connaught to help to keep the children from hunger. We understand, however, that this offer was withdrawn promptly when the firm in question was informed that duty must be paid on the chocolate. This kind of red tape is merely irritating, and steps ought to be take in Committee to put an end to it."
The past is not actually as weird as the present, but it can still be pretty weird.
But here's a quote from the Irish Times of May 27, 1925, in an article on taxation on donations: "Some months ago, when the West of Ireland was in the grip of incipient famine, a large firm in England offered to send a ton of chocolate to Connaught to help to keep the children from hunger. We understand, however, that this offer was withdrawn promptly when the firm in question was informed that duty must be paid on the chocolate. This kind of red tape is merely irritating, and steps ought to be take in Committee to put an end to it."
The past is not actually as weird as the present, but it can still be pretty weird.