Thesis: the urban w/c & farmers have both been screwed over by the political economy of Whiggism since Corn Law repeal. Capitalists lower food prices, which squeezes farmers AND allows them to cut w/c wages. Eventually farmers have to industrialise to survive or go bankrupt...

...and in the process of industrialising - scaling up, undermining traditional methods, greater use of artificial fertilisers/insecticides and other 'factory farming' technology - a whole new set of investment opportunities are created for....capitalists.

So really the urban working class and small farmers/the agrarian interest had/have an awful lot in common: they were a natural class alliance against Whigs/capitalists/financiers. But alas these two groups were more likely to see themselves as enemies and were politically divided

It's fundamental to liberal capitalism to want everything to be cheap: cheap food, cheap labour, cheap products. But food comes from animals & the land; labour is human beings. These things should not be cheapened: they are life itself. Food should be dear & wages should be high.

Thoughts partly provoked by reading @herdyshepherd1's new book