Buckle up – milkshake droughts are just the start | Torsten Bell

Firms ignored the issue of migrant labour for years, but it is possible to manage without it - at a cost

We're not used to modern capitalism being a mess. For something so incredibly complex, it runs smoothly in normal times. Even those of us who don't like many of its outcomes - its impact on inequality or the environment, for example - can marvel at how quickly a huge variety of goods and services are made available to us almost instantaneously.

Which in part explains the collective trauma as real supply challenges have emerged, with shortages of certain goods (chickens or anything involving a semi-conductor) and workers (HGV drivers) dominating the headlines.

Related: Whitehall must act on skills shortages - or see businesses driven into the ground

There is a reason why UK graduates aren't clamouring for a career in meat packing on the minimum wage