I have a column in the current British Wildlife magazine about the relevance of the EU elections on 22 May, the Scottish independence vote in September and the next UK general election (just over a year away) to our wildlife. In it I also set out 20 policies that might get my vote in the next general election.
Here are a few of them:
- Temporarily ban grouse-shooting in those SPAs that now have fewer nesting Hen Harriers than when they were designated (ie all of them) and recommence it in those where thresholds are regained
- Fund a task force to manage neglected hedgerows in order to increase their wildlife value and reduce rural unemployment
- Require the president of the NFU to make an annual speech on the state of farmland wildlife
- Hold referendums on whether Beavers, White-tailed Eagles and Lynx should be reintroduced – and fund any option which gains a majority of votes
The Guardian asked me to elaborate on some of the ideas, and you can read those thoughts online here.
I’ll come back to this month’s EU elections a bit later next week.
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“president of the NFU”
I don’t think whomsoever holds this post is sufficiently representative of farmers to speak other than for its members. The Chair of the AHDB, on the other hand, might have a better overview of the whole industry.
As for neglected hedgerows – I wish they were neglected around here. Just as they get more interesting they are flailed back to nothing.
Politicians seem to have a knack of lots of special offers, then the wind blows and guess what? Offers, rhetoric, empty promises etc. they are all worthless – I seek actions and they are as rare a species as Hen Harriers fledging on upland grouse moors?
I suppose they have to start somewhere otherwise they simply freewheel into Westminster luxury? I seem to recall broken promises about a reduction of some of the 650? Imagine the financial savings if a substantive proportion of the unelected ‘patronage’ 800 were also retired (without enhanced packages)?
I shall probably waste time writing to a selection of prospective MPs and fully anticipate eloquent twaddle which will probably fail to answer the particular questions I ask, but if we don’t ask then we get what we are given?
Perhaps there’s an eventual blog in publically congratulating any politician who actually delivered a promise made to any ‘environmental’ enquirer within say their first year in office?