At yesterday evening’s Environmental Any Questions, UKIP was represented by journalist William Cash, son of Bill Cash, former Tory MP. This must have been a tough gig for William but he didn’t flinch from putting us all straight on a few things:
- ‘the UKIP position on the EU is pretty clear’ – that was quite witty…
- …but in answer to a question about the value of the EU directives to nature, Cash moved quickly to tell us that hedgehogs are declining because of badgers
- so-called community windfarms are there by EU dictat
- Cash is against a Lynx reintroduction
- new houses must go in the right places – not a touch of NIMBY there then…
- successive governments have betrayed the countryside and UKIP is the most pro-countryside party
- Cash says no to HS2
- wind turbines are not right for this country and this countryside
- re a ban on driven grouse shooting – government should not attempt to change ‘rural values’ (get off my laaaand!)
- if he could do one thing, he would repeal the Climate Change Act
- Cash lives in Shropshire – I just bet he’s mates with Owen Paterson, don’t you?
It would be a tough gig for anyone to answer questions about the environment for around two hours (even though you share the platform with five other parties) but the audience on the Euston Road was not very sympathetic to the UKIP position as expounded by Mr Cash. We were all wondering along the lines of ‘If Cash is the answer, what is the question?’. But you watch, in rural Shropshire, and just outside the office where I write this in rural Northamptonshire, there would be braying support for this type of environmental illiteracy.
[registration_form]
Think Bill Cash snr is still a Tory MP – http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/ukip/11131789/Veteran-MP-Bill-Cash-completely-disassociates-himself-from-his-Ukip-supporting-son-William.html
Don’t seem to be any indications that he’s standing down at next election?
With a knowledgable audience of ecologists and professionals William Cash got quite a hard time – open laughter at a few points, but as you say, outside the hall there are those to whom the policies may make perfect common sence, a majourity?
A good moment was when he attested that he did not want to get into an ideological discussion about climate change and Natalie Bennett retorted that climate clange was realisim not idealism.
P.S. Bill Cash still a tory MP