I’m sorry I haven’t had time to write a book review this week – let alone to read a book.
But there is a book link in this blog.
If you want to understand why the Countryside Alliance want Chris Packham to be sacked by the BBC then you only have to read his Foreword to my book Inglorious – conflict in the uplands.
Here are some quotes:
‘…this book…will motivate you to help put an end to an insidious, hugely destructive and outdated practice that isn’t ethically or morally fit for the twenty-first century – driven grouse shooting‘
‘…when we are told by the shooting fraternity that they are ‘looking after the uplands’ the joke simply isn’t funny anymore. They burn it, poison it, denude it of any life that may possibly harm a grouse, and then kill the grouse themselves. How absurd.‘
‘One day this horror will end, of course, but with your help it will end a lot sooner, and your grandchildren and those of the rotten criminals will thank you for it.‘
With your help?
Yes, there is a very simple thing that you can do right now – please sign this e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting in order to send a message to the uplands of Britain, and to the politicians in Westminster and beyond that they must act to put an end to wildlife crime and damaging land use practices in our hills.
[registration_form]
Out of curiosity I read some of the reasons that people signed the ‘Sack Chris Packham’ petition. The same misspelling of his name as Chris pacham occurred so many times that I think there were some made-up petitioners among the 2500. Others seemed to think his comments were broadcast, not from a magazine article. Many were just plain illiterate.
Banning lead shot is clearly needed more urgently than I had realised.
Your right Lynn, most commenters appear to conflate CP’s work as a broadcaster with that of a columnist/opinion writer. And I wonder how many have actually read any of his columns?
Also a sizeable proportion seem to think he should sacked purely because he is anti-field sports. Apparently by default this makes him impartial (or inpartial according to many) and therefore unfit to present any countryside related broadcast. So by that logic any presenter who takes part in field-sports would also be deemed to be impartial. And so by extension the only people who are really suitable to present countrywide related broadcasts must have absolutely no opinions on, or indeed any interest in, the subject matter. But outside of Smith Square do such people exist? If so then presumably such people only exist in towns and cities? But then apparently these people are automatically deemed unfit as they are ‘townies’ ?!
Baffling.
Lead clearly has a lot to answer for.
Quite LE & EM
Recent issues of BBC Wildlife with Chris’s columns alone have made it worth buying, aside from any other items therein. If the BBC are reading this, or better still the Editorial staff in BBC Wildlife then keep up the committment. Principled columnists are as rare as Hen Harriers?
Country lore & tradition, Ministers watering down wildlife legislation & the most contentious thus far (as far as the Countryside Alliance concerned) that criticising conservation charities. All issues which need scrutiny and their profiles raising, well done Chris. Let’s have more please BBC.
The Monbiot Guardian article highlighted by one commentator sums up the view that the likes of the CA wants us to have of the countryside, that offered on the wishy washy Countryfile. Another programme no longer what it was, another neutered voice?
A Tory government will never ban driven grouse shooting and with Mr Corbyn’s victory the prospect of a Labour government has evaporated for another 5 years. Let’s hope the hen harrier can hang on until 2025.
It seems the BBC has questions to answer about how the Countryside Alliance manipulate it!
From the Guardian :- “The BBC has caved in to pressure from the Countryside Alliance to drop news stories that show hunting in a bad light. The alliance has also forced BBC producers to order the rewriting of key scenes showing a fox cub being orphaned by a hunt in a new flagship drama series.”
http://gu.com/p/dtxv/stw
An ongoing manipulation then, this item was posted 14/11/1999!
That man Packham again; I do wish he’d get off the fence and say what he really means… (insert smiley emoticon here!)