Joke coverage by Torygraph

77000The Telegraph’s Senior Reporter, Patrick Sawer, produced a joke piece of news yesterday. Presumably any journalists who know anything about the environment and grouse shooting were at home having a barbecue over the weekend?

The article is constructed around the events of 25 July when the RSPB pulled out of the Defra non-plan for Hen Harriers because the  RSPB finally twigged that the representatives of the grouse shooting so-called industry (it’s just a silly hobby really) were taking the mickey. Tomorrow the Torygraph is expected to reveal the results of the Euro 2016 football tournament as news.

In an attempt to persuade people that they are actually reading the Guardian, the Torygraph misses out a word in its first sentence. Later it wittily but accurately describes the Hen Harrier population as ‘exiting’ when it may have meant ‘existing’ and it also describes them as ‘hen harries’ perhaps as a bitingly unkind reference to the events at Dersingham Bog on 24 October 2007. The toryGRaph can’t quite decide whether it wants to capitalise Bird Names or offer them in Lower caSe – I sometimes have the same problem.

Shooting organisations said, apparently, that it was too early to tell whether the first  year of the Hen Harrier Inaction Plan has been a success because unfortunately three pairs of these birds had somehow slipped through even though, according to Mr Sawer, they are threatened by predators such as voles – yes, really!

Peter Glenser, the new chairman of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, who appeared after the dramatic and unexpected exit of the previous chair, said: ‘The protection of hen harriers can only come through organisations working together. It is easy to blame grouse moors and gamekeepers, rather than considering other impact factors, such as disturbance and climate. Nothing is achieved by targeting one particular group and attempting to place all the blame on their shoulders.’ He might have gone on to say ‘The blame should be shared more widely with junior doctors, refuse collectors and lollipop ladies. All these jobs have as good an opportunity to go up on to the moors owned by shooting estates and, while no-one is looking, bump off a few Hen Harriers, Peregrines and Goshawks, and then slaughter a few hundred Mountain Hares on their way home. Our members wouldn’t want anyone to think that they were solely responsible.‘.

If you would like to stop all those junior doctors, refuse collectors and lollipop ladies killing Hen Harriers and wrecking the uplands through burning and drainage then you can add your name to over 77,000 people calling for a debate on the future of the uplands – please sign here to get that debate.

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5 Replies to “Joke coverage by Torygraph”

  1. Mr Liam Stokes needs to look up the meaning of the word sanctuary (refuge or safety from pursuit, persecution, or other danger) its not the first word that springs to mind when describing a shooting estate.

    Oh and the vole thing had my sides splitting.

  2. Great that the petition has really got momentum. I guess the grouse shooters must be having a quiet word with their pals in government, if not increasingly panicked words.
    I’m not happy with calling what they do ” just a silly hobby really”. It is after all a kind of death industry that not only destroys birds and predators but whole habitats for the “enjoyment” of the few at the expense of the many, nothing silly about that.

  3. Peter Glenser, the chairman of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, said: “The protection of hen harriers can only come through organisations working together. It is easy to blame grouse moors and gamekeepers . . .”

    You’re right Peter it is easy. Facts are a bitch aren’t they.

    I also want to know more about these super predatory voles. My cat has gone missing and I think they may be to blame.

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