There were nearly 60 people in the audience of the Hitchin and Letchworth RSPB group on Friday evening – and they were a very friendly and jolly lot. And some of them went away with signed copies of my books too.
It’s often the questions that are the most interesting thing for me – because they tell me what i could have explained better and where people’s minds are going. The question that got me thinking the most on Friday was one which basically asked ‘how come the grouse shooters haven’t cchanged their ways’?
It’s a good question, because there is absolutely no sign that they have. And it can be answered at a variety of levels as follows:
- they haven’t had any pressure put on them by Defra/NE – in fact they have been made to feel as though they are all mates together (what other signal does brood meddling send?)
- the enforcement of the existing laws has been pathetic, even allowing for the practical difficulties
- the NGOs have not kicked up enough fuss on the issue – every RSPB group I visit looks shocked to hear what is going on (so Martin Harper might get a question on grouse moors when he speaks to this group later in the year)
- the grouse shooters realise that there is no compromise possible and it’s a fight to the end – they have backed themselves into a corner of denial and intend to hang on as long as they possibly can.
But the demise of driven grouse shooting is inevitable – and I hope it won’t be that far away.
I give about 20 talks a year when I raise the issue of grouse shooting and I regard that as one part of my contribution to keeping the issue alive and spreading the word. The ordinary folks of Letchworth will mostly be unaware of the wildlife crime hotspots which are associated with grouse shooting, but this issue has also passed by many conservationists and birders too.
I very much enjoyed the evening and i learned the shocking news that the RSPB has stopped collecting used stamps for fundraising. The world must be falling apart – first Brexit, now the RSPB doesn’t want all those stamps I carefull tore off Christmas cards! I’m stunned.
PS The Pasha Fish Bar in Bursland was a lucky find – I recommend the fish and chips.
I too was surprised by the news that used stamps are no longer being collected. Apparently it is because some dodgy people were buying the donated used stamps in bulk, cleaning them up and selling them on for re-use. Should be pointed out that the charities collecting the stamps weren’t profiting from this illegal activity.
Shame, but I think there could be much more lucrative, and environmentally beneficial ways of making money for conservation out of reduce, reuse, recycle that invite attention – we need new ways to help reduce waste and new sources of income. 2.4 billion quid wasted buying bottled water, 50 million plus lost in Scotland alone per year because the public don’t use council recycling services properly, 12.5 billion pounds worth of avoidable food waste sent to landfill in UK per anum. Especially with new developments in IT must be ways of generating income from preventing this.
The local group may well be shocked, and rightly so.
I’ve moaned at Martin Harper about the poor response of the RSPB to the issues you raise because we can comment on his blogs on the RSPB website and he is sometimes kind enough to respond.
However I have tried to enthuse my own RSPB local group as to the possibilities of the members doing more to become activists, after the leader kindly allowed me a couple of minutes to address them. It produced little discernible result, even though my form of armchair activism is suitable for primary pupils, and is unlikely to cause the RSPB any damage to it’s reputation. Members being shocked is not enough, although no one can rival your efforts.
The RSPB was correct to ask the question “Is the Scottish criminal justice system fit for purpose?” in Legal Eagle 82. I find it amazing that Scotland, which has shown the way in many ways about environmental matters, has a justice system only fit for the 18th Century.
The RSPB has an opportunity, as do I, to show just how little separated a hearing in court in one or more of the cases which were discontinued in 2017. Crown Counsel may well have overridden the belief by procurators fiscal that cases should go to court. I do hope that the RSPB take the opportunity to make a strong submission when my petition returns to committee likely next month. My submission, still in preparation, will not hold back although closely sticking to the subject.
Best of luck Alex, you deserve every support your petition was beautifully put together.
Yes, good luck and thank you for your work.
I do agree Mark that a lot of RSPB members are not fully aware of the terrible abuses of our wildlife of which many grouse moors are guilty. I also agree that the RSPB could have demonstrated more anger in the past. I think though they are now showing much more anger. They have to be a bit careful because of their charitable terms and conditions. They have had several challenges from You Have Forgotten the Birds Group all of which have failed quite rightly.
No, the real culprit in all of this is this Government and of course Defra. Ms Coffey who is supposed to be the minister for nature and wildlife seems to give unswerving support to the shooters with little or no regard to the suffering of the moorland wildlife through totally illegal activities . So I fear not much will change until this Government is changed out.
In the meantime we come.back to that inscription on the pyramids “and no one was angry enough to speak out”. We all must be angry and we must all speak out.
Alan, I accept that the RSPB is becoming more demonstrative, but really only internally.
I said to Martin Harper: “If we are aware why you are reluctant to take action, such action by others (and I’d like to pay tribute to mark Avery who goes well above and beyond what might b expected) could be supported from afar by the RSPB by a simple statement without the risks of any action which you might undertake. A similar case might also be made for greater support from the RSPB in advising that you might draw the attention of members to actions which may risk a report to the Charities commission and the like. Members may well be less inclined to criticise the RSPB for it’s lack of campaigning vigour. I for one, would have been happy had you drawn attention to, and perhaps praised, the Judicial review application by Mark but stated why you felt unable to undertake such action yourself.”
Legal Eagle 82 above and the Illegal killing of birds of prey in Scotland 2015-2017 are unequivocal and hard hitting.
I hope that the RSPB will take any opportunities which may come to be as savage in their condemnation as these documents, and especially where it is possible in a public arena.
I am still very supportive of the RSPB, but not all their efforts.
Personally I am now past anger.
I am now more quietly determined, and all for polite screaming, as advocated by Chris Packham.