Did you notice that we have a new Prime Minister? That’s not the only movement…
- Michael Gove goes (to Cabinet Office) – I’m sorry to see him go because I would have liked to see him deliver on some of his best promises. All bets are off on everything – is that any way to run a country?
- And we welcome Theresa Villiers to Defra – a bit of an unknown quantity but some background in animal welfare issues which is not remotely the same as nature conservation issues. Not much background in rural issues. An unknown quantity who will have the pressure put on her by farming and shooting lobbies right from the start while the conservation NGOs sit back and give her space. Ms Villiers now becomes the defendant in the Wild Justice legal challenge over the release of 50 million non-native gamebirds without the benefit of a Habs Regs assessment – welcome to the Job!
- George Eustice returns to Defra after resigning over Brexit earlier this year. This is actually quite sensible – there are few ministers or potential ministers who would understand a quarter of what Eustice does of the job he relinquished on principle and has now regained on merit. Don’t take that as any meaningful agreement between my views and his – it’s just that he knows his stuff.
- The worst news of the new ministerial posts is that Therese Coffey stays at Defra and gets a promotion to Minister of State – how can anyone who has shown such little interest in her role be allowed to continue. There must be, I guess, a government role in which Dr Coffey would excel but the last years have shown that it is not this one. It seems she has been recycled. But perhaps when everything is clearer we will find that she has been stripped of the biodiversity brief.
- Richard Benyon gets to chair a Highly Protected Marine Areas panel – the panel looks excellent in terms of balance and composition. Let’s hope they get on with it, and then the government gets on with it.
- Baron Randall of Uxbridge will have resigned from his No. 10 environment role when Theresa May left Downing Street – my guess is that he plans to spend more time with his binoculars and he will now be free to make his first speech in the House of Lords.
- A new Westminster parliamentary petition popped up this week – Repeal the archaic Weeds Act 1959 to benefit pollinators and wider biodiversity.
- And another today from the indefatigable Les Wallace – An independent study to find if driven grouse shooting is of economic benefit.
- Aren’t petitions like buses…?
Michael Gove’s time ar Defra and in fact the 25 year plan has all been about promsing but not spending – the whole secret to 25 year plans is that they take a lot of time to prepare – during which there’s lots of credit for great new ideas and no cash going out the door.
But we have gained spmeting – we now knowcthe budget for Climate Change – it’s £25 billion pet annum – which is what arch conservative Boris tells us the country can afford – he thinks its for his mates, but it could equally be for all our futures.
But, scary times, I’ve seen not a squeak out of Labour who still seem committed to attacking each other rather than the Tories and I have a horfible sinking feeling that Boris might have the nerve to go tonthe country, outplay and oucharm a glum Jeremy Corbyn, achieve no deal Brexit and extend the lost decade of Tory misrule by another 5 years.
Well said on all of this Mark. I gather that Theresa Villers has not got a very inspiring record on the environment and none at all on wildlife and conservation so it doesn’t auger very well in my opinion.
What a total shambles politics and politicians are. As you say Mark, Gove should have been left in place to deliver what he outlined.. It is no way to run any type of business or organisation.
Again as you say Mark, how Coffey kept in the Government is unbelievable. The trouble is she pandered the the Tory Party’s vested interests such as shooting and now doubt that stood her in good stead ( or bad stead depending how you look at it)
Overall I fear there will be little change to the Tory Party looking after its vested interests and the battle to stop all the illegal killing of raptors and other wildlife plus the halting destruction to our upland environment will have to continue unabated.
The one glimmer on the horizon is that I think a general election will be forced on Johnson before too long. That would be a chance to put things right, but Corbyn needs to get his act together pretty damn quick or that chance will be lost.
“doesn’t auger very well”
We are screwed
I’ve heard and read many people say ” but what’s the alternative to the Conservatives!?”
It seems a lot of people dont believe in Corbyn or that any of the other parties can run the country.
Quite frankly I’d vote for anybody over the Conservatives. I don’t recognise the country we now live in. Its a total mess everywhere you look.
Education, NHS, environment, local services, poverty, housing.
Surely anybody can see that continuing with these guys is just not an option.
Your not in their club. They are only interested in the 3% of the population that have all the money!
Everybody else can go live in the gutter as far as the Tories are concerned.