This blog has always maintained that Brexit is bad for wildlife and the environment. I stand completely by that position.
Yes, it depends on what type of Brexit happens (might happen) but any Brexit is likely to be bad news for wildlife and the environment.
Funnily enough, the worst type of Brexit, the crashing out without any sort of a deal Brexit, will be the worst Brexit possible although, in the best of all possible worlds (ie not the one in which you and I currently live) it could be the very best too.
This is all to do with the ‘taking back our power’ nonsense. If we crash out then, I’ve been told so often that I now simply roll my eyes, we could do so much better on our own than we have in the EU. We could have the finest environmental standards ever imagined, I am told. Yeh, right.
The current Tory Party, having shed many of its more moderate MPs, is now a strongly right-wing, anti-regulation party. It has no interest in the environment and its backers certainly don’t. A large part of the motivation for Brwexit amongst these people is to get rid of workers’ rights and environmental standards so that something called the economy can prosper. I look forward to Crispin Odey arguing for licensing of grouse shooting and full protection of blanket bogs from damaging burning (for mentions of old Harrovian, city trader, Crispin Odey in this blog see here, here, here, here, here and here!
But even if I am wrong about this – and I am sure that I am erring on the side of being too generous if anything – being left adrift depending on striking a trade deal wiith Trumpian USA is hardly going to allow us to introduce our gold standard environmental measures so longed-for by Rees-Mogg et al is it? Our standards will be dictated by our desperation to get some dollars into our economy. Do you want Donald Trump setting your environmental standards?
I found these two blogs pretty good on Brexit (although neither paints a scary enough picture)
- Martin Harper, An update on the environmental implications of Brexit
- Wildlife Link, Rupert Read and Andy Ross from UEA, Brexit and the Precautionary Principle
And there are rumours, strong and multi-sourced rumours, that Defra is back-sliding on ‘public money for public goods’ and on banning burning of peat bogs – the writing is on the wall.
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I think you have summed up the situation very well Mark. This whole Brexit nonsense is being driven by the right wing of the Tory Party which, as you say, is not interested in the slightest in the environment or nature conservation. In fact quite the reverse, they see it as getting in their way and that of big business and wish to sweep the regulations away so that they can drive “a coach and horse” through it all.
What a terrible lot they are, the conservation movement must fight them every step of the way.
It is also a disaster that Jeremy Corbin is so, so very ineffectual. For God’s sake he only has to be half a leader to take the present Tories to the cleaners, but he is not even half a leader.
We seem to be surrounded by disasters but at least this dreadful so called government has not got a clear majority in Parliament as yet.
As those that are concerned about the environment and nature loss we must keep fighting. This evil hanging over us will pass in time.
I believe you are 100% correct. I wish you weren’t.
I agree with this too.
But I take heart from your last sentence, Alan.
We must keep the faith.
Back sliding on ‘public money for public goods’, so billions more to keep sending food to landfill and having a higher flood risk then? That’s what this amounts to, we need to let the public know.