This long read’ (not too long) in The Herald is well worth a few minutes of your time. It’s a refreshingly sane and well-informed account of illegal persecution of Hen Harriers in Scotland.
Let’s hope Roseanna Cunningham has read it (she will have done).
The SNP government is dragging its feet on its response to Werritty. Will they commit to introduce licensing of grouse shooting or not? Parliament is now in recess (although business can be tabled each Friday through the summer) but actually 10 August, the Monday before the Inglorious 12th, would be an apt day to announce that Scotland was planning to clamp down on unsustainable driven grouse shooting.
[registration_form]
Fingers crossed that the Scottish Government and Parliament really do strongly clamp down or ban on Driven Grouse Shooting in the coming weeks. Let’s hope that Scotland leads the way on this because the West Minster Government and Natural England certainly will not. The only way they will take action against the grouse moor criminality is to be thoroughly shamed into doing so.
We certainly need Holyrood to step up on this one because we know Westminster will not. Hen Harrier is at the forefront of persecution simply because it is routine for many estates, there are a long line of well publicised victims, for many of us far too long a line with nothing effective done to tackle the problem. Then of course there are the Eagles in Scotland gone the same way plus all those unnamed and often unknown Peregrines, Buzzards, Red Kites, Short-eared Owls and the rest shot poisoned and trapped only to be shoved in holes in the ground or burnt. Time, way beyond time some would say that this was tackled by government for what it is persistent organised crime. Westminster with its benches full of Tory grandees many of whom shoot or have pals who shoot will not do a damned thing, no they won’t be shamed into it , that’s an emotion they don’t suffer from. So come on Holyrood time you led the way, again.
One wonders what the dislikers, dislike is it the idea of all these persecuted raptors that you dispute or the solutions? Whatever time you too stepped up and took part in the debate or gave it a rest.
The one thing, above all else, that they dislike is the truth, Paul. They hate and fear it, because it stalks them like a predator, which they know all too well they can’t outrun. No matter how many obstacles, built from lies, threats and corruption, they leave in their wake as they flee, the predator clears them in easy bounds, and is now only inches behind.
Biological pest control.
I agree entirely and think that there are times when we should call them out. I’m sure that those of us with outspoken views are attracting regular troll dislikes but they haven’t the wit, gall or intelligence to enter the debate, cowards behind a computer screen, trolls who know their arguments are poor or lost. Rather like the folk and pastime they wish to preserve the only thing really keeping it going is the status quo and the widespread and common British disease of not wanting change. In this case one assumes they don’t want change, be that proper control or banning of DGS or real enforcement of current protection laws, yet they haven’t the balls to defend their position at all.
They will just kick it down the road and certainly won’t contemplate anything before next years elections. We were told not to rock the boat 2 years running up to the 2014 Referemdem and the SNP are still in that mode now. Lots of unfulfilled promises. Lost faith with them long ago now. Thank goodness for the Scotish Greens.
In parallel financial support for these massive estates should perhaps be reviewed and any found to have wildlife crime issues should have their support payments recovered?
Licensing will help particularly if it were to be monitored in a meaningful way and supported by appropriate funds (drawn maybe in part from a licensing fee).
Estates which receive payments should also see unannounced inspection undertaken by some independent group, it might (I say might) see more evidence uncovered? This investigation squad could be part of a wildlife crime reduction initiative?
Where Scotland might lead, England too needs to act otherwise they continue to fail to safeguard wildlife despite their protestations.
When folk read about environmental destruction and species being wiped out in far flung places like Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, Congo and all the rest they tend to sigh and put it down to abuse of power, flawed or perverted democratic systems, greed, ignorance, weakness of civil authority and the general state of the thought and education in those places. Exactly like in England, and as may well be proven shortly, probably Scotland too. A good article though – well done to the Herald.
If Roseanna has indeed read this, she may be relieved by the way her political headache is still being framed by journalists as an obscure feud between two tiresome sets of bird enthusiasts. In spite of the progress in moving the issue mainstream that’s still how the press and much of the public see grouse moor criminality. The article provided better information than most but real progress would be a focus on criminals, the population effects and the evidence. The flannel about what grouse moor people think of hen harriers is just more false equivalence in environmental matters. None of that needs a science correspondent – an near extinct species. The information is all out there in fairly straightforward form thanks to Mark and RPUK.
Seems the Americans have a term for someone who ignores laws which are hard to enforce.
‘Scofflaw.’
‘White woman who called police over black birdwatcher is charged’
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/06/amy-cooper-charged-black-birdwatcher-new-york