This book is out of stock at the publishers, Bloomsbury, and has been for quite some time now, but then it was published in 2015 (hardback) and 2016 (updated paperback). So if you see one in a bookshop just blow the dust off it, please.
I received my royalty payment for 2020 recently and it came to £155.59 (trivial amounts for Birds and Forestry and A Message from Matha) which was more than I expected. Woohoo!
When we get around to the updated third edition (tbc) it will have to discuss the introduction of licensing in Scotland (which all depends on the results of the May elections there) and the utterly feeble measures, that won’t really limit burning on peatlands enough, brought in by DEFRA. It may also have to touch on the ongoing disaster of brood meddling (no news on the result of my appeal yet – it’s taking a long time – maybe the three judges can’t agree) and on the shambles of a southern Hen Harrier reintroduction.
The days of driven grouse shooting in England are probably much reduced by the fact that the Westminster government has done nothing really to deal with lead ammunition pollution of upland wetlands and our food, nothing to curb the very high levels of illegal persecution of a fully protected bird on designated sites or the wider countryside, and nothing very much to tackle the impacts of moorland burning on carbon emissions, flooding or water quality. Doing so little, across the board, makes it all the more obvious that there is a multifaceted generic ecological problem for which the generic and effective solution is banning driven grouse shooting. The alternative of letting an economically worthless, socially damaging and environmentally disastrous hobby continue won’t look very sensible. And the only reason it hasn’t been dealt with is that we have a failing DEFRA as part of a failing government which takes its orders from the rich and privileged.
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Nearly enough to buy a beer for all your loyal readers [Added by Mark at David’s request:] from the Moorland Association?
I think we owe you the beer, Mark. Feel free to claim one from me should we ever be in the same hostelry once they open!
David – more than enough to buy them each a bottle of champagne perhaps…
Further to the catastrophic failure of Defra and this Government on the wildlife and and environment fronts, as you point out Mark, I am very surprised that Mr. juniper remains in his position. I know this has been said before, but these failures by Defra have been steady and persistent for a long time now.
I just do not understand how someone who made his name through being a strong conservationist and being dedicated to the environment can, with all credibility, remain in the top office he currently holds in Defra with all these failures all around him.
Thirteen years ago now at a FoE Scotland local group’s weekend I met a visiting guest from a FoE group in the south of England who didn’t have a single good word to say about TJ. She knew him personally, was fully credible as far as I could see and wasn’t a high profile activist he might be bothered to put a good face on for. That’s why I held back on opening the champagne when there was so much near jubilation as he was initially appointed the head of NE.
Spot on with all you say Mark, especially about failing Defra and a failing Government. John F, Kennedy once said, in so many words, in a speech, that the rich and privilege people and industries can afford to have representatives and lobbyists close to Government in Westminster to look after their interests and that it is the task of the President ( in this case the Prime Minister) to look after the interests of all the remainder of the population. If one ever wants to see a failure of a Government to live up, even slightly, to such standards, just look around you. Every time this Government ignores the desperate needs of our wildlife and the environment and supports their cronies and big businesses.
By the way you are worth much, much more than a £155,50 royalty.
An updated edition! I’m very glad to hear that. When might that happen please?
There’s an awful lot of awful stuff happened since the last one. I imagine it’s hard to work out what to include and plan for how it might change.