That’s a rather smart looking building in the North York Moors isn’t it? I wonder what the blue plaque says? Aaah! National Lottery. Sport England? What sort of sport goes on up there I wonder? Shall we look up the planning permission? Here it is. It’s a shooting hut which shall only be used by…
BLOG POSTS
Did you write to your Labour MP? Firm Briefing 18
Around 120 of you have told me that you have written to your Labour MPs on the subject of the debate on driven grouse shooting that will happen on a Monday afternoon after the 18 October (date tbc). So far, some of you have had responses from c22 Labour MPs but another 68 or so…
State of the parties and Firm Briefing 17
You’ve been very busy with firm briefing over the last few weeks. Just over 500 of you have written to just over 300 MPs (and let me know – new correspondence arrives every day). According to what you have told me, for that is all I have to go on, this is the breakdown of…
Just a few words
This isn’t much of a blog post to start the week but there are two reasons for that. Last week I was under the weather for a few days, nothing serious, although being a man I assumed that I was dying, although again, being a man I didn’t do anything dramatic like asking a doctor,…
Writing competition – Under 18 winner
Hazel Peters is the winner of the Under-18 category of this blog’s writing competition. Hazel’s father, Keith, tells me that Hazel began showing her passion for nature, particularly birds, at around 7 years; recording what she saw, researching as much as she could and saving pocket money for binoculars. If she’s not at school, she’s…
Sunday book review – the Ethical Carnivore by Louise Gray
Louise Gray is a former Daily Telegraph environmental journalist. She writes well and this is a book that all should read – but it isn’t simply a duty, it is a gritty pleasure. Louise set off on a year’s journey only to eat meat that she had killed herself – despite being close to being…
Tim Melling – Black Hairstreak
Tim writes: the Black Hairstreak is undoubtedly Britain’s rarest hairstreak, being restricted to a narrow band of ancient woodlands between Oxford and Peterborough. They are also frustratingly difficult to predict their appearance as it varies between early and late June. They also seem to get worn and tatty rather quickly so photographing them soon after…
Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill
See some more of Ralph’s work here.
Firm briefing 16
If you received this letter from Defra via your MP, and many of you have, you could write back and ask for better information. That’s what I’ve done and you might find my letter a useful model to follow. Dear Mr Pursglove Thank you for the response from Dr Coffey that you sent me….
Chris Packham launches new e-petition
Whatever you think of him, you’ve got to admit that Chris Packham has guts. Despite being abused on social media, and despite the shooting lobby gunning for his job at the BBC, Chris has today launched a new e-petition calling for a moratorium, not an all-out ban, on shooting Woodcock, Snipe and Golden Plover…