The Shadow environment minister, Alex Cunningham, spoke well in the Westminster Hall debate last week saying ‘As a responsible society, recognising the inherent dangers, we have already taken action and regulated to cut lead from petrol, from paint and from water pipes. But, despite the evidence and our previous moves to regulate other sources of…
BLOG POSTS
Thank you Andrew
Thank you to the chair of Natural England for putting Inglorious in his list of books to which he turned for inspiration this year. The other four books are all excellent and it is rather nice to be snuggling up to them on the page in Country Life. I’m glad to see Inglorious on the…
Taking lead off the map
There are two e-petitions relating to toxic lead ammunition. At the moment the one asking for a continuation of our birds being poisoned and our food being adulterated with lead has more signatures so please sign Rob Sheldon’s e-petition to replace toxic lead ammunition with non-toxic alternatives. I find the relatively new Westminster parliament website…
Not Idle at all
I spoke at the Idle Valley Nature Reserve on Friday – I wasn’t idle at all. It was fun for me – I hope the audience enjoyed it too. It seemed that they did. Arriving early I was shown around parts of this massive nature reserve which is based on former mineral workings and has…
A world united?
To get 195 nations to agree anything is pretty good. To get them to agree something pretty good is exceptionally good. Six years ago I was one of many people, was it 40,000 or so (?), who marched on The Wave through the streets of London ahead for the Copenhagen climate talks. I was lucky…
A good week
I ended the week feeling optimistic. I’m usually optimistic but I had a few down moments in the middle of the week. I’m not sure what the climate deal adds up to yet There are some quite optimistic views about it, but these things are a bit like George Osborne speeches – it’s best to…
Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill
Ralph writes: This is the first cartoon I have submitted that I hope is not used. I sit here on Friday night depressed at what tomorrow morning will hold. I desperately want action on climate change and will be glad if any binding agreement is made. However,I have strong doubts of what will come out…
An ex-gamekeeper writes…
Having just finished reading your book ‘Inglorious’ I’m prompted, and indeed inspired, to write to you. I’d like to begin by telling you something about my background. Since childhood I have been passionately interested in wildlife, with birdwatching at the fore. I was brought up in the conurbations of Manchester where I was born in…
The end of grouse shooting for another year
The open season on Red Grouse ends today and reopens on the Inglorious 12 August 2016. What better day to add your name to an e-petition to get the Westminster parliament to debate the future of grouse shooting? Grouse shooting is a pointless and environmentally damaging hobby for people with guns. this would be fine…
Legal clarification from Natural England
I’m grateful to Natural England for getting in touch today over the issue of medication of Red Grouse raised in Ruth Tingay’s Guest Blog of Monday. Here is what NE wrote: ‘In the recent guest contribution to your Blog, Dr Ruth Tingay asked for clarification from Natural England and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) regarding the…