At the moment it seems at least as likely that the Conservative Party will include a promise to introduce a law of vicarious liability for wildlife crimes in their election manifesto as will the Labour Party. Given that this would merely be catching up with Scotland it’s hardly the most radical of ideas but, it…
BLOG POSTS
Guest blog by Hugh Webster: response to Tim Bidie
Mark writes; this was originally posted as a comment on yesterday’s Guest Blog by Tim Bidie but it seemed so good to me (and so long) that it might be better to publish it this way. Hugh Webster is a a biology teacher with a PhD in Behavioural Ecology, earned studying competition between large…
Guest Blog by John Stuart Mill (deceased): response to Tim Bidie
Mark writes: this was originally posted as a comment on yesterday’s Guest Blog by Tim Bidie but it seemed so good to me (and so long) that it might be better to publish it this way. John Stuart Mill, (20 May 1806 – 8 May 1873) was a British philosopher, political economist and civil servant….
Guest blog – Shared Planet by Mary Colwell-Hector
Mary Colwell-Hector is an award winning radio, TV and internet producer winning 14 awards over the last 8 years, including a Sony Gold in 2009. She is also a radio presenter and feature writer for The Tablet. She has produced natural history series such as Saving Species on Radio 4 and was the lead producer…
Mutch too complicated
The case of the convicted, and now imprisoned, gamekeeper, George Mutch has got many people wondering who was his boss, as Scotland, in their greater wisdom than England, has vicarious liability for wildlife crimes. Following the first successful case leading to a landowner being fined for his role in his gamekeeper’s misdemeanours (the Ninian Robert…
Impressive!
The e-petition to give Mountain Hares legal protection in Scotland is galloping across the landscape. It is heading quickly towards 5000 signatures. I’m very pleased (and slightly jealous – it took nearly a month for our own e-petition to get to 5000 signatures). Please have a look at the Mountain Hare e-petition on the 38…
Guest Blog – The Good Intentions Paving Company by Tim Bidie (aka as ‘Monro’)
‘Monro’ posted over 100 comments on this blog between 11 October and 14 December on the subject of Hen Harriers and grouse shooting’. On 14 December, because I was getting a bit fed up with his repetitive comments, I offered him a Guest Blog to get it all off his chest in one go. I…
And yet more…
In today’s Guardian there is a long piece, ‘a long read’ piece, by the admirable Patrick Barkham on the subject of grouse shooting and Hen Harrier shooting too. In it, I am described as ‘intense and fiercely intelligent’ which I just point out to show how wide of the mark journalists sometimes can be. It’s…
It’s a wasteland for Bowland Beth
David Harsent has won the prestigious TS Eliot prize for poetry for his collection of poems, Fire Songs. He is, the judges said, a poet ‘for dark and dangerous days’. This might seem a little off-subject for this blog, although I do try to maintain the appearance of having a thin veneer of culture. However,…
Too much crime, the Mutch case
Scottish gamekeeper, George Mutch, was yesterday sentenced to four months in prison for trapping a Goshawk and beating it to death. Mutch is the first gamekeeper to be jailed for killing raptors. Click here to see some of the video evidence that led to the conviction in December. It’s never a good thing for anyone…