I’ll be talking to Martha Kearney on The World at One today – some time after 1pm (because they told me to turn up at 1pm!). It’s A Message from Martha to Martha Kearney. Publication is a week today but you can order right now.
BLOG POSTS
Shooting – good for wildlife?
BBC Countryfile magazine has a poll about the good that shooting does in the countryside following the Countryfile programme last Sunday. The poll asks ‘Does the shooting industry do more good than harm to Britain’s wildlife?’. I know several people who have voted in the opposite way to that which they intended because of the…
Progress
Our e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting in England has, today, entered only its seventh week of life. Doesn’t it seem longer than that? Yesterday, just as Brazil kicked off with high hopes against Germany (did Brazil have the first kick of the match – I missed the first few minutes?) our e-petition passed 7000…
A good conference
A couple of weeks’ ago I attended a conference in Cambridge of the Cambridge Conservation Forum. It was really quite interesting, but as with many conferences, the details are fading into the mush of my mind. That’s not to say it wasn’t a good conference – I enjoyed it a lot. I’m not going to…
A message from someone…
I received an email from someone I admire and trust last week and he (for it is a he) has agreed that I can quote him as follows: Well done for stirring up on the subject of driven grouse-shooting. I have not been against this activity until recently but have substantially changed my opinion…
Katy’s diner
I’m getting very attached to the Peak District National Park. The more time I spend there, the more I’d like to spend there. Last week I drove through the western side of the park, past signposts to Wildboarclough and then past the Goyt Valley, through Buxton (the Bath of the North? Or is Bath the…
Hen Harrier Day update
The possibility of five events, across the North of England, all on Sunday 10 August, to show public outrage at the criminal killing of Hen Harriers, is being explored. The RSPB supports Hen Harrier Day but other wildlife conservation organisations have kept quiet so far. We are waiting for the county wildlife trusts, individually or…
What they say 4:
On yesterday’s Countryfile programme: Richard Ali, Chief Executive of BASC (c15mins 30secs into the programme): ‘…it’s not an enjoyment based on killing, it’s an enjoyment to respect the countryside. Shooting is about not just the history of Britain, it’s about an innovative future.’ Although it was delivered with an earnest tone and a deeply serious…
What they say 3:
Office of National Statistics, 29 May 2014: ‘The inclusion of illegal drugs and prostitution is likely to increase the level of GDP in 2009 by around £10 billion, around £5.3 billion attributable to prostitution and £4.4 billion attributable to illegal drugs. In all years between 1997 and 2009 the impact ranges from £7 billion to…
What they say 2:
From: Hen Harriers: your essential brief by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust: Q How many hen harriers are there in the UK? A There are 630 hen harrier pairs in the UK. Q How many hen harriers are there in England? A Hen harriers don’t stay within the borders of countries so it depends…