Maybe not the biggest surprise ever…

Yesterday’s Today programme (at around 0639 and 0812) disclosed that high lead levels can make us more aggressive. We know that  ‘Lead damages the brain’ and ‘this is why there is a drive to keep lead levels very low and to keep lead levels in children particularly low’. Hmmm.  Makes you wonder doesn’t it? Another…

BASC and Countryside Alliance – the chocolate scare

You may remember that the Food Standards Agency recently updated its advice on eating game shot with lead. And you may remember that BASC (see link) and the Countryside Alliance (see link) trotted out some outrageous nonsense about there being more lead in chocolate than in the meat of game that had been shot with…

BASC, Countryside Alliance and the chocolate

It is now over a week since I pointed out that the statements by BASC and the Countryside Alliance on the relative amounts of lead in chocolate and game meat are incorrect. Whereas these rash statements may have originally been made in error they remain on the BASC and CA websites: BASC says ‘Pound for…

Guest Blog – Christopher Graffius (BASC) Lead Shot

Christopher Graffius is the Director of Communications at the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC). He enjoys shooting and fishing and goes wildfowling on the Dee estuary and shoots game in North Wales. Mark Avery has invited me to contribute a “guest blog”. I’m happy to do so because I’m convinced that interaction between…

A couple of lessons

I’d quite like to write a book entitled ‘Advice to a young advocate’ which would give tips on how to influence the political system.  I’d not be the right person to write all of it so I’d need a few co-authors too – I wonder what Tony Juniper would think of the idea. There are…