I’ve never bought a Lottery ticket in my life. It’s not that I don’t believe in gambling, but I take it seriously, which means I would never bet on a game of chance where the expected returns are 50p in the pound. Duhh! And it’s not that I don’t believe in giving money to charity…
Category: CAMPAIGNING: petitions, marches, writing to your MP, HHDay
Breaking News: No Sanctuary for urban wildlife
This evening, the Planning Committee of Derby City Council voted 6:5 in favour of the planning application that is a ‘vile act of wanton vandalism’ despite 1009 responses of opposition and 642 in favour. See previous blogs here, here, here and here. I’d be interested to know the political allegiances of those voting each way….
Sanctuary LNR – tomorrow the council decides
Tomorrow evening Derby City Council’s Planning Committee will consider the planning application to destroy the Sanctuary Local Nature Reserve. The cyclists ran out of puff and amassed 642 responses in favour of the ‘vile act of wanton vandalism’ (in the words of Chris Packham) compared with 995 responses against the plan. Thank you to readers…
Letter to my MP
This is my latest letter to my MP – in line with my suggestion to readers of my Birdwatch column – ‘the political birder’. Why don’t you drop your MP an email along similar lines? Dear Andy First may I thank you for coming round and doing the Big Garden Birdwatch with me. You seemed…
Petitions, petitions, petitions.
Tomorrow, wildlife cameraman and natural history presenter Gordon Buchanan will appear at the Holyrood Petitions Committee to ask the Scottish Parliament to support a RSPB campaign formally to adopt the Golden Eagle as Scotland’s national bird. The campaign calls for the adoption of the Golden Eagle as a new national symbol, alongside the lion rampant,…
BGBW with my MP
I did the annual RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch with my MP, Andy Sawford, yesterday morning. I was grateful to Andy for popping in for an hour on his way to do some knocking on doors nearby. He seemed to bring some luck with him because the bird total was the best I recall for several…
Give John Armitage a birthday present
It’s John Armitage’s birthday today – Happy Birthday John! I know that some of you have been meaning to get around to adding your signatures to John’s e-petition on licensing grouse moors, so why not do it today and make it a birthday present!? The e-petition has picked up a bit of pace recently and…
Silver for Hoy, Gold goes to Packham – Sanctuary again
Derby City Council received over 700 objections to its ill-judged plans to wreck the Sanctuary Local Nature reserve (and c630 in favour). Cyclists are accustomed to sprinting for the line and know that losing can be a matter of fractions of an inch and a second. But second is second. Despite enlisting the help of…
Sanctuary
There has been a great upwelling of concern and anger over the proposal to destroy the Sanctuary LNR in Derby (see Guest Blog and this blog). Objections out number comments received in favour of the proposal (309 to 300 when last I looked, so it is close). You have until the end of tomorrow (16th)…
The Sanctuary LNR in pictures
See yesterday’s Guest Blog for information on how to make your views known.