Robert Goodwill and David Rutley have left Defra and Zac Goldsmith has arrived. Goldsmith’s role is a joint one at Defra and international Development. The ministerial team at Defra is now Theresa Villiers (Seccetary of State), George Eustice and Therese Coffey (Ministers of State), Zac Goldsmith (Parliamentary Under Secretary) and Lord Gardiner of Kimble (House…
Category: THE POLITICS: Ministers, MPs, government policy
Westminster update
Did you notice that we have a new Prime Minister? That’s not the only movement… Michael Gove goes (to Cabinet Office) – I’m sorry to see him go because I would have liked to see him deliver on some of his best promises. All bets are off on everything – is that any way to…
PMQs, self-awareness, grouse shooting and this blog
It was a strange day in the closing moments of the current Prime Minister’s time in office. Listening to the media I got the impression that Jeremy Corbyn was asking lots of questions about climate change and that Mrs May was avoiding them and keeping coming back to anti-semiticism in the Labour Party (a party…
You might have missed this rally in the news
Back in April they said this – we’re going to have a rally. And they had help, advice and support from the Countryside Alliance, the National Gamekeepers Organisation (I always want to put the apostrophe in there, but they don’t…) and BASC (but it’s not just shooters, oh no!) And they did get a crowd…
Gove’s landmark environment speech
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Social media and some mainstream media are all over Michael Gove’s ‘landmark’ environment speech. Here is the text. It’s a pretty good speech but I think the signs are that it is a land-grab speech as much as a landmark one. There is so much in here about climate change and yet no-one seems to…
Gove environment speech
Michael Gove is to make an environment speech at around midday today. I wonder what he will say. Presumably he won’t just wave and say goodbye!
Clear as mud
Tuesday’s session where the Secretary of State for Defra chatted to the Efra Committee about general licences was puzzling and fascinating. I’ve listened to it three times now and I’m not entirely sure what is going on. Here is the link to the session. If any readers of this blog wish to help me by…
Feeling blue about the reds
If you are a reader of the excellent Birdwatch magazine and have glanced at my column in the July issue then you will have noticed that I have cancelled my membership of the Labour Party after almost a decade of membership. I have voted Labour in most elections where I have had the chance to…
Are you at the end of your tether Nicola Sturgeon?
The news of two young Golden Eagles, Adam and Charlie, disappearing in the Strathbraan grouse-shooting area within hours of each other on 18 April is truly shocking. Watch the video and you will see for the first time ever, that I can recall, the story being told so clearly, so quickly and by such a…
The Tory leadership contest – readers’ views
Last Saturday I asked readers of this blog two questions: whether you had ever voted Conservative (I’m taking ‘yes’ to mean ‘actual or potential Conservative voter’ and ‘no’ to mean ‘much less likely to be a future Conservative voter’) and I asked whether you preferred Jeremy Hunt or Boris Johnson. And I asked you why?…