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…
Category: THE POLITICS: Ministers, MPs, government policy
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?…
Shirts – bear with me
I recently moved from the ‘Why have I got so many shirts? I can only wear one at a time‘ state to the ‘Why have I got so many shirts with fraying cuffs and collars? I must get some more‘ state. I usually buy shirts in Jermyn Street in London and I usually buy them…
Man with stick and figleaf
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I met this man in the Wilanow Palace Park in Warsaw a few days ago. I think he is Hercules but he reminded me that Michael Gove is supposed to be coming up with a licensing system for lethal control of corvids (and doesn’t seem to be making much progress). I have no personal knowledge…
Bird notes
Following the success of the Wild Justice legal challenge over the General Licensing system that Natural England has operated, there has been an outpouring of abuse towards anybody to do with this case (and some who have had nothing to do with it) in the press and on social media. But some of the same…