Sometimes several streams of argument begin to run together and form a river. This week there have been signs that we are at standing at the headwaters of a river – let’s hope it doesn’t trickle into the sands. The biggest political game on the block is undoubtedly Brexit – and we all know what…
Category: THE POLITICS: Ministers, MPs, government policy
Environment, Brexit and the media
You can listen to the one-sided discussion between the NFU and Owen Paterson on the Today programme this morning here (at 0650). We heard from the industry and from a known strong supporter of the agri-industry model. What was needed was a different perspective or some more pointed questions from John Humphrys. ‘Why should the…
Nature Directives are saved – but not for us…
It’s great that pressure from the EU population has meant that the Birds Directive and Habitats Directive have been passed as fit for purpose. A staggering 520,000 people signed up across the EU to save these nature-saving pieces of legislation – more than have ever supported any similar EU petition in the past. I signed…
Defra’s year
I asked a bunch of NGOs what they thought were Defra’s greatest achievements of 2016; The GWCT, BASC, Butterfly Conservation and Plantlife were, apparently, stumped as they couldn’t come up with anything. I also asked Defra themselves and they said they’d get back to me – but they…
British values in Defra
Sajid Javid is considering introducing the need for public office-holders to swear an oath of allegiance to British values. This blog has come across a draft of a version which might be used in Defra, indeed, some say it has been in use for quite a while: I promise on my honour to do my…
And yet, we will miss Zac
And so we say farewell to Zac Goldsmith as an MP having been well and truly trounced by the electorate of Richmond Park (turning a majority of 23,000 into a loss of 1,900). Had I been a voter in Richmond Park I would have been torn between voting for the LibDems in order to…
The autumn statement?
A few predictions for phrases for the Chancellor’s autumn statement: it’s a bugger being in the Cabinet – I had no time to get Siberian Accentor unlike almost everyone else in the country. I bet that Ken Clarke has it on his list now. Only 32 European records up until 2015, and none…
Lawyers accuse MoJ of undermining people’s rights to challenge environmental projects
A press release from legal firm Leigh Day: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 17 NOVEMBER 2016 Lawyers accuse MoJ of undermining people’s rights to challenge environmental projects The Government will publish proposals today (Thursday 17 November 2016) which lawyers claim will seriously restrict the rights of individuals to challenge in the High Court proposals which will…
Rory Stewart – this one is in your constituency
Rory Stewart has moved on from Defra but his legacy of inactivity on wildlife crime lives on and its impacts are manifest in his own constituency. A case of dead birds coming home to roost? I didn’t have any takers for my 100/1 bet that Rowan died of natural causes. It’s hardly surprising. He couldn’t…
Labour dropping the ball – maybe we need a register?
There are still large numbers of Labour MPs who haven’t even responded to their constitutents, after several weeks, on the subject of driven grouse shooting. This is pretty shocking since Labour has has a perfectly respectable standard response that has been sent out by other MPs since at least 24 August. That’s over six weeks…