All change at Defra – not quite

And so we say farewell to Liz Truss and Rory Stewart – both of whom were promoted in Theresa May’s reshuffle.  Truss remains in the Cabinet and got the bigger job in Justice (never has a promotion been so unjust) and Rory Stewart is made Minister of State at International Development. Only George Eustice, the…

Truss misleads over waterfowl science

There is a very good article in today’s Times by Ben Webster with the headline ‘Lead ammunition to stay despite poisoning danger‘. Liz Truss, perhaps as one of her last acts, and indeed one of her first (as the least effective Environment Secretary ever), announced that people shooting birds for fun would not be required…

Why are MPs having a long holiday?

  The Parliamentary recess at Westminster is from 21 July until 5 September – that’s a long time and was partly, a long time ago, so that MPs and peers could rush off to their grouse moors for some ‘sport’. This period, no doubt, won’t be one long holiday for MPs, just as it isn’t…

Time for a reshuffle then…

Who would you like as the next Secretary of State for Defra? Who would you hate getting as Secretary of State for Defra? Who do you expect to get as Secretary of State for Defra?   I really find it very difficult to answer any of those questions. That’s why I thought I’d ask for…

Biofuels – let’s dump them

The idea that up to 7% of the fuel you put in your vehicle could come from food crops – not waste but actual food crops – is obscene in a world where people are starving. It’s even more obscene where the calculations show that (for various reasons which I won’t go into now) this…

#Brexit people include…

Here is a list of #Brexit supporters colour-coded by whether I normally feel warm or feel cool to their views (and, fair enough, sometimes I had to flip a coin to decide):   Ian Botham Sol Campbell Keith Chegwin Iain Duncan Smith Bernie Ecclestone Nigel Farage Julian Fellowes Liam Fox Zac Goldsmith Michael Gove Kate…

#Remain people include…

  Here is a list of #Remain supporters colour-coded by whether I normally feel warm or feel cool to their views (and, fair enough, sometimes I had to flip a coin to decide)(#Brexit list this evening): David Beckham Hilary Benn Natalie Bennett Tony Blair Helena Bonham Carter Billy Bragg Gordon Brown Andy Burnham David Cameron…

Gordon’s IN

Yesterday I went to hear Gordon Brown talk in Leicester as a part of the Labour In campaign. I’m glad I did. You might think that Gordon Brown is a bit of a miserable guy, grumpy and lacking in humour – well, I’m sure he can be, but yesterday he sparkled. Maybe it’s the freedom…