DEFRA told stakeholders (ghastly word – and anyway DEFRA’s stakeholders are taxpayers and citizens) that it would issue the necessary consultation on its promised gamebird release restrictions on 8 February. It didn’t and it still hasn’t. DEFRA has not revealed when it might issue its consulation except in an email to ‘stakeholders’ half way through…
Category: THE POLITICS: Ministers, MPs, government policy
Don’t trust DEFRA
Do you remember this blog published on 12 September? It featured this question and answer in parliament; I wrote to my MP on this matter in mid September and he passed my concerns on to DEFRA in late September, to which they replied in a letter dated 5 February for which Mr Pursglove wrote a…
What are the odds?
I’m a fan of Ed Balls – I had a bit to do with him in the distant past when he was Gordon Brown’s SpAd in the Treasury and use to hold regular meetings with a bunch of NGOs, and through the time when he was an MP and a minister. I also reviewed his…
Keir Starmer – a new chapter?
No environmental content in this speech but that is understandable. I preferred to read the speech than listen to it. I’m happy with Mr Starmer so far – he’s sensible, he’s for fairness and he has some experience of doing a difficult job in the real world. I’m keen to hear what he will say…
Power to which people?
This report was published earlier this week – it is about competition and red tape and how we’d all be better off with more of the former and less of the latter. It may be full of brilliant stuff but it irritates me a lot as it exemplifies what the Right of politics does so…
Not really a ban is it?
Today 17 conservation and countryside organisations, coordinated by Wildlife and Countryside Link, wrote to DEFRA’s George Eustice to call for proper measures to limit burning on peat soils instead of the government’s weak proposals. The organisations comprise: RSPB, Wildlife Trusts, National Trust, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Plantlife, Butterfly Conservation, Rewilding Britain, Open Spaces Society,…
Omnishambles
Have you ever had a colleague at work who promises everything but consistently delivers work which is of poor quality and usually arrives late too? They’re the worst aren’t they? They may be well-meaning, they may be the life and soul of the party and great fun socially but they are a total waste of…
I’m always moved…
I’m always moved by these words on the back of my Labour Party membership card – a new one arrived the other day. The bit, highlighted in red above; by the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone …moves me (even if, at the worst of times, it isn’t always…
Humiliation?
James Hansen makes good points here but I think he’s wrong to think that the UK government, this government, or its Prime Minister, will feel humiliated by … well, actually, by almost anything. We seem now to live in a world where many politicians feel no shame about acting in contradiction to their words, or…
I’ve only just found this site – useful
The Parallel Parliament website looks very useful – I’ve only just found it. You can find information about departments – such as DEFRA; … MPs and peers, Here’s my MP; … and up to date information on petitions, such as this one on Badgers; This petition information is right up to date (except the only…