David Cameron is hopping around Europe in the vain hope of persuading other European countries to support his wish that more of the EU rules should be made voluntary rather than mandatory. He is expected to get short shrift in Madrid, Paris and Berlin but then maybe he should be heading to Nicosia and Valetta…
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There is no evidence that there is no evidence.
I’ve had a bout of man-flu recently, so I have been feeling sorry for myself and listening to lots of Radio 4 (and I’ve discovered more of the pleasures of Radio 4Extra). One of the stories that played through the last week or so was the temporary closure of Leeds General Infirmary for heart surgery. …
I hope they sink (IV)
Something for the weekend Vice Chancellor? I’m quite sure that the Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University, Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, will have been thinking about his boathouse conundrum. Here are some contributions for his weekend cogitation. It’s not going to go away – you are stick with a contentious issue. Sometimes it’s tempting to think…
I hope they sink (III)
This is the third blog on the subject of the Cambridge University Boat Club’s misguided plans to erect their new boathouse on a county wildlife site on the edge of Ely. Today the Duke of Edinburgh visits Cambridge to be at the launch of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative. Prince Philip was the Chancellor of…
All fools
I have come to the end of March and not seen or heard a single spring migrant. Amazing. Did you notice that Oxford won the Boat Race – and I think I may have seen an otter holding on to the back of the Cambridge boat… The editor of the Independent, Chris Blackhurst, writes a…
I hope they sink (II)
The Beds, Cambs and Northants Wildlife Trust has really got stuck in to the Cambridge University Boat Club issue – see their website here. A letter has been submitted to the Daily/Sunday Telegraph from prominent environmentalists asking the Cambridge University Boat Club to reconsider its position – if not published by Telegraph newspapers it will…
‘Protect creation’ says Pope Francis
This blog asked some time ago whether the choice of the new Pope would have any environmental importance – and my hopes weren’t that high, to be honest. Pope Francis mentioned the environment and the need to ‘protect creation’ in his first mass. That’s a good start (see coverage here, here, here but particularly…
Well done Hawk and Owl Trust!
The Hawk and Owl Trust are throwing their support behind the e-petition on the licensing of grouse moors and gamekeepers. Well done! Let’s see what other bird conservation organisations do… But you can sign up here – it’s going well, so far.
Winter still
It’s not exactly spring-like is it? My chances of seeing/hearing chiffchaff, willow warbler, sand martin, swallow and wheatear in Northants by the end of March are virtually nil (and I haven’t troubled the scorer with any of them yet). There was, apparently, an arrival of wheatears on the south coast last Saturday, and one popped…
I hope they sink
I was an undergraduate at Cambridge but I hope that the Cambridge boat sinks in Sunday’s University Boat Race. Why? Because the Cambridge University Boat Club is planning to build a new boathouse (although it is far more than just a boathouse) on one of the best sites for otters in Cambridgeshire, and its impact…