In response to this morning’s announcement by Defra of tighteneing of reguations on vegetation burning on peat soils, Beccy Speight, RSPB chief executive, said: “Extending the ban on burning over peat in the English uplands is a hugely positive step forwards towards protecting these precious habitats and reducing carbon emissions. Peatlands are one of nature’s greatest superheroes,…
Tag: grouse shooting
A brief encounter with a Golden Eagle
Heading home from our Edinburgh family in late July we took the A68 south and gave a little cheer as we breasted Carter Bar and passed into England again – it’s nothing anti-Scottish, we give a little cheer when we are heading north and pass into Scotland too. Seconds later I noticed a young Golden…
Guest blog – Walshaw Turbine 29 by John Page
John Page was born in the West Riding, a proud Yorkshireman and was taught to play cricket left-handed “ ’cos it flummoxes t’ bowler, and buggers up t’ field.” He went to university in London and Leeds, and enjoyed (most of the time) attempting to teach young people that there’s a big wide world beyond…
Debate on grouse shooting 4 – the petition system
If anyone ever tells you that it is easy to get 100,000 signatures for a petition then ask them how many times they have done it. Very few people have. I have – five times and I have given considerable help and advice to others too. I’m a fan of the idea that any citizen…
Debate on grouse shooting 3 – the political parties
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Having discussed the most important aspect of the debate on driven grouse shooting, the government response – click here, I will now turn to other aspects of the debate. There are 650 MPs in the Westminster parliament, and 634 come from 13 political parties with an additional 15 independents and the Speaker. Grouse moors occur…
Debate on grouse shooting 2 – the government response
If you are running a campaign then your aim is to achieve change in the world, change on the ground, change in reality. One of the most direct, though not particularly easy, routes to achieving widespread change is through influencing the action of governments as they control laws, regulations, enforcement, taxation and government spending. Petitions…
What will the Labour government do on Monday?
Today’s RSPB report, Hen Harriers in the firing line, is a timely reminder ahead of Monday’s debate in the Westminster parliament on the future of driven grouse shooting that birds of prey, in this report Hen Harriers, are systematically and illegally killed on grouse moors so that the those enjoying the hobby of shooting Red…
RSPB press release – Number of Hen Harriers killed or missing reaches new high
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Over the past five years, record numbers of Hen Harriers have been killed or have gone missing according to a new report from the RSPB. Most of these incidents have occurred on or near grouse moors in northern England. The RSPB is calling on the Westminster Government to introduce licensing of grouse shooting in…
A letter to my MP, Lee Barron
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Dear Lee, I am writing to ask you to attend a Westminster Hall debate on the afternoon of 30 June where a parliamentary petition will be debated as the petition gained over 100,000 signatures. It is a petition close to my heart, indeed I was one of the three directors of the campaigning group, Wild…
Storm 2
I stopped the car in a pleasant valley in West Wales last Monday and listened to Start the Week which had a very environmental content with Robert Macfarlane plugging his new book, Is a River Alive?, lawyer Monica Feria-Tinta talking about protecting habitats and plugging her book, A Barrister for the Earth, and Patrick Galbraith…