Brexit… Michael Gove is an Honourable Man 10/06/201910/06/2019 There are a large number of characters from classical literature who have wielded the knife and slaughtered their own allies. Shakespeare’s plays alone produce several such charmers: Macbeth, Richard III,…
Conservation… Michael Gove, the new Northern Forest – and innumerate beavers. 12/01/201830/03/2018 Somewhat overshadowed by the recent and momentous Cabinet Reshuffle - and the news that Larry, the Number 10 Downing Street Chief Mouser, remains in post - was a little reported…
Conservation… What is ‘rewilding’ and who is it for? 02/11/2017 For some time now, I have been searching the fogs and mists in the outer reaches of the conservation movement in an attempt to give shape and meaning to the…
Environment… Open letter to the Rt. Hon. Michael Gove, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. 11/10/201727/03/2020 NOTE: This letter was originally published in Country Squire Magazine here on 2nd October 2017. Dear Mr Gove, As you are aware, Lynx UK Trust has recently submitted an application…
Farming… Should Wolves and Lynx be re-introduced into the British Countryside? – Part 2: Lynx and Wolves – a Brief Biology and Discussion. 28/09/201705/03/2018 Part 1 of this series discussed the generalities of introductions into the British landscape and the problems that they have usually engendered. This brings us to consider the specific…
Environment… Should Wolves and Lynx be released into the British countryside? – Part 1: Introductions and Re-introductions. 18/09/2017 An integral part of the rewilding agenda is that of the release or encouragement of large predators back into environments where they have been absent for a long time. In…
Conservation… The impact of upland farming – Part 4 of 4: Definitions and conclusions. 02/03/201702/03/2017 In many ways, George Monbiot's book Feral, is a curious amalgam of anecdote, ecological theory, polemic and autobiography. On two or three occasions, he seems to feel intimately and mystically connected to…
Conservation… The impact of upland farming – Part 3a: A short walk upon Bodmin Moor. 01/03/201701/03/2017 Yesterday, in a spirit of inquiry, I set off early to Camelford and then to the north side of Bodmin Moor. My aim was to walk up to the top…
Environment… The impact of upland farming: Part 2 of 4 – The invisible strands of culture. 06/02/201710/02/2017 Culture is usually defined in terms of a higher understanding of the arts and other intellectual achievements - anything from opera at Glyndebourne to Morris Dancing and the Helston Floral…
Economic forecasts… The impact of upland farming. Part 1 of 4 – economics. 02/02/201709/02/2017 Upland farming has come under attack recently from a number of sources. Criticism is often levelled at hill farmers because they require large public subsidies to keep them going. Grumbling…
