Yesterday afternoon we held a Parliamentary reception with the Minerals Products Association. This celebrated the good work that a growing number of mineral extraction companies are doing to create wildlife-rich sites after they have dug big holes in the ground.
The Minister, Richard Benyon, was present and was given a bit of a poke by industry about the loss of the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (see earlier blog).
But I can't have a go at the Minister as he described this blog as 'very readable'. And he'd noticed that I said some nice things about him recently - but also noted that I don't always. This is the second time I've heard Mr Benyon mention reading this blog so I do believe he really does.
So, Sooty, redkite, BobPhilpott, nightjar, jockyshield and others you are in good company! Although wouldn't it be funny if one of you were Mr Benyon? Sooty - it isn't you is it?
A love of the natural world demonstrates that a person is a cultured inhabitant of planet Earth.
Hi EcoStudent
You say:-
“How has the RSPB actively frustrated the problem?
Have they campaigned on this issue?”
I think that if you visit the RSPB link above quoted by Gert you’ll see how the RSPB’s policy does both!
In my experience most (not all) anti-cull souls are Labour supporters or just ‘soppy’
Most folk that work for “businesses” such as the RSPB have the left wing-tendency.
What has “badgers” got to do with the RSPB? Ah – “badgers” comes under the heading of “Nature” – so what’s the problem with discussing the most important “nature” problem the UK currently has – it certainly isn’t waxwings and it is not selling off the forests!
The RSPB makes much of its political – non-scientific – assessment of bTB in badgers - so much so that it cannot tell its members what it submitted to the recent DEFRA questionnaire – it will not allow its Conservation Director to state either his or the RSPB’s current position.
Why not? I guess you are a member – you ask them!
Perhaps you were (all?) taken-in by the FERA (Dr Macdonald) statement reported so enthusiastically by the BBC a few days before the closing of submissions to DEFRA – about how wonderful the vaccination experiments were going - 74% cure was it? Total misinformation announced with intent to deliberately mislead!
The FERA (DrM) is left – the BBC is left – the RSPB folk are left! It’s a cosy club – don’t you know?
The so-called 'science' that came from the RBCT exercise was driven by Politics - and it's a science that ain't real!
Bovine TB is a political issue – don’t you see? It’s like ‘hunting’!
Mark? Well – he follows National Hunt racing so he can’t be all bad!
Cheers!