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.
trimbush - I do like your comments on this blog but you sometimes do talk a lot of rubbish. You have the habit of stating things as facts that you cannot possibly know anything about. It's an interesting technique. You do not know why I am leaving the RSPB (although I did tell everyone on 2 January) and I have never been silenced by the RSPB! But carry on - I don't mind except I wouldn't want you or anyone else to take silence as agreement with your 'facts'.
You say we are a bunch of lefty do-gooders. That reminds me of a view of the RSPB that someone mentioned to me recently, but none of us can track down, that the RSPB is for Telegraph-readers but run by Guardian-readers. There might be an element of truth in that - but it is certainly not the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.