That's the message we are trying to get across to politicians ahead of the decisions on spending cuts which will be announced in October.
We are taking that message to decision-makers in lots of ways, but this week we have taken the message to the constituencies of the Secretary of State for Defra, Caroline Spelman, who has the difficult task of making the cuts demanded by The Treasury, Oliver Letwin who is a member of the Star Chamber which will decide the cuts (and who is generally sympathetic to the environment) and to the Chancellor, George Osborne, who probably has the biggest say in all of this.
Local farmers have enthusiastically allowed us to put up placards in their fields, there are cycles travelling around with signs, helium balloons, banners over the M6 and being unfurled from windows and lots of other things!
Here (below) is an example of a banner - this one on the roof of our visitor centre at Radipole!
In addition, we have placed adverts like the one above in publications as diverse as Private Eye, the Times and Guardian, the Spectator and elsewhere.
A placard never saved a skylark - but a campaign can! Add your voice to those of over 270,000 others in our Letter to the Future campaign.
A love of the natural world demonstrates that a person is a cultured inhabitant of planet Earth.
Mother Nature is infinitely more resilient than the Nation’s finances!
As Mark says – Spelman & Osborne have a big job to do – following 13 years of criminal financial mis-management by the Labour Administration – and I use the word ‘Administration’ deliberately - because that’s where we are as a Nation – “in Administration”.
“GOVERNMENT URGED TO REVEAL ‘TRUE’ NATIONAL DEBT OF £4.8 TRILLION”
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has calculated that the national debt is £4.8 trillion once state and public sector pension liabilities are included - or £78,000 for every person in the UK.
Mark Littlewood, the IEA's director-general, said: "The latest official national debt figure is seriously misleading. Looming in the background are pension liabilities. These should be moved to the forefront. The ONS (Office National Stats) should include these liabilities in their calculations. It is shocking enough to see official figures revealing a jump in national debt over the last year from the equivalent of 48pc of GDP to 56pc, but the grave reality is that our real national debt stands at 333pc of GDP."
“Cutting the Life (and Livelihoods) out of the Countryside”
You said it Mark – that’s precisely what you and the RSPB have done in the recent past and continue to do now! So tell me again Mark – why should (cattle) farmers and land owners (particularly those in the South West ‘quartile’ of the UK) do anything for the RSPB?
“SOME CUTS NEVER HEAL?”
“YES MARK – WE ARE SLOWLY BLEEDING TO DEATH”
It's time to get real - The Lifeboat has been launched – “Women & Children First!”