...I would have seen the Prime Minister interviewed by John Craven on Countryfile.  It is worth a watch.  I am not for a moment suggesting that it is a substitute for what I called for in yesterday's blog - a key note speech setting out Mr Cameron's vision for the environment - but it is still pleasing to hear support for the environment from the top of the Government.

As context for the interview, John uses footage of Mr Cameron's 14 May 2010 speech to staff at the Department of Energy and Climate Change where he uttered those immortal words "I want this to be the greenest government ever".  He then asks whether, following the Chancellor's autumn economic statement, the intent remains.

Mr Cameron said that he does not see a distinction between environmental protection and economic growth, he suggested that he would no more put the countryside at risk than his own family and that he remains supportive of renewable energy.   It is a refreshing to hear him speak publicly of the agenda which figured so prominently when he was Leader of the Opposition.

Of course, I disagreed with his analysis about the planning proposals and think that he is wrong when he suggests that protection afforded to SSSIs is not threatened by the reform (read my blog entry here).  But I hope that when he engages in the detail of the policy debate he will be supportive of changes proposed by the RSPB, the National Trust and others.

The second part of the interview will be shown next week and a preview suggests that he will outline his support for reform of the CAP so that more farmers are rewarded for protecting the environment.  If Mr Cameron begins to find his environmental voice and fights for policies to match his rhetoric, then 2012 may just be a good year for wildlife.

I must remember to tune in next week.

Did you see Mr Cameron's interview? What did you think?

It would be great to hear your views.

Parents
  • I do not support a weakening of SSSI legislation but the bust in UK was driven by housing shortage post 2001 above the mean 3.5 times median income by Buy to Let landlords see Griffiths IPPR of "Priced Out". We need land release for housing without the speculation on land to release that "planning gain" Griffiths IPPR to the young. UK housing speculation has deepened the cycles of Boom and Bust and broke Northern Rock and HBOS and many small mortgage suppliers. Currently the housing market is a bourgois tyranny which is the principal beneficiary of hundreds of billions of both "Bank bail out and QE"; it is vital that houses are built that are green, well built and affordable; if in land/housing co-ops or council this helps stabilise the economy from the instability and greed that Mrs Thatcher's housing sell off exacerbated.

    Rents are now higher in real terms than 30 years ago; the housing benefit bill of 20 billion subsidises LANDLORDS and is a net loss to the Exchequer; the young and poor and the Exchequer that PERVERSELY pay the bill of the bank bail out.

    National Trust, CPRE and RSPB have all been involved throttling development around Bristol where starter house price is over 140,000 and 6 times median income.

    I urge this aged/blue/green alliance to help break the monopoly of brick builders re self build and faciliate access to land and develop a cutting edge policy that allows for garden cities ie Bath to Bristol and housing/ land co-ops to free the young and poor from this bourgois housing tyranny that has so "unbalanced" our economy away from manufacturing. After all gardens are richer "in biodiversity" than large nitrate fields of species poor FARMLAND.

Comment
  • I do not support a weakening of SSSI legislation but the bust in UK was driven by housing shortage post 2001 above the mean 3.5 times median income by Buy to Let landlords see Griffiths IPPR of "Priced Out". We need land release for housing without the speculation on land to release that "planning gain" Griffiths IPPR to the young. UK housing speculation has deepened the cycles of Boom and Bust and broke Northern Rock and HBOS and many small mortgage suppliers. Currently the housing market is a bourgois tyranny which is the principal beneficiary of hundreds of billions of both "Bank bail out and QE"; it is vital that houses are built that are green, well built and affordable; if in land/housing co-ops or council this helps stabilise the economy from the instability and greed that Mrs Thatcher's housing sell off exacerbated.

    Rents are now higher in real terms than 30 years ago; the housing benefit bill of 20 billion subsidises LANDLORDS and is a net loss to the Exchequer; the young and poor and the Exchequer that PERVERSELY pay the bill of the bank bail out.

    National Trust, CPRE and RSPB have all been involved throttling development around Bristol where starter house price is over 140,000 and 6 times median income.

    I urge this aged/blue/green alliance to help break the monopoly of brick builders re self build and faciliate access to land and develop a cutting edge policy that allows for garden cities ie Bath to Bristol and housing/ land co-ops to free the young and poor from this bourgois housing tyranny that has so "unbalanced" our economy away from manufacturing. After all gardens are richer "in biodiversity" than large nitrate fields of species poor FARMLAND.

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