My week started with questions from John Humphrys about the evidence that hen harriers were being persecuted. The week ended with the successful conviction of a Lincolnshire gamekeeper for poisoning two buzzards.
In Monday's Today programme debate (50 minutes in), the death of Bowland Betty was insufficent to make the case. I probably should have highlighted the government agency conclusion that unless illegal persecution of hen harrier is considerably reduced hen harrier will not achieve favourable conservation status. If I had more time I might have been able to compare the performance of hen harrier on and off grouse moors. I could have highlighted the fact that there last year there was just one breeding pair in England despite there being enough habitat in England for over 300 pairs of hen harrier. I might even have been able to remind people of the wider context of bird crime where last year there were over 200 incidents of illegal shooting or destruction of birds of prey and 100 poisoining incidents. I could have said a lot more.
A five minute debate at 6.50am can only ever scratch the surface of an issue. But a successful conviction helps to make the point that illegal killing of birds of prey continues to take place, that it is threatening the recovery of some of our most spectacular species and that 2013 must be the year when governments, the police landowners and NGOs across the UK do what is necessary to crack down on this problem.
Here's to a better year for birds of prey in 2013.
Whatever one thinks of him, every interviewee knows what to expect from John Humphries these days. Especially before 7 am on a Monday. But then, most 'Today' listeners also know what to expect from the Countryside Alliance. The Countryside Alliance representative sounded flustered at times, though one suspects that he remains blissfully unaware of that, not to mention contemptuous of public feeling. And no, that is not just the feeling of 'mere' city-dwellers. So many of us are country-dwellers who love our countryside - and our raptors. Let us trust that any higher-minded gamekeepers may continue to do so, too?
By the way, the link given to Today doesn't help - unless you go to iPlayer for that edition of the Today programme [before Monday, Jan 14th??].
Yes it is not easy, and I think that the Today programme some interviewers that are not very good. Some of them, but not all, I sometimes think, are more concerned with selling their programme on the air than bring the best out out of the interviewee or developing the issues that are the subject of the interview.
Never easy on air Martin.