Some things are easier said than done.
I was struck by Ed Miliband's new soundbite "something for something". The idea that if you are given something then you should be expected to offer something in return. We've had our own soundbite which has informed our approach to many policy debates: public money for public goods. This is central to our arguments for reform of the Common Agriculture Policy. It explains why we are so keen for an increase in CAP payments to farmers which reward them for delivering an attractive countryside rich in wildlife - goods and services from which the public will benefit.
But, CAP reform is caught up in a wider debate about the future of the European Budget. I have blogged on this before and will do so again as this is the subject of a fringe at which I shall be speaking in Manchester this weekend (yes, the Conservative Party conference is just round the corner).
The European Budget needs to be agreed by the end of 2013. That seems like a long way off. Surely, we can expect agreement quicker than that? Alas, as we know too well, European negotiations are challenging. More than that - at times they feel like a social experiment. Let's take 27 different countries, each with their own culture, priorities and history and let's come up with a deal which we can all live on the subject of money during the worst economic crisis since, well since the last one. You begin to see why it might be touch and go to secure a deal within the next 27 months.
What's my point?
The twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss are caused by humans. And, it is only humans that can get us out of this mess. Influencing change in policy, legislation, attitudes and behaviour is at the heart of the environment movement's agenda. So we need to be smarter about the way we work with other members of our own species.
This week, two brilliant RSPB colleauges are setting off to the Panama climate change negotiations. This will be the last set of negotiations before the Ministerial conference in Durban in December when 192 countries will be trying to hammer out a global deal on climate change. While the economic crisis has distracted attention from the dangers of climate change, globally humans are emittting more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than ever before. We are on course for a global increase of four degrees or perhaps even more by 2070. If we reach this the future looks bleak for us and for wildlife – achieving a global climate deal has never been more important.
And that means convincing politicians around the world to do things which may go against their short term interests but are in the long term interest of the planet.
So, if you have ever emerged from a meeting a little battered, bruised and possibly even grumpy with colleagues, spare a thought for those that are trying to agree the EU Budget or those that need to hammer out a climate change deal which satisfies 192 countries. And then think about what it takes to influence those talks.
According to Aristotle, the means of persuasion can be found in pathos, logos and ethos: passion, logic and empathy. This makes sense to me. And we shall need this is spades if we are to learn to live with each other in harmony with nature.