On Power

During the election campaign a friend of mine, who is a vicar, gave a sermon where he argued that voters should, amongst other things, look to those prepared to give up power. He said,

“Whenever any group tries to claim too much of it for themselves and allows themselves to think it belongs to them, trouble follows... We should therefore look for policies and parties that are ready to give away power rather than accumulate it. And we should look for and pray for political leaders who show us that they understand the temptations that power brings, and that they don’t believe it belongs to them, or that it is their’s by right.”

He sailed close but not too close to the political wind and I think that his words had impact with his congregation. Irrespective of your views on Christianity, I think there is something in this for all of us. It is not a message against authority rather a warning for those that lead.

I have been reflecting on his words since I appeared in the BBC Wildlife Magazine's “Power List“ which was published last week.

I was, of course, flattered if slightly embarrassed to appear in the list. But, I’ll take it for the team! Yet, it was great to see people from across the nature conservation community included in the list. It was lovely, for example, to see my colleague Dave Sexton noted for the work he does in protecting and showcasing the wonders of the wildlife of Mull. There are many Dave Sextons out there and I am sure that he won’t mind me saying that his inclusion was acknowledgement of all the passionate conservationists trying to save and celebrate their patch of our islands.

But it was also good to see the next generation represented - people like Lucy McRobert and Findlay Wilde who are already having such an impact. The future is safe in their hands.

It made me wonder who I’d like to see in a power list in the future. I was struck by how few in the list had real power. Many of us have influence, but few have power. And perhaps that is why nature is in such a parlous state.

So here is my top ten fantasy list of the types of people I’d like to see represented in any future list. If BBC Wildlife editorial team felt confident in publishing such a list in the future, I’d feel that we had turned the corner and were beginning to do what it takes to live in harmony with nature...
- Commissioner Karmeu Vella who would have been recognised for defending the EU Nature Directives
- A supermarket boss who had made huge strides to clean up their supply chain
- A newspaper editor who had been prepared to profile nature conservation issues regularly on the first 3 pages of their newspaper
- The Environment Secretary of the day driving and celebrating progress towards the 25 year plan for nature
- A politician that resigns from their ministerial position over a poor decision that harms nature
- A property developer that had raised standards in building homes with nature in mind
- A leader of a shooting organisation who stood up against those that persist in illegal killing of birds of prey
- A spokesperson for the NFU saying that enough is enough and the farming community must address the crisis facing farmland wildlife
- Local activists like those in the Friends of North Kent Marshes that stand up against major vested interests to protect the places that they love
- All those people that help to give nature a home in their gardens and communities

I would happily give up my place on the list for any of the above.

Who would you like to see on a future BBC Wildlife Magazine Power List?

I and the BBC would love to hear your views.