Author Archives: Miles King
What a Year
I think “what a year” is how most people feel about 2020. It started with us wondering whether we would crash out of the EU without a deal, and ended with a deal being rushed through Parliament not only without … Continue reading
Farming After Brexit: Golden Age or Great Betrayal?
It’s now just 30 days until we leave the transition period (we already left the EU last January) and, depending on how you look at it, are once again a Sovereign State able to take back control and make our … Continue reading
Green Industrial Revolution or Greenwash?
Earlier this week I imagined, not altogether seriously, how Boris Johnson came to create his Ten Point Plan for the climate, or the Green Industrial Revolution, if you like. At the time there was no detail other than the Prime … Continue reading
The real story behind Boris Johnson’s Green Industrial Revolution
Imagine the scene. Our fearless Prime Minister is holed up in his flat above Number 11 Downing Street, self-isolating. He’s fuming, having received a message from Dido’s fabulous test ‘n’ trace App, that he has been exposed to covid19, again. … Continue reading
All flesh is grass
Are we just slaves to a few members of the grass family – the gramineae? Is there something in these grasses that, like the common parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which elicits an increase in risky behaviour after infection, causes people to … Continue reading
Berrier Farm under Trees: 100 acres of peat bog, heath and wildlife-rich grassland destroyed by tree planting
England desperately needs more trees, we are constantly told. And it’s certainly true that tree cover here is lower than most other European countries. The data must he handled with care though, when … Continue reading
Covid19 makes the case for Universal Basic Income unarguable
Well it’s no surprise that we are once again teetering on the brink of a national lockdown in England, after yet another unnecessary delay which will lead to the death of thousands of people, either directly from Covid or as … Continue reading
Jenrick’s Planning Reforms have nothing to say about tax dodges
It’s the last day for responses to the Government’s latest proposals to reform the planning system, to “level up” and solve the housing crisis, if you believe the spin. The proposals … Continue reading
Lambs to the slaughter: What future for the UK’s sheep flock, post-Brexit?
Sheep near Wind Tor, Dartmoor. Photo by Anthea Simmons As we wait for what feels like the final slow-motion spin of the car as it hurtles inexorably towards the cliff edge, wondering if our heroes are going to escape from … Continue reading
Ten Years of Blogging
Ten years feels a bit like a significant anniversary – and a long time. Perhaps the last ten years feels longer than many decades have, given what has happened (and is about to happen) over that period. Ten years ago … Continue reading
