Author Archives: Miles King

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About Miles King

UK conservation professional, writing about nature, politics, life. All views are my own and not my employers. I don't write on behalf of anybody else.

My tuppence worth on the EU Referendum – and a poll

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Miles King

The big news for the Environment in 2016 is that, as a result of the divisions within the political right in England, we are being forced to vote on whether we want to stay in the European Union in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds Directive, Boris Johnson, Common Agricultural Policy, corporate lobbying, Europe, European environment policy, George Eustice, Habitats Directive, Nature Directives, NFU, public goods | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Badger-Cull Roll-Out and Charity Gagging show Government is living in its own Bubble

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Miles King

This week Natural England announced that it had received 29 applications for new badger cull areas, covering the entire south-west of England, extending to Herefordshire Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. Under the beady eye of their masters at Defra, Natural England have … Continue reading →

Posted in badgers, Charities campaigning, Institute of Economic Affairs, lobbying, NFU | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

IEA may end up gagging on its own sock puppet

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Miles King

  Charities are to be banned from using “tax payers’ money” to influence Parliament, Government or Political Parties, the so called “sock puppet” issue. The Government has decided to introduce this change in legislation, as a result of a campaign … Continue reading →

Posted in Charities campaigning, Institute of Economic Affairs, libertarians, neoliberalism, sock puppet, Think Tanks, Tory Party, Uncategorized, voluntary sector | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Select Committee takes floods evidence from George Monbiot, bars Richard AE North for “offensive remarks”

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Miles King

I had been looking forward to watching (and you can now on Parliament tv) the Envronmental Audit Committee evidence session for the Floods inquiry, in which George Monbiot was called, alongside Richard AE North, former Environmental Health Officer and now … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental Audit Select Committee, flooding, George Monbiot, RIchard AE North | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

UKIP reiterates its opposition to nature protection.

Posted on February 3, 2016 by Miles King

Some have recently  suggested that UKIP has a coherent environmental policy. Well, a few UKIP supporters have, anyway. I’ve written previously about the bizarre views of UKIP’s environment spokesperson Andrew Charalambous aka Dr Earth. And then there’s UKIP’s MEP and … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, European environment policy, Nature Directives, UKIP | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Oliver Letwin reveals enthusiasm for natural flood management

Posted on January 30, 2016 by Miles King

Oliver Letwin is our local MP here in West Dorset. I’ve met him a few times, to talk about different environmental issues. He’s friendly, fiercely intelligent; and loves a good argument. I don’t agree with his politics at all, but … Continue reading →

Posted in flooding, George Monbiot, Oliver Letwin | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Natural Capital Day

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Miles King

Monday was Natural Capital day at the Green Alliance. They produced a report called Natural Partners, in which they sought to explain that Natural Capitalists and Nature Conservationists could get along fine, instead of bickering. On the same day, they … Continue reading →

Posted in Green Alliance, Natural Capital | Tagged , | 15 Comments

More Maize Madness: Far from being a climate change panacea, producing Biogas helps intensify its consequences

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Miles King

Tackling climate change is one of the most pressing and urgent things facing humanity, alongside (and related to) the 6th Global Extinction crisis. Some suggest that tackling Climate Change trumps all other considerations. One of the biggest consequences of climate … Continue reading →

Posted in Anaerobic Digester, biogas, climate change, flooding, Floodplains, Maize | Tagged , , , , | 25 Comments

All Carrot and no stick

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Miles King

Last week a farmer in the Yorkshire Wolds successfully sued East Riding Council for compensation of £14500 for the loss of a field of carrots. The carrot crop was apparently lost when floodwater was pumped onto the field at Burton … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Agricultural Policy, drainage, farming, flooding | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Two epiphanies at Kelmscott

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Miles King

David Cameron isn’t the only person to have had a personal epiphany about nature at Kelmscott. Cameron related a story about Two Water Voles, to the Parliamentary Liaison Committee yesterday, about which I have just written. The PM used his … Continue reading →

Posted in David Cameron, People Need Nature | Tagged , , | 4 Comments