Category Archives: Lush Times

The Cork Pot Story

I’m thinking about Turtles. Turtles which died because they had swallowed a plastic bag, a bag that once carried some shopping. Discarded, it fell into a river; the river flowed to the sea, the sea joined the ocean. The Turtle … Continue reading

Posted in Lush Times | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

The ideology that drives homelessness

This week, I’m straying out of my comfort zone, as I’ve been asked to write about homelessness. This feels appropriate, as we approach that time of the year which is inextricably linked to the story of a homeless family searching … Continue reading

Posted in housing, Lush Times | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Gentlemen farmer MPs look to their own pockets, oblivious to rise of plant-based diets

Restaurant critic, writer and all-round foodie William Sitwell has parted company with Waitrose, as editor of their Food Magazine. He had replied to a journalist who had pitched some vegan recipes to him, with suggestions, which included  hunting vegans and … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 agriculture bill, Lush Times, NFU | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

First course of Gove’s green Brexit has been placed on the table #agriculturebill

It feels like something momentous has just happened. UK Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, has published his long-awaited Agriculture Bill, the first in a series of laws which will shape the future of Britain’s environment, after Brexit. Leaving the EU means … Continue reading

Posted in 2018 agriculture bill, Agriculture policy, Lush Times, Michael Gove | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Did Socialism kill off Mrs Tiggywinkle?

Hedgehogs are back. Well, when I say they are back, they aren’t back. They are disappearing rapidly. But they are back in the news. Perhaps this is just a valiant effort by a few newspaper editors to keep former Foreign … Continue reading

Posted in Agriculture policy, Brexit, Lush Times | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Where has all our wildlife gone?

What is really, truly happening to wildlife across the UK? Is wildlife disappearing, or are the reports of disappearing insects, road-verge dwelling wildflowers being mown to destruction, and swifts vanishing from our skies, merely agenda-driven doom-mongering by extreme environmentalists, hell … Continue reading

Posted in bioblitz, Chris Packham, farming, Lush Times | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Jacob Rees-Mogg and his fantasy Scrublands

  You would have to be a hermit to be unaware of the housing crisis which grips towns and cities across England. Homeless people line our high streets and occupy shop-fronts. But the housing crisis is far wider than that … Continue reading

Posted in Green Belt, housing, Lodge Hill, Lush Times, scrub | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Natural Capital thinking leads us astray

It seemed appropriate that I should take part in a debate about natural capital and wetlands yesterday, on International Biodiversity Day. I was invited (I think) to be the Natural Capital dissident. It was a good debate and I enjoyed … Continue reading

Posted in biodiversity, Lush Times, Natural Capital | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Losing the Muscle from Brussels risks leaving the environment protected by a Paper Tiger

Now that the consultation over the future of farm support in England has finished, Defra – the UK Government‘s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – tells us that more than 44,000 responses have been received. So many thanks … Continue reading

Posted in Brexit, European environment policy, Lush Times, No Tern Unstoned | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Sainsburys and Asda’s owners are “in the money”, but the cost is on us.

A shock wave ran through the world of food, farming and shopping last week as news of a plan to merge supermarket giants Sainsburys and Asda was leaked.   Supermarkets now dominate food shopping – and many other parts of … Continue reading

Posted in Food, Lush Times, No Tern Unstoned, supermarkets | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments