Category Archives: Uncategorized
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
Ofqual Fiasco and Planning revolution point to where the Vote Leave Government gets its ideas
As I watched the A-level results fiasco unfold over the last week – the latest in a long line of shambolic Government u-turns – it got me thinking about how this Government actually decides on what policies it is going … Continue reading
A Tale of Two Speeches – Gramsci, Newts and the Instrumentarians
As we finally reach the point where the first wave of covid19 has effectively passed (excess deaths in the week to the 19th June were the same as the 5 year average – 65000 dead so far), it’s clear that … Continue reading
Seven Years of a New Nature Blog
I’m celebrating the seventh anniversary of this blog today. Whoop! I actually started writing a blog nearly ten years ago, back in October 2010 when I was at The Grasslands Trust (you can still find them here ). After I … Continue reading
Coronavirus Diary; the Solace of Nature
When I went to let the chickens out first thing this morning, there it was, a familiar sound. No, it wasn’t yet another Blackcap pretending to be a Garden warbler. It was the drone. The hum, the incessant background noise. … Continue reading
