Tuesday 27 September 2022

I''m Spitting Horse Feathers

I am fuming. REALLY upset. Whilst the country is still getting its act together after the death of the Queen, the government is pushing through all sorts of measures to 'help the economy' which are so short-sighted, and will end up spoiling our countryside. Here's their poster about 'investment zones'
Paragraph 3 says "reforms to increase the speed of delivering development"
Which will be done through the "liberalised planning rules to release more land for housing and commercial development" mentioned in paragraph 2.
Let's look at a map
The green areas are the counties designated as 'investment zones' - yes #22 is Norfolk where I live [#12 is Dorset, #18 Kent and #14 Essex- all lovely counties where I have lived] But please note the purple and orange areas in these countries or along their coast. These are SACs and SPAs. 
And the official GovUk website will tell you that Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are protected and designated sites under the EC Habitats and Birds Directives. The Directives list habitat types and species that are considered to be most in need of conservation at a European level. An obligation for this is a programme of species and habitat monitoring across the site. 
Yet this government is planning to scrap these protections, and allow planners, builders, and big diggers tp plough up our countryside, destroy habitats and ruin the natural environment.
The RSPB have tweeted about this [and let's face it, they are the number one experts in tweeting and twitterfeed] “Make no mistake, we are angry. This government has today launched an attack on nature,” the RSPB tweeted. “As of today, from Cornwall to Cumbria, Norfolk to Nottingham, wildlife is facing one of the greatest threats it’s faced in decades.”

Beccy Speight, the charity’s chief executive, said: “Nature is already in trouble. Taken together, these announcements, combined with the rumoured watering down of the new land management schemes for farming, could be the final nail in its coffin...Our economy and our health depend on a thriving natural world.”
The Wildlife Trusts, and have joined the RSPB in criticising these plans. Craig Bennett, the trust’s chief executive, said environmental organisations were previously reassured over nature protections lost through Brexit, but now nature is in “catastrophe”. In a strongly worded tweet in support of the RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts said: “Make no mistake – we are also incredibly angry. We stand with RSPB England in calling out the unprecedented attack on nature launched by UK government over the last few days. We’ll be challenging this together and asking for our supporters to stand with us....Farming reform was supposed to be the silver lining but now the government looks set to renege on that too...We need more nature.”
I have never belonged to the RSPB [to be honest, 6½ yr old Rosie can identify far more wild birds than I can] and thoughtlessly** considered the majority of its members to be middle aged men carrying fancy cameras with long lenses, chirpy children in anoraks with binoculars round their necks, or older women carrying folding stools and flasks of coffee to sustain them as they sat in the hides. All very pleasant, affable people who would not say 'boo' to a goose [in case it flew away and deserted the nest] but now these gentle nature lovers will be rising up in droves and spitting horse feathers [no birds injured in that activity] 
The National Trust is also critical of these plans [I do belong to the NT] 
As a Christian, I am called to be a good steward of Creation.  I want Rosie, George, Jess and Jacob to be able to enjoy this beautiful countryside as they grow up. 
Liz Truss is Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk - just along the A47 from here. If she ever deigns to visit her constituency, I may go and join the demo.







29 comments:

  1. They have lost their minds. I just don't understand how, after the blatant effects of climate crisis, they just keep continuing along this path of destruction. It's just madness and pure avarice. I'm angry.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 😠 As you say, destruction and avarice

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is the worse time for such an environmentally illiterate group to lead our country.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agreed. Sorry to read of the increased concerns of about avian flu in your area, Philip

      Delete
  4. I don't think I've ever heard that expression (spitting horse feathers) before! Should any winged horses be alarmed?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/spitting-feathers.html. Except this explanation for "being angry" refers to "people under 50“. And I am way past that age

      Delete
  5. This kind of nonsense is heartbreaking. Reminds me of the Joni Mitchell classic "Big Yellow Taxi" - They paved paradise, put up a parking lot.

    ReplyDelete
  6. My heart sank when, two days into office, it was announced that fracking may well be reintroduced in England. At present there is a moratorium on fracking in Scotland but that may well be overturned by the UK government. Every available piece of land up here, including brownfield sites, is being built on. The countryside is now almost unrecognisable. Don't even mention the traffic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope Ms Sturgeon et al can overrule any fracking directive from Westminster

      Delete
  7. I am scared for our children's future, genuinely scared.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We adults must speak out on behalf of these little ones, who do not yet have any votes

      Delete
  8. The only thing that matters to this bunch of elitist tossers is making money - money for shareholders that contribute to their funds and keep them in power.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am right behind the RSPB and Wildlife Trusts and putting my money where my mouth is (this govt, sure does leave a bad taste in my mouth) by being a long-standing member of both organisations. We are losing so many species on a daily basis, soon there will be nothing left but robots trying to avert a meteor strike. Don’t get me started on land use. Here in the South Downs arable land previously used to grow food crops are being turned into vineyards producing English Sparklimg Wine most of which is exported to the Far East because at £35 a bottle it is too expensive for most of us. Planting a vineyard is a 20 year investment before you see any return so you can imagine it is a game for those speculative hedge fund investors. Please consider joining the RSPB and NWT. You decide how much you want to pay each month, I pay £10 month to each via direct debit and we visit our local reserves often. Sarah in Sussex

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comments Sarah. It is so sad to think of those lovely South Downs turned over to vineyards. Thanks for the info about RSPB & NWT. It seems that if I join, Bob could be included in my membership too.

      Delete
  10. That is horrific. Money seems to be the end all be all. Hugs.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm wondering if the best person to write to is King Charles? I know he is not supposed to 'interfere' in Government, but he must be horrified to see what is happening to his country. They are also pushing through removing a whole host of deregulation legislation concerning factory farming and animal rights.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The King has given great support to the National Trust in the past [and, I think, the RSPB] I would not be surprised to discover that somebody from one of these groups has already made an approach to Buckingham Palace. Let us hope he can use whatever influence he may have to achieve something good!

      Delete
  12. I have a problem. I am a new trustee of a charity which aims to support the families of the inmates of our local prison and the also the prisoners on their release. It is a cause I care about, but…….

    the chair of trustees is our Conservative MP. How in all conscience can I sit on a committee with this man, and make polite conversation, who, by his membership of the Conservative Party, is complicit in their plans to trash the countryside, increase global warming with fracking, reward the rich by taking from the poor and running the economy into the ground. I am told that he is an honourable man. He has yet to prove that fact to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Jane that is a tough one. I think you just have to focus on achieving the aims of the charity, which seems to be an issue where you and can can find some common ground. I've been on committees where I've realised that I'm at complete odds (politically) with others - and had to remind myself to get on with the task at hand where I can make a difference. I admire you for wanting to help prisoners families and also those facing release. They do not have an easy time of it.

      Delete
    2. Thank you Angela for your wise words.
      The prisoners are provided with a tent as their accommodation on release. Incredible but sadly true.

      Delete
    3. This is so awful. A tent!?

      Delete
    4. Jane, I have the same dilemma with our MP, a new conservative MP who took a safe Labour seat in 2019 along with so many that trusted in Boris's promises. He has done a lot of good for our area, much of it which frankly would be at odds with the new politics of the conservative party. He also helped me when I was struggling to get care for my dad. He seems like a good man and I have a lot of respect for him but he knows that a vote for him is a vote for tory policies that to me are wrong.

      Delete
    5. It is sometimes hard to separate feelings about the wider policies from individual personalities who seem to be trying to do good.

      Delete
  13. Vandalism of the countryside is not just a new threat from the Truss machine. I have witnessed the Green Belt destruction in our part of the North East over the past few years whilst brownfield urban land lay idle, some of it for decades since the 1980s. As for the ruination of landscape and agriculture in the vain quest for some fantasy "Net Zero" - wind turbines everywhere you look and good agricultural land buried under largely useless solar arrays, I despair.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No it is not a new thing - but with every change of leadership one hopes the next one will try to do better, not set out to make things worse

      Delete
  14. I wrote to our MP about this very thing but surprise, surprise haven't yet had a reply. The economy is really worrying at the moment as well, so much going wrong :-(

    ReplyDelete

Always glad to hear from you - thanks for stopping by!
I am blocking anonymous comments now, due to excessive spam!