Common Ground is an exploration of place that is in some ways endemic to the ‘new nature writing’ of our age, and yet it is also riddled with originality, pronounced detail and a freshness to its vibe that only journalist Rob Cowen could produce. It tells the story of his new life in Yorkshire, havingContinueContinue reading “Book Review: ‘Common Ground’ by Rob Cowen”
Category Archives: opinion
‘Post Truth Politics’ and the rise of the Right in the European Countryside
The events of recent months, especially in the light of yesterday’s result across the pond, are a sure sign that we a living in an epoch of ‘post truth politics’. Emotion and the power of story telling seems to run the roost above the plight of policy makers, who are desperately trying to push theirContinueContinue reading “‘Post Truth Politics’ and the rise of the Right in the European Countryside”
Conservation 21: the ‘new’ conservation strategy for the 21st century
Last month, Natural England published their new strategy (available here). In essence, many of the things included within it have been said before, either by them or by the environmental NGOs. However, it comes as a breath of fresh air to see everything in a single NE document, and one that gives us a clueContinueContinue reading “Conservation 21: the ‘new’ conservation strategy for the 21st century”
Conserving the Quantocks after Brexit
The mist enveloped the trees as I set out on a walk through Great Wood in the Quantocks. The autumnal environment of multi-coloured trees set the scene but this was augmented by conifers, established as part of this Forestry Commission mixed woodland. The trees stood tall and proud, pushing their way up through the mistyContinueContinue reading “Conserving the Quantocks after Brexit”
Subsidies…dare we predict the future?
If you type in the phrase ‘farm subsidies’ into any search engine news feed you will find multiple references to the super rich receiving hundreds of thousands of pounds in subsidy for simply owning land. Under our current format of payments, driven by the Common Agricultural Policy, landowners receive payments for being just that, landowners. TheContinueContinue reading “Subsidies…dare we predict the future?”
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