CSM EDITORIAL This has to be the most depressing General Election in the last hundred years. Even Major v Kinnock had more about it than this garbage. Therein lies the danger. Who is going to turn out the lights this time? If Starmer, the liquid candidate, wins a massive majority, God help us. Those who voted for Corbyn – the deluded, unemployable graduates and ex-BBC … Continue reading Electile Dysfunction
CSM EDITORIAL In the complex world of UK farming, managing land, livestock, and crops is an already Herculean task. Yet, as if these responsibilities weren’t challenging enough, farmers now face an additional layer of bureaucracy with the latest updates to the licence to kill, take or disturb by Natural England. This licence, which permits the control of wild birds for essential purposes like preventing agricultural … Continue reading Unreasonable Hurdles for Farmers: Licence to Kill, Take or Disturb Chaos
CSM EDITORIAL This is going to be the most interesting General Election of our lifetimes, for sure. By ‘interesting’ we mean in the sense of the Chinese curse. The choice for voters is truly awful. Essentially, we will be forced to forgo our principles and sense of common decency and vote for the least worst option on offer. The bar couldn’t be lower. General Elections … Continue reading Government by Sixth Form
CSM EDITORIAL Let’s face it, Keir Starmer and his haircut would just about pass muster as transport secretary in Thatcher’s 1987 government. But he’s the only half-competent (whilst dreadfully slippery) player in a side that should have been permanently relegated in 2019. You’ll find more competent characters in the cheap offices in a Slough business park. When Wes ‘Dead-End’ Streeting is Labour’s go-to rescuer, you … Continue reading The Generally Lacklustre Election, 2024
CSM EDITORIAL Lord Walney’s comprehensive 100,000-word review on countering political violence and disruption, submitted to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak just before Christmas, includes a recommendation to empower the police to prohibit face coverings during protests. The government is expected to provide a response to these suggestions later in the year. Currently, under Section 60AA order of the Criminal Justice Act 1994, in a designated area, … Continue reading Unmasking the Sabs
CSM EDITORIAL Every now and again an academic report lands that hits the nail on the head*. Britain’s countryside is a ‘racist, colonial’ white space where people of colour are often framed as ‘out of place’, the Daily Mail ran in its pages yesterday. The Telegraph and other publications ran the same. These days it’s tricky passing a hedgerow without a racist in a white … Continue reading Britain’s Countryside is a ‘Racist, Colonial’ White Space?
CSM EDITORIAL Those companies selling solar panels to farmers to place in their fields have – like all good salespeople – addressed the likely objections: They argue that solar panel structures preserve agricultural land, that planning permission for a solar farm is time-limited, and installations can be completely dismantled at the end of their operation. Solar does not take agricultural land, they say, it borrows … Continue reading Solar Perplexes Us: Britain Needs a Solar Farm Cap
CSM EDITORIAL Farmers play a pivotal role in the United Kingdom, contributing significantly to the nation’s economy, food security, and environmental sustainability. Their tireless efforts and expertise in cultivating crops, raising livestock, and managing agricultural operations are essential for the wellbeing and progress of the nation. Farmers make indispensable contributions to the nation’s social fabric: through their dedication and expertise, they ensure a constant supply … Continue reading Furious British Farmers Now Ready to March
CSM EDITORIAL Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, the Squires trust that You are well and that 2024 is a terrific year for You and Your families. 2024 is election year both here and in the United States (where a fifth of our readership resides). While we suspect that a Trump will be hard to beat stateside (note ‘a’ rather than mere Donald), here in … Continue reading Not My Vote, Starmer!
CSM EDITORIAL The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is responsible for dishing out licences to bird monitors. And such an established body would – one would hope – do some basic due diligence on those licensed operatives doing the counting in their name. Sadly, for a very long while now, raptor persecution has been the weapon anti grouse shooting animal rights extremists have chosen to … Continue reading Some BTO Monitors Can’t Count
CSM EDITORIAL Rochdale was a once a very proud town. It became a centre of the North’s woollen trade. By the early 18th century it was described as being remarkable for its many wealthy merchants. In the 19th century it became a mill town and centre for textile manufacture and was a leading town in the Industrial Revolution. The aristocrat and poet George Gordon Byron was Lord Byron of Rochdale. However, mention … Continue reading Recovering Rochdale
CSM EDITORIAL There was a time, in the bad old days of ALF, when animal rights terrorists were considered the second greatest terror threat to the UK behind the IRA. While various Islamist groups have overtaken them now, animal rights terrorism still abounds, carried out by a small but active crew of extremist cadres who still resort to violence to pursue their political aims. The … Continue reading Hamas & the Hunt Sabs
CSM EDITORIAL The Squires’ experience of dealing with Hampshire Police over Chris Packham matters during the last couple of years left us feeling – rightly or wrongly – that the organisation was a clueless chumocracy. Hopefully there are others who have had better experiences. And at least there’s a new Chief Constable, Scott Chilton, at the helm these days. Either which way, the Countryside now … Continue reading All Eyes on Hampshire Constabulary
CSM EDITORIAL The Daily Telegraph’s Allister Heath did not hold back in his column on Wednesday: Welcome to anti-democratic Britain, where the beleaguered majority is increasingly subject to the whims of an entitled, activist elite that often seems to despise the people over which it exercises so much power….” Meanwhile an Ipsos survey for London’s Evening Standard found that 76 per cent think Britain as … Continue reading Stopgap Starmer
CSM EDITORIAL An anti-discrimination law that would prevent banks from blocking accounts over customers’ political views is to be tabled by Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg. The former business secretary is proposing an amendment to the Digital Markets Bill to prevent banks from apparently blacklisting customers who hold ‘controversial’ views. The issue came to the fore recently when Nigel Farage complained about having his account closed at … Continue reading ‘Tank Chasers’ Leigh Day Frequent Hoare’s
CSM EDITORIAL Home Secretary Suella Braverman has a bit of easy work to do. Proscribing Animal Rising would be popular and in the national interest. This is a group of activists in the same mould as Just Stop Oil or Extinction Rebellion but they have shown they are willing to use fear to terrorise targets. Just look at what Animal Rising cadres have been up … Continue reading Proscribe Animal Rising
CSM EDITORIAL The 2015 ban in Mexico on wild animals in circuses was urged by animal rights activists who declared that circuses were all places of animal exploitation and therefore cruel. Many in Mexico agreed with them without examining the issue in any detail. The Mexican Government enacted a ban, giving the circuses up to a year to find alternative homes for their animals, including … Continue reading The Tragedy of Feelings Over Facts
CSM EDITORIAL The great rescue and relocation swindle: how wildlife charities steal animals and exploit them for cash Are wildlife charities lying to donors and exploiting the animals they claim to be saving? That seems to be the gist of an article on Fieldsports Channel, which has catalogued lies told by animal activists, rescue centres and the media to try to justify confiscating lions and … Continue reading The Wildlife Charities Scamming Millions
CSM EDITORIAL There can be no doubt that Liz Truss has made some rookie mistakes: But Tory MPs merit more of the blame: And if Kwasi Kwarteng deserves the sack then Andrew Bailey should also be given the boot: Tory MPs should be helping the Prime Minister to get it right, rather than rewriting leadership election rules. This magazine supported Penny Mordaunt in the leadership … Continue reading Just Behave
CSM EDITORIAL Finally, it’s here! You’ve been asking us for a while to produce this. We were delayed by Covid and then by a certain court case in getting a print copy out to you, Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine. Now we have agreed with our publishers to supply a quarterly publication – a 50-page glossy smorgasbord of content – which we are now … Continue reading Country Squire Print Edition
