Category: Letters

countryside, Letters

Predation, Evidence, Balance

Dear Editor, Recent peer-reviewed research shared by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust has cast new light on the mounting pressures facing some of the United Kingdom’s most cherished yet threatened ground-nesting birds. The study focuses particularly on lapwing and curlew, both of which now hold red-list status due to significant population declines that have alarmed conservationists across the country. The comprehensive investigation analysed camera-trap … Continue reading Predation, Evidence, Balance

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Letters

Labour’s Ideological Dislike of Rural Britain

Dear Sir, I write with a growing sense of dismay, shared by many in our rural communities, at the apparent hostility of the current Labour Government towards the small farm and the family landowner. One is compelled to ask: why does a party in power seem so intent on burdening the very stewards of our countryside with a suffocating blanket of red tape and punitive … Continue reading Labour’s Ideological Dislike of Rural Britain

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Letters

Digital ID Should Terrify Everyone

Dear Readers, Digital ID represents the most shocking assault on civil liberties the UK has ever seen and surely contravenes Article 8 (rights to privacy) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Digital ID is not the same as an ID card: these are two fundamentally different things. Britons already have ID: passports, National Insurance numbers, Birth Certificates etc. Instead, Digital ID sets out … Continue reading Digital ID Should Terrify Everyone

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Lead, Letters

MPs to be Misled by ‘Ban Lead Ammunition’ Propagandists?

BY MARK CRUDGINGTON To: The Rt Hon Steve Reed MPSecretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsDepartment for Environment, Food & Rural AffairsSeacole Building, 2 Marsham StreetLondonSW1P 4DF Subject: Concerns Regarding the Proposed Ban on Lead Ammunition Dear Secretary of State, I am writing to express deep concern regarding the Government’s proposal to ban the use of lead shot in shotguns and lead bullets … Continue reading MPs to be Misled by ‘Ban Lead Ammunition’ Propagandists?

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Letters

The Clipboard-Wielding Zealots of Natural England

Dear Editor, Ben O’Rourke’s excellent article last week, Shamefully Burning Taxpayers’ Cash, is a blistering indictment of the bureaucratic lunacy that now passes for countryside stewardship. At last, someone has dared to say what every farmer and gamekeeper has known for years: that the clipboard-wielding zealots of Natural England and the RSPB are not just misguided—they’re actively dismantling rural Britain in the name of saving it. … Continue reading The Clipboard-Wielding Zealots of Natural England

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Family, Letters

A Letter from the Heart

BY FRANK HAVILAND A letter from our friend Frank Haviland, Editor of the New Conservative UPDATE: Shortly after the court appearance referred to in this letter, Frank was jailed for contempt for 15 days. Dear Readers of The New Conservative, Please forgive my self-indulgence, but I write this brief note mainly in my capacity as editor to let you know what may be about to … Continue reading A Letter from the Heart

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Letters

Dear Tories

The curtains have been drawn on your somewhat mediocre performance, and we’re all left to ponder the chaotic antics that have ensued since your departure. First of all, thank you for leaving the coffers as bare as a chicken with its feathers plucked. Honestly, you’ve done us all a favour. It’s like you’ve handed the socialists a beautifully wrapped box with just a mirror in … Continue reading Dear Tories

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Letters

Dewilding?

BY PAULA NUNES Dear Editor, I read with interest Calum Campbell’s Blackgame Dewilding article of April 30th in your magazine. I see that rewilding has become a focal point in environmental discussions in the UK, with proponents highlighting its benefits in enhancing biodiversity and helping ecosystems adapt to climate change. Rewilders’ idea seems to be to allow lands, often previously used for grazing, to revert … Continue reading Dewilding?

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Letters

The Dangers of Bird Trackers

BY DR DANIEL HOLDSWORTH Dear Editor, Regarding the article on the tracking of various birds using tags, there is a steadily accumulating body of evidence that shows that this practice isn’t very good for the birds thus tagged, and that the deleterious effects range from mild impairment to severely handicapping birds. The main effects of tags are to cause aerodynamic drag (this is especially the … Continue reading The Dangers of Bird Trackers

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countryside, Letters

Gamekeeper Persecution

BY BERT BURNETT Dear Editor, According to the RSPB, satellite tags affixed to eagles’ backs are deemed entirely reliable. When they cease to function, it indicates a high likelihood of foul play, suggesting that the tracker has been intentionally disabled and destroyed. In the event of the bird’s natural demise, the RSPB asserts their ability to locate the deceased bird through its tracker. Currently, every … Continue reading Gamekeeper Persecution

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Letters

Attacks on the Countryside by Myopic Townies

BY JIM WEBSTER Dear Editor, As a rural, white farmer based on the Cumbrian shores, I read with interest your article on alleged racism in the Countryside. To recap, Wildlife and Countryside Link provided parliament with evidence to show that the British countryside is a “racist colonial” white space. They are the “largest environment and wildlife coalition in England, bringing together 82 organisations to use … Continue reading Attacks on the Countryside by Myopic Townies

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countryside, Letters

An Important Letter for Steve Barclay

BY MARK CRUDGINGTON Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP, DEFRA Dear Mr Barclay , I am a master gun maker who has for the last 18 months been communicating with your predecessor concerning the proposed ban of lead in rifle and shotgun ammunition against which I am totally opposed. I have also communicated with DEFRA, the HSE, my MP, The Prime Minister and various organisations. In … Continue reading An Important Letter for Steve Barclay

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countryside, Letters

Raptor Agitprop, Wader Persecution

BY BERT BURNETT Dear Editor, Something is fundamentally wrong in ‘conservation’ circles. We have seen huge increases in raptor populations over the last half a century, some species the highest ever recorded. Kites, buzzards, goshawks and sparrowhawks are all on the rise. We have raptor lobbyists claiming eagles are in trouble through persecution when in fact their numbers have apparently risen by approximately 35-40 pair … Continue reading Raptor Agitprop, Wader Persecution

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countryside, Letters

Expose the Terrorists Among Us

BY BEN McCARTHY Dear Squires, This week I noted with interest how Mark Avery of the campaign group Wild Justice turned his nose up at a recent ‘unsettling’ image of the Mendip Hunt Sabs: “It recalls, too readily for me, paramilitary action” is an odd quote from Mr Avery. The other 2/3 of Wild Justice are comprised of outspoken hunt sabs who’ve been posting these … Continue reading Expose the Terrorists Among Us

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Letters

Letter from the Countryside

Dear Mr Sunak,   The totemic issue of our times is freedom. All political nostra come down to this: Freedom to do what we want – so long as our actions do not physically harm anyone else. The freedom of the individual should be sacrosanct. Yet the freedom to travel, raise a family, start a business, publish and broadcast, to live unfettered is all under threat. … Continue reading Letter from the Countryside

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Letters

Letter to Ms Regan

Dear Ms Regan, In your contendership for the top job and the SNP leadership you claim that independence has “nothing to do with the UK Government”. You have also elected to dismiss both the Supreme Court ruling and the Scotland Act that say the constitution is reserved to Westminster. Not content with that you decided to embarrass yourself even further by indicating, wrongly of course, … Continue reading Letter to Ms Regan

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Letters

An Open Letter to Michael Gove: What Did You Really Do in Washington?

BY NIALL McCRAE Dear Mr Gove, Although you are extremely busy, I feel that you should know of a scurrilous notion regarding your recent visit to Washington. It is doing the rounds in certain social media circles that you attended the annual Build-a-Bear convention, which as you know is an obsession of conspiracy theorists, who believe in a New World Order policed by microchip-implanted teddy … Continue reading An Open Letter to Michael Gove: What Did You Really Do in Washington?

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