A Prayer for Our Pets
VICAR As we cherish the creatures who share our homes and hearts, Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, let us turn our thoughts to the loyal companions who bring joy, comfort, and unconditional love into our lives. These are the paws that greet us at the door, the gentle purrs that soothe our worries, and the spirited barks that remind us of life’s simple pleasures. Let … Continue reading A Prayer for Our Pets
Heretic
BY ROGER WATSON I briefly owned a copy of The Book of Mormon which reached me in extraordinary circumstances a few years ago while checking into the Hamilton hotel in Washington DC. “There’s a parcel for you Mr Watson”, I was told and a package containing a copy of The Book of Mormon was handed to me. A Facebook friend, and Mormon, had asked where … Continue reading Heretic
If
BY PAUL T HORGAN Could use of the Tallboy have precipitated the end of World War II? Adolf Hitler moved in a mysterious way, but there was a good reason for the mystery. Of all the countries fighting in World War II, only Germany lacked capability for an orderly change of leadership to alter policy. Instead Germany was run by a form of personal rule. … Continue reading If
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
Stargazing in June
BY DOMINIC WIGHTMAN A Nocturnal Rebellion Against the Modern Age There’s something wonderfully freeing about standing in an English field in June, long after the last cuckoo has cried itself hoarse and the swifts have turned in for the night, staring up at the heavens like some latter-day druid. The modern Briton, of course, wouldn’t know a star if it fell on his head – … Continue reading Stargazing in June
Fifteen Minutes
BY JOE NUTT Life has recently dealt me a surprising, but truly delightful blow. I’m getting used to being recognised as someone other than myself. My eldest daughter has made something of a name for herself as a professional gravel cyclist. She travels all over the world racing, sometimes for days at a time, battling across remote, astonishingly beautiful, and often mountainous landscapes. The videos … Continue reading Fifteen Minutes
June Reflections
BY STEWART SLATER Modelled on Jay Nordlinger’s “Impromptus” in National Review, I’ve written a piece which is a series of paras on various ideas: Stewart Slater works in Finance. He invites you to join him at his website. Continue reading June Reflections
A Prayer for the Rural Craftsmen
VICAR As the sun rises over the rolling hills and quiet lanes, Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, let us turn our hearts to the skilled hands and creative spirits who enrich our rural landscapes. These are the craftsmen—the potters, the weavers, the carpenters, and the blacksmiths—whose work weaves tradition into the very fabric of our villages. Their dedication preserves the beauty of the past while … Continue reading A Prayer for the Rural Craftsmen
Fahrenheit-182
BY JACK WATSON In Fahrenheit-182, Mark Hoppus (bass guitarist for Blink-182, a famous rock band from the 1990s) takes us back to when he grew up in a California desert. Presumably the title is an homage to Ray Bradbury’s 1953 dystopian novel Fahrenheit-451. The book provides an insight into a troubled childhood; how he first met Tom DeLonge and their creation of Blink-182. Then their … Continue reading Fahrenheit-182
Shamefully Burning Taxpayers’ Cash
BY BEN O’ROURKE The fuses have been lit. Does Bruce Willis still have time to save the countryside? There’s a popular trope in films where authorities are convinced of one thing and people in the know telling them they’re wrong get ignored. A good example is Die Hard. In the 1988 blockbuster, terrorists take over a building in Los Angeles and their leader, Alan Rickman, … Continue reading Shamefully Burning Taxpayers’ Cash
From Scaredy Cat to Roaring Lion
BY JOHN MUSGRAVE As Brits reel at the scale of the Labour administration’s perfidy it is essential to ask: Why? Why is the Starmer administration doing this? Let us frack down with jack-hammer vengeance to find the answer. Why seek to rejoin the EU when 2TK (Two Tier Keir) said he’d do no such thing. Why impose Net Zero when he must know it’s destroying … Continue reading From Scaredy Cat to Roaring Lion
Why We Should All Respect Farmers
BY DOMINIC WIGHTMAN We walk on concrete, but we live on bread. The modern world hums with the illusion of self-sufficiency – our smartphones deliver groceries with a tap, restaurants materialise meals on demand, and supermarkets present endless abundance as if by nature’s own hand. Yet this is a collective delusion. The truth is simpler, starker: every society rests upon the bowed backs of farmers. … Continue reading Why We Should All Respect Farmers
The Proof is in the Pudding
BY ALEX STORY Starmer is many things to many people. To some he is a liar, to others a traitor, ever ready to serve the interest of the International Collective against that of our country. He might be all that and more, or less, but more importantly, he might be, as comedian and economist, Dominic Frisby, sings, his “toolmaker” father’s biggest achievement, namely “the biggest … Continue reading The Proof is in the Pudding
Defending the Defenders
BY DR ROBERT PARR Why the UK Must Back Its Special Forces: Russia’s Hybrid Warfare and the Growing Threat to UK Security General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, pictured below, is widely credited with formalising Russia’s hybrid warfare doctrine, commonly referred to as the ‘Gerasimov Doctrine’. This strategy integrates traditional military tactics with political, economic, informational, and legal … Continue reading Defending the Defenders
A Prayer for Our Rural Heritage
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well and have had a great week. We find ourselves drawn by our faith to become stewards of our glorious countryside. These are the faces of our neighbours, the voices of our friends, and the hearts of our shared community. Let us offer a prayer for our rural heritage: Heavenly Father, We come … Continue reading A Prayer for Our Rural Heritage
Tackling Britain’s Rent Boy Menace
CSM EDITORIAL The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said recently that there may be an ‘issue with young boys and men’ around toxic masculinity. Three fires. Three arrests. One Prime Minister. Maybe he has a point. The sequence is as follows: May 8, 2025 – A car, once owned by Sir Keir Starmer and since sold to a neighbour, is set alight in Kentish … Continue reading Tackling Britain’s Rent Boy Menace
A Hidden Gem: Vienna’s Schänzel Chapel
BY ROGER WATSON Tucked away along the bustling Danube Canal, like a secret waiting to be discovered, stands the Schänzel Chapel – officially known as St. John Nepomuk Chapel. This unassuming, pint-sized sanctuary is so easy to miss that most passersby barely glance its way. But for those who pause, who dare to peer beyond its weathered exterior, a hauntingly beautiful mystery unfolds. At first … Continue reading A Hidden Gem: Vienna’s Schänzel Chapel
The Bath
BY DOMINIC WIGHTMAN There are few greater luxuries afforded to the Briton than the ritual of the bath. Not the perfunctory, hurried ablutions of the shower—that brutish, Continental invention—but the proper, deliberate submersion into steaming, scented waters, where a man, or woman, might, for half an hour, pretend that the world beyond the bathroom door does not exist. The bath is not for eating in, … Continue reading The Bath
Mediocrity Knows Nothing Higher
BY STEWART SLATER “There is a considerable overlap in intelligence between the smartest bear and the dumbest tourist.” So, apparently, said a ranger in Yosemite National Park when explaining why the bear-proof bin had not yet been invented. Make a trash can Yogi and his chums could not access, and neither could some humans. Make one everyone could use and, for animals smarter than the … Continue reading Mediocrity Knows Nothing Higher
The RSPB’s Tragic Decline
BY ALEXIA JAMES It is well worth remembering why the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) was originally set up and by whom: Founded in 1889, the RSPB was incorporated by Royal Charter. Originally granted by King Edward VII in November 1904, the Royal Charter is the legal instrument constituting the RSPB and giving it legal status. Since then, the Charter and Statutes have been … Continue reading The RSPB’s Tragic Decline