Hill Farming in the North of England

BY JAMIE FOSTER Our hill farmers have shaped some of the most beautiful parts of Britain for generations, acting as custodians of precious environmental amenities while providing a crucial part of our livestock industry. Our hills and uplands are elevated areas of less favoured agricultural land. These Less Favoured Areas (LFAs) are suitable for extensive livestock production because of their geography and their climate: they … Continue reading Hill Farming in the North of England

countrysquiremagazineNovember 14, 2023November 11, 2023

Books

Life on the Edge

BY JAMIE FOSTER Tristan Voorspuy was a larger-than-life character. His obituary in the Daily Telegraph talked of: “a free-spirited alpha male. His greatest contribution was as a conservationist and safari guide, but he was always an engaging companion with great charm mixed with outrageous behaviour and glorious political incorrectness. Aged 61, born on 26th March 1955, he was shot dead on 5th March 2017 while … Continue reading Life on the Edge

countrysquiremagazineMay 18, 2023May 18, 2023

Books

The Effluent Society

BY JAMIE FOSTER In 1952, Norman Thelwell (1923-2004) penned his first cartoon for the satirical British magazine Punch, renowned internationally for its wit, irreverence, and for publishing the world’s best comic writers and poets. This led to a relationship that lasted for 25 years and over 1,000 cartoons, including 60 front covers. Thelwell was a master of sharp social comment and sheer zany humour, and … Continue reading The Effluent Society

countrysquiremagazineMarch 10, 2023March 5, 2023

Books

Drink!

BY JAMIE FOSTER A delightful book to dip in and out of, Bruce Anderson’s ‘Drink!’ is a collection of his columns from The Spectator. Published by Quiller, this slim volume is a series of vignettes full of joie de vivre. Each column recollects a different occasion on which Anderson is drinking wine and it is a joy to be transported by him to so many … Continue reading Drink!

countrysquiremagazineNovember 3, 2020November 2, 2020

brexit

Article 50 Illegality a Sideshow

BY JAMIE FOSTER Having entered the transition stage of the Article 50 process Boris Johnson will now negotiate Britain’s future relationship with the EU. This stage will come to an end on the 31st December this year at which point the UK will officially leave the EU and its regulations. It is Boris Johnson’s aim to have secured a trade deal with the EU by … Continue reading Article 50 Illegality a Sideshow

countrysquiremagazineFebruary 14, 2020February 13, 2020

Politics

Time to Neutralise the HIU

BY JAMIE FOSTER Senior Tories are demanding that Boris Johnson cut the powers of a historic investigations unit (HIU) as part of his deal to get power sharing back on at Stormont. The unit is tasked with investigating the deaths caused by the British Army during the troubles. There are real concerns that the unit will investigate all 302 deaths caused during the period. Tory … Continue reading Time to Neutralise the HIU

countrysquiremagazineJanuary 16, 2020January 15, 2020

Election 2019

Revoke for Euro Schengen Hell

BY JAMIE FOSTER Donald Tusk getting involved in the UK General Election is strange. Maybe he is missing the limelight now that his EU role has ended and he is so easily seen through back in his homeland – increasingly Eurosceptic Poland. His suggestion that Remainers should not give up is also peculiar – what they are calling for in Revoke no longer exists. The … Continue reading Revoke for Euro Schengen Hell

countrysquiremagazineNovember 14, 20191 Comment

brexit

No Deal No EU Army

BY JAMIE FOSTER Should the unlikely happen and a deal materialise, a group of Tory MPs are considering voting against Boris Johnson’s divorce deal unless commitments to EU defence are removed from it. At present the divorce deal promises to keep the UK linked to a series of EU military structures including the European Defence Fund, the European Defence Agency and Permanent Structured Cooperation. This … Continue reading No Deal No EU Army

countrysquiremagazineOctober 9, 2019October 9, 2019

brexit

Essentially Bust

BY JAMIE FOSTER The Brexit Party’s warnings to Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings last night about not reheating the May withdrawal deal are nothing new. As if the Conservatives don’t know that May’s deal is a dead duck. The more important warning from the Brexit Party relates to money. £39Bn may not seem like that much money in the round of years of trade – … Continue reading Essentially Bust

countrysquiremagazineSeptember 28, 2019September 28, 2019

Politics

Good Riddance, Hobbit

BY JAMIE FOSTER John Bercow, on a speaking tour in the US, claimed recently that Brexit may take another 20 years to sort out. More nonsense from this silly man. In his speech he claimed that ‘no force on earth’ would stop parliament having the final say about Brexit. While he agreed that the referendum was important, he went on to say that didn’t mean … Continue reading Good Riddance, Hobbit

countrysquiremagazineSeptember 21, 2019

Politics

The Swiss Example

BY JAMIE FOSTER Switzerland is coming to the end of its tether in relation to the failed attempt to negotiate an economic deal with the EU. The Swiss believe that the EU bureaucrats are too dogmatic in their demands to be able to come to a deal. A failure to reach a deal could mean that Swiss researchers are blocked from the common market. As … Continue reading The Swiss Example

countrysquiremagazineSeptember 5, 2019

brexit

Plot or Die

BY JAMIE FOSTER The expression “falling between two stools” is an old proverbial phrase. The full version is ‘between two stools one falls to the ground’. It is first cited in John Gower’s Confessio Amantis, 1390: “Thou farst [farest] as he betwen tuo stoles That wolde sitte and goth to grounde.” The first recorded use in modern English is in Matthew Prior’s comic poem Alma; or, The … Continue reading Plot or Die

countrysquiremagazineAugust 6, 2019August 6, 2019

brexit

When do EU Payments Stop?

BY JAMIE FOSTER One of our readers wrote in to ask a question about Brexit. He asked what are the implications for Britain, whilst still a member, are we by default to be tied into the next budget period were it finalised prior to our anticipated, if somewhat unconfirmed, leave date of 31 October? This is a good question as most of the relationship between … Continue reading When do EU Payments Stop?

countrysquiremagazineAugust 2, 2019August 4, 2019

Politics

A Brexit Party Coalition?

BY JAMIE FOSTER Last week Home Secretary Sajid Javid made a speech about extremism in which he singled out Nigel Farage and the Brexit Party saying they are not extremists. In what is seen to be an olive branch held out to the Brexit Party, Javid praised the Brexit Party and Nigel Farage for leaving UKIP behind when it changed to a “far right” party. … Continue reading A Brexit Party Coalition?

countrysquiremagazineJuly 23, 2019July 22, 2019

Media

BBC’s Social Media Achilles’ Heel

BY JAMIE FOSTER At a time when the BBC is losing licence fee payers at a dangerous speed and needs to endear the nation, the organisation has chosen the suicidal path of changing its editorial guidance on social media in order to allow Gary Lineker and Chris Packham to keep on ranting over Twitter. The guidance still bans political journalists from expressing a view on … Continue reading BBC’s Social Media Achilles’ Heel

countrysquiremagazineJuly 18, 2019July 17, 2019

brexit

Major Headache

BY JAMIE FOSTER Ex-Prime Minister John Major seems to have seriously lost the plot as he threatens to judicially review Boris Johnson if he decides to prorogue parliament to get a no deal Brexit through. Former British PM Sir John Major will "seek a judicial review" to prevent the next prime minister suspending Parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit #r4today https://t.co/MyWlMEV8nK pic.twitter.com/0aLl8Ej5H5 — BBC … Continue reading Major Headache

countrysquiremagazineJuly 11, 2019July 10, 2019

brexit, Politics

A Brexit Party Compact?

BY JAMIE FOSTER What to do about the Brexit Party? As Nigel Farage addressed a rally of 5500 of his supporters on Sunday, the question once more raised its head about how the Tories should deal with the challenge of his new and vibrant party. Farage and his party – so they say – will be targeting at the next General Election both Tory and … Continue reading A Brexit Party Compact?

countrysquiremagazineJuly 2, 2019July 1, 2019

Farming

Biased Countryfile Fails Again

BY JAMIE FOSTER BBC Countryfile has upset a boatload of viewers by its biased piece on Brexit and how it will affect farmers: Adam Henson was interviewing a family of beef farmers who said Brexit had cast a shadow over the industry. They said that halving the tariffs in place to protect EU beef from imports would make it unsustainable to produce UK beef. The … Continue reading Biased Countryfile Fails Again

countrysquiremagazineJune 25, 2019June 24, 2019

brexit

Little Macron’s Threats

BY JAMIE FOSTER Boris Johnson certainly struck a nerve in Paris when he suggested that under his leadership the £39B divorce bill may be retained. President Macron said that if we were to not pay the bill it would be like a sovereign debt default and there would be ‘consequences’. This sinister, threatening tone conjures up images of being punished by international markets with a … Continue reading Little Macron’s Threats

countrysquiremagazineJune 10, 2019June 10, 2019

Politics

Pipsqueaks Trumped

BY JAMIE FOSTER Both Sadiq Khan and Jeremy Corbyn are guilty of embarrassing virtue signalling with their silly Westminster protest. They are a disgrace to Britain. Their arguments with President Trump are largely confected. Trump has said things that many people disagree with but on a state visit he comes as the office holder of President of our closest ally. The relationship between the US … Continue reading Pipsqueaks Trumped

countrysquiremagazineJune 5, 20191 Comment