Stop British Conservative anti-environment cuts

Badger Watch, Dorset : 20 April 08 from Jane Adams on Vimeo.

The British Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government has plans for lots of spending cutbacks. Unfortunately, not on bailouts of capitalist fat cats, or on war in Afghanistan, but, eg, on poor people …

From the blog of Mark Avery, the RSPB‘s Conservation Director, in England:

Some cuts never ever ever ever heal

[Conservative politician] Oliver Letwin‘s West Dorset constituency received visits from our campaigners on Wednesday – here they are in a damp Dorchester!

Mr Letwin is one of the Star Chamber members who will make decisions on the allocation of spending cuts across government departments and is regarded widely as a highly influential, if relatively low profile, Cabinet member.

Mr Letwin’s West Dorset constituency is rich in plants and insects – if the sun is shining go and look at the adonis blue butterflies on Maiden Castle just outside Dorchester!

I wonder how many of Mr Letwin’s farming constituents are in HLS – or want to be and may be excluded if planned cuts go ahead?

Please add your voice to our campaign – and remind Mr Letwin that the natural beauty of his constituency depends on the good work of a whole range of people, but much of it costs money. Some cuts never heal – please don’t cut the countryside!

And I was really pleased to see that our Letter to the Future campaign (same idea, different genesis) has passed 285,000 signatures – that was quick!

This is our most prolific campaign in terms of signatures and it’s still gathering momentum. We are now well past the membership of any of the Liberal Democrat, Labour or Conservative parties. Please do add your name if you haven’t already.

Britain: 107-year old woman dies after being evicted from care home: here.

Funding is to be withdrawn from hundreds of planned new children’s playgrounds under the government’s cuts programme, it was claimed on Sunday: here.

Britain: November 2010: The RSPCA has hit out the latest Government plans for a badger cull in parts of England, describing them as ‘appalling’. The animal welfare charity believes that not only are the measures unlikely to work, they may exacerbate the very problem it is meant to stop – bovine TB. Concerned about a number of welfare issues, the RSPCA has sent a list of questions to ministers to highlight the issues at stake: here.

The government said today that it is to delay a decision on whether to cull badgers in England in a bid to control TB in cattle: here.