Whilst we’re all submerged in the massive issues of economic collapse and the spread of Corvid 19 it is easy to forget the wonderful gifts right on our doorstep. Not my doorstep but everybody’s. Whether it be our rivers, wetlands, country and marine reserves or ancient monuments.

It is natural to respond to the immediate crisis and hard to keep in mind the things we take for granted. Successive governments have cut and slashed support for virtually all our national watchdog institutions. Sadly our response has been to let things slip. No one responds to farmers who are killing off rivers, no one responds to stop destructive trawling, in a word the people’s representatives have applied resources to the more immediate issues of human needs, school meals, homelessness, law and order, these are just examples.

It seems to me that these watchdogs underfunded as they are, are neither fish nor fowl, neither under local or central Government. Rather a kind of Quangolated agency where no one has a strong enough voice. The problem is not an easy one to solve, after all ultimately neither local or central government has a magic money tree.

I know that a number of these watchdogs already rely heavily on voluntary support, should they be made entirely charitable entities like the RNLI or similar? Or like the hospice movement part Government funded?

We should not stand by and see our environment wrecked simply because Government is short of money. Someone somewhere needs to look at structure, funding and teeth, if we are to sustain our beautiful environment.

Go harass your MP!