Peter Orr

Good to see this up!

In this piece itself, I argue the problem is not *just* Keir Starmer.

Snowdrops are not indigenous to Britain, & likely introduced around the 1500s, but now fully naturalised

They likely began their life here in monastery herb gardens, perhaps used medicinally

They have long been linked to celebrating light's victory over darkness

But they are a non native plant

UK Poverty 2026: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK This report sets out the nature of poverty in the UK, and evaluates changes under the last Conservative-led Government. It also sets out the scale of action necessary for the current Government to del...

Read the ‘Carers and Poverty’ chapter of the report, starting on page 95.

www.jrf.org.uk/uk-poverty-2...

There will be no ‘Climate Spring’ Climate change is radicalising cities, not activists

open.substack.com/pub/benshrea...

Trump’s coup in Venezuela didn’t just break the rules – it showed there aren’t any. We’ll all regret that | Nesrine Malik It’s not just the triumphalism in the White House. Leaders loth to oppose this gangsterism must think how that looks to Putin, Xi and in the UAE, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik

international cooperation at a much higher level to respond to climate change requires trust and strong international institutions - reinventing existing institutions and perhaps move beyond state cooperation - perhaps this is the moment to start www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Today an illegal coup in Venezuela, but where next? Donald Trump talks peace but he is a man of war | Simon Tisdall The world will be anxious, and rightly so. For a man so bent on a peace prize, Trump appears to revel in conflict, writes Simon Tisdall

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Why Britain has a deer problem Deer numbers have rocketed over the last 40 years and particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Deer numbers have been rocketing in the UK and Ireland, causing *massive* damage to nature and society.

The solutions?

Eat wild venison instead of farmed meat, and reintroduce missing native predators like lynx.
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Scottish history books for sale. usual flat rate is £5pb/ £10hb + postage. rare books maybe priced separately - cannot post out until Feb so just collecting reservations (no payments) email claredownham360@hotmail.com #scotland #skystorians #history #booksky see link www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/tkgc6...

🗞️ Great news!

A golden eagle has been spotted in northern England for the first time since 2015. Scientists working in the area report multiple sightings since April 2025.

Read more in Mongabay: https://ow.ly/eFb450XAvyN

AI is Destroying the University and Learning Itself Students use AI to write papers, professors use AI to grade them, degrees become meaningless, and tech companies make fortunes. Welcome to the death of higher education.

sobering (genie out of the bottle) - is this the beginning of the end of university education www.currentaffairs.org/news/ai-is-d...

Eco Chamber: Access Denied: Does the environment sector have a problem with class? In this episode, we investigate the representation of working class voices in the UK’s environment sector, reveal exclusive ENDS analysis on the industry’s make-up and hear from those trying to...

Our latest podcast on being working class in the environment sector is live⚡️ with -

🐦‍⬛ RAVEN networks' Nadia Shaikh
🏗️ ISEP's chief Sarah Mukherjee
𖣘 WCCA founder Emma River-Roberts and
🍃 @britishecologicalsociety.org 's SEED co-lead Dr Ciara Dwyer

🎧 Listen now pod.fo/e/368517

Ministers ‘break word’ on protecting nature after weakening biodiversity planning rule Housing minister announces exemption to 10% net gain rule in England for smaller developments

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

graphic of map of Britain and Ireland with text overlay reading New Report: A Fair Share

📢 Our new report sets out a clear message: a fairer economy demands real fiscal powers for local places.

The Budget's move to devolve tourism-levy powers was welcome, but it's a small down-payment on the long-term vision we need.

🔗Full report: fairnessfoundation.com/a-fair-share

Why ‘green’ finance isn’t always as sustainable as it seems At its most basic level, sciencewashing entails using the vocabulary of science, and borrowing its authority, to claim sustainability outcomes.

theconversation.com/why-green-fi...

www.scotlink.org/you-say-econ...

Economic benefits of protecting the environment - looking at GDP data and commitment to regulation

The BBC Scotland commentary for Kenny McLean’s halfway line goal is glorious. Stuff of dreams. 🔥

Congratulations #Scotland, see you at the World Cup.

UK commons committee report on housing and nature publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cm...
" In most cases housing delivery is delayed or challenged due to unclear and conflicting policies, land banking and skills shortages...."

Zohran Mamdani shows how Democrats can defeat authoritarians like Trump | Isabella Weber Democrats have two choices: fight to make life affordable again for ordinary people or watch voters embrace authoritarians

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

🔊 Ready to be part of something incredible in 2026? 🌳 Join us for a wild week of community, purpose and connection in the #ScottishHighlands.

Give back, reconnect, and meet others who share your passion for a wilder world. Head to our website for details 👉 treesforlife.org.uk/support/volu...

We have a very exciting and rewarding opportunity for a Project Officer to join us to help create England's highest nature reserve - Skiddaw Forest 🌳🌳

Apply below ⬇️
www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/jobs/skiddaw-forest-project-officer

#Cumbria #LakeDistrict #ConservationCareers #SkiddawForest

The future of British farming - Dieter Helm Farmers have recently been complaining about a lot, and in some cases with good cause. Brexit has created lots of practical difficulties, without delivering all the benefits they were promised. Migran...

Good overview of future farming change in the UK and the gradual adoption of the 'polluter pays' principle dieterhelm.co.uk/publications...

Our "Guidelines for Rewilding" published with IUCN CEM are now live! portals.iucn.org/library/node...

Half UK top fish stocks ‘critically low’, ‘overexploited’ or both A new report offers the most comprehensive analysis of British fisheries as an independent coastal state post-Brexit.  Published by Oceana UK, the research casts the rapidly declining health of the Br...

Half UK top fish stocks ‘critically low’, ‘overexploited’ or both – EnvironmentJournal

environmentjournal.online/climate-chan...

I'm grateful for this conversation about our new book, Radical Abundance: How to Win a Green Democratic Future. As fans of Future Histories might expect, Jan pushed us on questions of economic planning and institutional design.

Harms of introduced large herbivores outweigh benefits to native biodiversity - Nature Communications Using impact assessment frameworks, this study shows that the introduction of large mammalian herbivores outside their native range has predominantly caused negative impacts on native biodiversity glo...

Harms of introduced large herbivores outweigh benefits to native biodiversity: " We therefore advise caution regarding the intentional introduction of large mammalian herbivores for conservation purposes (rewilding, assisted colonization) [...]" 🌐🌎 #bioinvasions www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Interested? Read our 3-page manifesto for more! 👀 communityenergy.scot/wp-content/u...

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THIS is why fossil fuel interests are pouring money into Reform.

Thanks for sharing these assumptions and their implications - it's of course normal for our captured establishment institutions to be over optimistic on technological change and it's up to deliberative democracy to point out the risk burden on future generations and open up assumptions to challenge

Morecambe, by Bradford-born Fred Cecil Jones, 1891-1966 (private collection). #NorthernArt

EPA eliminates its scientific research arm The move to dismantle the Office of Research and Development comes as Trump officials cut the agency’s total staff by 23 percent.

World leading environmental science research and staff don't align with US politics (I'm sad for the people affected) www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...