Open and shut case
With government refusing to hold a full independent inquiry into foot and mouth, preferring a series of limited hearings that the public will not be allowed to attend, we must look elsewhere. Happily, the European parliament last week opened its own investigation into the world's worst ever case of the epidemic. It will, of course, be open and accountable. Meanwhile, the Countryside Restoration Trust is offering £1,000 to farmers seeking a judicial review to force the government into holding a full public inquiry.
No way, Norway
Norwegian fishermen have been flying black flags to protest about pollution of fish stocks by discharges from Sellafield. Now the full Norwegian parliamentary standing committee on energy and the environment will this week visit Dublin, London and Sellafield "to familiarise itself with matters related to radioactive discharges originating from Sellafield". We don't rate Norway's chances very highly, since the Irish have thrown every diplomatic and legal challenge at the government without making any impression. We suggest they bring their harpoons.
Bjorn again
Never underestimate a statistician. Bjorn Lomborg, the "Skeptical Environmentalist", emails to say that far from being put out by a thorough trashing of his book by Scientific American (11 pages entitled Defending Science, written by some of the world's leading scientists) he has replied on his website (www.lomborg.com) with 32 pages of rebuttals. He adds that, in "the interests of accuracy", the quote that "environmentalism is the only current western religion that can match Islamic fundamentalism for intensity and irrationality" should have been attributed to someone called "Jack Hirsleifer". In the interests of accuracy, Bjorn, we think you mean the esteemed Professor Jack Hirshleifer, who wrote that nice blurb to your book and is a Californian economist.
Rites' passage
Times change. Even as the government's carbon-trading initiative starts up, the EU has just read the last rites on two of the first initiatives ever proposed to fight climate change. One was a scheme to introduce a tax on all energy consumption and carbon emissions; the other, excitingly called the Rational Planning Techniques directive, would have ensured that, before any new power station was built, power providers would have had to examine whether it would be cheaper to pay for conservation measures in their customers' premises. Both were touted at the Rio Earth Summit, but fell to the sword of industry, which so valiantly fought to stop them.
Downs and out
It's taken years to get the government to agree to a new national park to protect the South Downs, but a battle is now raging over its proposed boundaries. The Countryside Agency wanted the towns of Lewes and Petersfield in, but now the South Downs Conservation board wants them out, because their inclusion "would not further the purposes of the park". The South Downs campaign network is furious, saying: "People in Lewes and Petersfield will feel betrayed. There's genuine concern the board is out of touch with public views."
