Review of the Lie of the Land by Guy Shrubsole

This book provides vital reading for government ministers, activists and anyone who cares about the future of the planet. Guy Shrubsole reveals how the limited number of people who own land in the UK have overseen the trashing of this asset under the guise of being good stewards. There are telling statistics, such as that just 5% of the land is taken for private homes and gardens. This figure rises to 8.8% if the definition is extended to all land built on. A further 73% is farmland and 10% forestry. Agriculture contributes 11%. of UK carbon emissions. Shrubsole asserts that the "biggest drivers of biodiversity loss are agriculture, forestry and shooting." There is then a comprehensive demolition of the private landowners claims to be good stewards of the land. Shrubsole chronicles the damage done to peat on the uplands by grouse shoots. Huge amounts of CO2 have been released through mismanagement, involving the draining and burning of the peat heavy areas. All, to satisfy the needs of game birds, that are ultimately shot. There are amazing statistics, such as that 50 million pheasants are released to be shot each year by the landowners - more than the total breeding biomass of the entire UK wild bird population. The author charts the draining of the Fens in Cambridgeshire, initially by 13 landowning venture capitalists, converting it from wetlands to farming land. There has been a subsequent huge release of CO2. Then there was the destructive role of individuals like Lord Bedford, who in the 19th century, brought in invasive damaging species like the grey squirrel. Shrubsole claims that the funds given to private landowners (£9.2 billion in the last 30 years), in the name of stewardship, to look after and improve the land, has been largely wasted. It would be better spent on buying the land outright and bringing it into the public estate. Even the national parks are dominated by privately owned farmland. And matters have got worse over the past 14 years, with cuts to public sector operators and regulators. This book though is not all doom and gloom but a vision of what can be, as well as a call to action. Basically, Shrubsole wants to take the land back from the private sphere to the public. He draws inspiration from Scotland, where the Land Reform Act enshrines the community right to buy. So, when land becomes available, community bodies can register an interest. They, then have eight months to raise the funds but can also draw on a Community Fund. A similar but more diluted form of the community right to buy exists in England under the Localism Act. But here, there is just six months to raise the funds and community groups can be gazumped. A Community Ownership Fund was established in 2021. In Scotland, the community ownership process has seen 500,000 acres (2.6%) of the land come under public ownership. Shrubsole looks in detail at the transformation in nature as a result of the public buy out at Langholm Moor in Scotland. Shrubsole concludes with a 10 point plan of action. The plan includes taking back control of the peat soils of the uplands, presently emitting 3.4 million tonnes of CO2 annually. This includes banning moorland burning and outlawing driven grouse shooting. Shrubsole believes rewilding the uplands would substantially cut CO2 emissions and make the government target of protecting 30% if the land for nature by 2030 attainable. There are also calls for a strong community right to buy in England, using public money to buy land for nature, make polluting landowners pay, via a carbon land tax, stopping the mass pheasant releases and making large landowners (1000 acres plus) accountable for what they are doing with the land for nature. "The public needs to be able to assert that some parts of our land - our most important carbon stores, our most precious ecosystems-have to be managed for the common good, rather than trashed for private gain, " writes Shrubsole. Guy Shrubsole has come up with a most important book at a crucial time in the present biodiversity and climate crisis. He highlights how the domination of the land by a small number of private interests has helped further that crisis. His recommendations offer a way forward and hope for the future. But only if the public interest finally triumphs over private greed. Published by William Collins - £22

Waste not

The amount of litter just dumped around Wanstead does not seem to ever decrease. On a recent litter pick, it took very little time to fill a bag with all sorts of discarded waste - cans, plastic bottles, cups, paper and fag ends. There seems no end to it, much of it thrown out of car windows or just casually dropped by pedestrians. Why do human beings have so little regard for the environment in which they live? The amount of rubbish taken out of Wanstead is incredible. There are the efforts of volunteer litter pickers and the professional street cleaners. Many will have seen the bags mount up, waiting to be picked up on the high street. Then there are the bins on George and Christchurch Greens that are emptied regularly by Vision staff. The council brought in wheelie bins a few years ago. This was to encourage less waste and more recycling. It has worked to a degree but the levels of actual household waste created show little sign of reducing It seems there is a total disconnect between the climate crisis going on around us and people's individual lives The consumer society of buy, use and throw away has brought us to the brink of environmental disaster. The land and oceans are filling up with plastics and other waste products. We are literally choking on our own rubbish. In order to have any chance of surviving, there needs to be a total change of mindset. We all need to live more simply on the earth, tread more gently and have a greater sense of care for the consequences of our actions. In the case of waste this means creating less. Why can people not buy what they are going to eat, rather than throw so much away? Food waste is a huge problem in our society. Think a little more holistically, the problem does not end when the waste is taken away from your home. Another huge amount of waste is created by building work. Extensions, rebuilds and new kitchens create massive amounts of waste. Yes, good contractors ensure this waste is disposed of in a responsible manner but it still needs dealing with. Do people need to rip a house or flat apart, as soon as they move into the place. It is incredible to behold practically new kitchens finishing up in skips outside houses. Just because people have the money and can do something doesn't make it the right thing to do. The time has come to think more holistically about what we do. Think of the community, the consequences of the way we live. We all need to live more simply and sustainably on this earth or in time we will destroy the very basis of life. *A councillor led monthly litter pick takes place at 10am on the third Saturday of each month. Starting point is Woodbine Place by the buses - equipment provided. Next session is on 16th November

Time to value all work

A favourite phrase of the moment seems to be working people. And for those who don't get it the first time ordinary can be added. So, an ordinary working person is someone who goes to work, draws a salary and pays taxes. Those who stay at home, bringing up their children do not count, nor do pensioners, who provide care for their grandchildren. The free care provision, ofcourse, enables their sons and daughters to become ordinary working people. Then, there are those on welfare or unable to work Frankly, the definition is absurd - another way to further divide an already divided society. This lazy sort of shorthand transforms into different stereotypes in society. So, pensioners are all seen as rich, whilst youngsters (18 upwards) are all struggling, unable to afford to buy their own home. Then there is the strivers and skivers rhetoric, first deployed by Conservative chancellor George Osborne. This separates those on benefits from those in work. Though, ofcourse, many in work now are also on benefits due to so many employers being unprepared to pay a decent wage. The welfare subsidy that props up bad employers is permissable in this perverse lexicon. So it goes on. The effort to stoke intergenerational conflict has been ongoing for many years now. Turning young against old. Also, indigenous against migrants and those on benefits against ordinary working people. It is demeaning and unacceptable. The Labour Government talks about increasing growth to ensure there is a bigger pie to be divided amongst everyone. A laudable aim, but the pie, whether big or small needs to be divided more equally. The top earners need to pay more tax to fund public services for all. Work of all types, caring for children, whether by parents or grandparents, or enabling working in other ways needs to be rewarded and recognised accordingly. There are over two million pensioners living in poverty, so why try to summarise the arguments over something like the abolition of winter fuel allowance in terms of whether Mick Jagger needs it or not. There is incredible poverty and inequality in this very rich country. A country of 200 plus billionaires that accepts millions of citizens going to food banks. Work of all types needs to be rewarded but more important is to reset the scales so that this is not a country of such gross inequality. Using rhetoric like ordinary working people and other sloppy phrases does not encourage solidarity but division and rancour. All should be striving for the common good, which means solidarity between generations, races and classes

A game lost by Manchester United rather than won by West Ham

West Ham 2-1 Manchester United This was a game that Manchester United lost, rather than West Ham won, at the London Stadium. The visitors should have been out of sight by half time, with three clear cut chances spurned. The first came two minutes in when Bruno Fernandes set up Alejandro Garnachov centrally placed on the edge of the area. But the resulting shot bounced back off the bar. Then Fernandes, himself, received a cross, alone on the edge of the goal area but managed to head over. The best chance fell to Diogo Dalot, put away by Fernandes, he poked the ball past advancing West Ham keeper Lukasz Fabianski but having done the hard bit, somehow conjured to blast over an unguarded net. Fabianski then pushed a corner onto the bar and saved a Casemiro header. West Ham's one effort of the half was a hopeful header from Lucas Paqueta, which went just over. Three substitutions at half time, seemed to energise the home side. Michail Antonio got round the back, but saw Emerson miss his kick in front of goal. The industrious Garnacho, then, set up a chance for Rasmus Hojlund but Fabianski managed to push the effort round the post. West Ham then took the lead, when a Jarrod Bowen cross was scuffed by Danny Ings but Crysencio Summerville came round the back to force home. The visitors, though, were soon level, when a game of head tennis in the penalty area, saw Joshua Zirkzee head on for Casemiro to finish. The West Ham winner came when Danny Ings was adjudged to have been fouled in the penalty area, a soft one by any standards, but Bowen duly converted the penalty. West Ham manager, Julen Lopetegui, saw it was a game of two halves. "They were better in the first half, we were better in the second," said Lopetegui, who explained that Summerville had been held back for the second half when it was felt his energy could have maximum impact on a team that played in Europe on Thursday. Many were surprised that the former Leeds player did not start in place of the suspended Mohammed Kudus. Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag criticised the process around the penalty. He could not see anything clear and obvious that justified the VAR intervention. "We created so many chances, played such good football.We had very good build up, playing between the lines and creating chances,"said Ten Hag. "But we didn't score. Not so many criticisms of my team, other than scoring." So Julen Lopetegui lives to fight another day, the future for Erik Ten Hag looks more problematic.

Footballers are right to threaten strike

There has been much talk recently of a footballer's strike. Manchester City midfielder Rodri was one of those making the suggestion. The players complaint is that they play too much football, which is unsustainable. And they are right Football bosses have to a degree always treated players as commodities but this seems to have reached a new level in the modern era. The owners themselves ofcourse are multimillion, if not billionaires, who actually produce little, if anything. The players are the means of production. They have literally become assets to be worked to near exhaustion in the name of making money. The intensity of the football fixture list has been growing over the years. Domestically, there is the Premier League, the Caraboa Cup and FA cups. But then for teams in European competition, there is another long fixture list. Manchester City's, Phil Fodden, played 72 games last season. On top of these competitions come the totally commercially focused club tours to countries like China, Australia and Hong Kong. These are pre and post season to promote the brand. The summer break for players to recuperate is contracting all the time. Then there are the international games - possibly the most farcical. Competitions like the World Cup and European Championships have been extended to month long extravaganzas to extract maximum returns for organisers. Then, unbelievably, as seen this year, less than two months after the end of the European Championships, the players are back competing in the Nations Cup. A competition put in place to replace pointless friendlies with another form of pointlessness. These fixtures in September, October, then March and April put pressure on domestic competitions, creating a pile up of fixtures in November, December and February. There has been a winter break engineered in January but this is being constantly eroded. The players are being treated simply as work horses, deployed as often as possible to generate money. Many get injured, with increasing numbers approaching burnout. At the present rate, it is estimated that Real Madrid and England star Jude Bellingham will play in excess of 1200 games in his career. By way of comparison from a bygone era, England captain, Bobby Moore played around 800 games (including 106 for England) in his career. Critics will claim players are played huge amounts, so must expect to do more. But a high salary is no reason to just work people into the ground. It also won't help club owners if their prized assets are injured on the sidelines. So, the players are right to threaten a strike. They are also getting support from a variety of authority bodies The Professional Footballers Association is one of the most successful trade unions in the world, so can be relied on to champion a better deal for players. What is for sure is a cut in games would benefit all parties concerned. Think of the bigger picture, rather than the need to simply sweat assets ( players) in order to make more money. Everyone is a human being at the end of the day and has the right to withdraw their labour

George shuts day after successful Wanstead Beer Festival - what next?

So the George pub in Wanstead closed it's doors, as a Wetherspoons pub on the day after a successful second Wanstead Beer Festival. The Wetherspoons George closed on Sunday 13 October, amidst many emotional farewells and memories recalled. So it is goodbye to the George but hello to the George and Dragon. The new owners, Urban Pubs and Bars (UPB), have restored the original 18th century name to the pub. The UPB group run a number of successful pubs across London. The main concern, though, with the loss of the George under Wetherspoons stewardship is price. In these difficult financial times, the George has always offered reasonably priced food and drink. It has been a place that anyone can go to, across the generations. Sometimes, just a place to keep warm, have a drink and a bit of company. It is the loss of this facility, a positive community asset, that has concerned people most. Wanstead has to be a place catering for all tastes and those coming in from outside. The worry over recent times is that a lot of people are being priced off the high street - due to escalating costs. At the same time, many businesses, especially in the hospitality sector, are struggling to survive These concerns were reflected in the campaign to save the George. Many people working hard over the months, collecting signatures on the petition and contacting Wetherspoons directly. So thank you to all those people for their great work. Leyton and Wanstead MP, Calvin Bailey, has also been very supportive of the campaign, writing to chair of Wetherspoons, Sir Tim Martin. Wetherspoons for their part could have engaged more with local people. The staff at the George have been brilliant but getting information out of Wetherspoons head office has at times been a bit like getting blood from stones. Though, it did markedly improve over the last couple of months. To be fair, though, Wetherspoons are a business, not a social service and their main concern must be the bottom line. Moving forward, it has to be hoped that UPB take the pub forward in the true spirit of the George - a pub of the people for the people. Though, other options should also be considered, like maybe a micro or pop up pub? The appetite for reasonably priced beer and food was very much on display at the Wanstead Beer Festival. The organisers promised bigger and better and that is exactly what people got. A variety of beers from across the country plus West Country ciders. All for less than £5 a pint. The new gin bar also went down well. By the end of the day, almost everything had sold out, with only the dregs left..better than anyone expected. Christchurch provided the food - excellent burgers and hotdogs. So an excellent day all round, well supported by local businesses, who sponsored the beer festival and provided raffle prizes. Funds raised will go to the two nominated charities, Chaos and Reach Out. The amount raised for charity will be publicised in due course. So, now it is onto the next beer festival, the bar is rising but the appetite is clearly there for reasonably priced food and drink. Let's hope the next beer festival and other local pubs continue to deliver - including the new George and Dragon.

Believe nothing until it is officially denied

by Patrick Cockburn Journalist, Patrick Cockburn, provides a great insight into the world of his legendary journalistic father Claud. The title of the book, Believe Nothing Until It's Officially Denied, a phrase, credited to Claud, has become the mantra for journalists the world over. Claud Cockburn was the son of a foreign office diplomat, went to Berkhamsted school in Hertfordshire, then onto Oxford University, where he was close friends with novelist Graham Greene. He was also related to Evelyn Waugh. But that is about where the conventional establishment formation ends. Claud and Greene travelled in the Europe of the inter-war years, seeing much devastation and importantly the rise of fascism. Claud became a reporter for the Times in Europe, then America. He was highly valued by the then Times editor, Geoffrey Dawson, and the management. But in 1932, he struck out on his own, creating a shoestring operation, The Week magazine - a kind of newsletter, breaking news not seen anywhere else. It was small circulation but with excellent inside sources, essential reading, particularly in relation to what was happening in Europe, with the rise of the Nazis in Germany and the Spanish civil war. Claud reported directly via his own eye witness accounts and connections. His wide range of contacts ensured important insights. Claud joined the Communist Party and reported for the Daily Worker for many years. He was a communist for the rest of his life. One of the important Claud exposes was how media and politicians in Britain and beyond were colluding in the appeasement policy towards Hitler. He exposed the role of the Cliveden set, around the Astor family, which by the 1930s owned the Times and much of the media, in helping foster support for appeasement. Government policy at the time (1930s) was not to offend the Nazi regime. Also, at the time, the editor of the Times, constantly altered reports, so they were not overly critical of Hitler. Claud's form of guerilla journalism involved using all weapons at his disposal to expose what was going on and the approaching catastrophe. He seemed to attract opprobrium from all sides. MI5 were constantly monitoring his activities, yet he also managed to annoy Stalin and Kremlin chiefs. Maybe confirmation that he was getting it right in journalistic balance terms. Author Patrick Cockburn obviously has a ringside seat regarding his father's life. An excellent journalist himself, Patrick, provides a most insightful commentary. In pulling things together, he highlights how The Week was a unique instrument for the 1930s. Once , in many ways, Claud had revealed the truth, the role of The Week ceased. However, post war, guerilla journalism continued in other forms. Claud played a big role in the creation and success of Private Eye. He also worked for Punch in the 1950s, when it became more rebellious under Malcolm Muggeridge's editorship. There were columns and commentary across the international media. Patrick Cockburn summarises how journalism in the 1960s and 70s was less restricted, more doing the job of bringing accountability to the ruling cliques. However, most of the time, the mass of media are just a PR extension of government and capital. Never has this been more so than today, particularly in the reporting of conflicts like Gaza and Ukraine. Indeed, author Patrick suggests that Claud's guerilla style journalism is needed as much today as in the 1930s. And we are beginning to see it via the likes of Novara Media, the Canary and ofcourse the Morning Star. Publications like Private Eye play a part, as do individual journalists embedded in the mainstream media. One interesting quote from Claud on the need to speak truth to power was that truth needs to be spoken to the powerless, in order that they maybe empowered to act. Patrick Cockburn has produced a fascinating book about his father's life, with some excellent insights relevant to journalism today. A great read for all but a compulsory text for any aspiring journalists out there. Published by Verso £30