It’s been a busy few weeks for populist influencers, especially those whose mission is crude debunking of environmental policies. Presumably some of them will have at least got rich in the process; it’d be odd to think they do all these harmful things for no reason at all. This month has seen a big two-fold campaign, attacking the science behind […]
Enemies within
A rather plaintive little tweet from Ed Miliband complaining about the hostile reaction among populists on social and national media to his announcement about new offshore wind licences. “In the past 18 months, a well-funded right-wing network has waged a relentless war against clean power,” he writes. “When we set out our mission, they said it couldn’t be done, or […]
For whom the bell tolls…
It’s become something of a cliché to say that the 2020s are starting to feel like the 1930s – with international crises building upon international crises and reliable allies proving to be anything but. There is, however, one big difference to the decade which saw a tsunami of extremist threats. Our predecessors back then weren’t also facing climate disaster. Wise […]
Tipping losers
The well-funded, young, neoliberal influencers currently popping up all over social media are a weird bunch, espousing equally weird causes. But few are as weird as those claiming to be defenders of our public realm against threats like fly-tipping or graffiti. Tackling such things, of course, necessitates well-funded public regulators and public cleansing operations, two things neoliberals are usually anxious […]
The renewal we urgently need
Planning a journey on the West Coast Main Line today proved near impossible yet again, thanks to widespread delays and cancellations. I was reminded for the umpteenth time that our rail network’s drainage system, designed for the Victorians’ chilly but stable climate, is no longer fit for 21st century weather that’s getting ever more extreme. While populist politicians try to […]
Another fine mess
The news that MHCLG ministers couldn’t even wait to get their wretched Planning & Infrastructure Bill through Parliament before announcing another tranche of attacks on England’s planning system will surprise no-one who read about the frequent visits of developer lobbyists to the ministry to drink its coffee and to demand more. The latest thousand bomber raid was even graced with […]
Unnatural England
Gloomily contemplating a tweet by the Natural England quango this morning, I immediately wondered if it was time to put the poor, mutilated and hobbled beast out of its misery. The tweet is a one-minute video claiming that “together, we can unlock growth, scale up nature recovery and strengthen national security”. It’s just the latest bit of propaganda from a […]
The “Golden Triangle” is another destructive fantasy
The alchemists of old sought ways of turning base-metal into gold. Today, there’s a persistent delusion that the rich agricultural counties north and north-west of London can be turned into commercial gold.Recently, the “Golden Doughnut”, “Silicon Fen”, “the Oxford-Cambridge Arc” etc. have been joined by “the Golden Triangle”, an arbitrary chunk of English countryside with London, Cambridge and Oxford at […]
Planning’s “real moment” – a dangerous one
“Planning,” said RTPI chief executive Victoria Hills at the Labour conference, “is having a real moment.”That moment included an Institute roundtable with planning minister Matthew Pennycook which discussed things like the need for more planners and planning skills. But it also heard that “planning is an economic enabler”.Planning, of course, should be a key component in co-ordinating our sustainable economic, […]
New towns – a big threat to the countryside
New towns have always been a bit of a dangerously addictive drug in planning. Like narcotics, they initially promise a sweet, heavenly paradise, only to turn into destructive addictions that prove almost impossible to escape from. Any day now (it’s already late), the Government’s New Towns Taskforce will deliver its report on a fresh generation of mega-sprawl blobs. Its recommendations […]