How do we meet the needs of birds, bees and butterflies when storms blow the blossom off our wild fruit trees and flowering times are thoroughly out of sync with birds, bats and insects hatching?
Perhaps answers are growing in the garden.
Environment
Saving Loch Torridon
“It should be up to the government, acting on behalf of all of us, to protect the maerl beds of Loch Torridon. They are in a stronger position to stand up to the rich and powerful and all the marketing and muddying of the water that money can buy.”
Looking for political dynamism in UK/Scotland
“The real political question may be where new energy and ideas come from. Are Scottish Labour or the SNP capable of providing that energy? Or will it come from a wider, new and innovative political and social debate across Scotland? If not, the current doldrums may continue and that’s not to the benefit of our politics whoever wins in 2026”
The excessive price of the energy Union
“Energy is a clear example of how Scotland is being held back by being part of the UK. The price of Union is an energy policy set in the south of England which means Scotland’s potential as a renewable energy powerhouse is being squandered. “
The change election: UK and Scotland
“A new, centrist UK government, one acknowledging geopolitical instability as well as the need for change domestically, and holding a large majority, looks pretty enviable to plenty of European and international players. Meanwhile, the SNP in Scotland looks on the ropes. Can it find the energy to regroup and recover or does dynamic change now lie with Labour alone?”
The Road to the Isles littered with phone masts?
“The map of applications to build masts in ‘Not Spots’ – the financially-exciting areas for the phone companies under this contract – is almost exactly the same as the map of areas designated as wild land – go figure! Clearly, the UK government didn’t.”
Are there thousands of jobs at risk in North East Scotland?
“The energy transition does have to happen, oil and gas will decline, and policymakers must look to see how investment can be unlocked in these new technologies to ensure the transition happens in a way that protects workers and communities.”
Going wild: four photos to give you hope
Wild can offer hope. It is about relationships between people and the natural world so it matters what wild means and how it is done.
Can the SNP win on July 4?
“With a cautious, centre-right Labour party offering six lukewarm pledges, any confident, pro-EU, pro-independence, social democrat (if the SNP still is) party should be moving ahead not sinking in the polls. Can the SNP still win?”
SNP, Labour and the general election
“Labour’s fiscal caution and policy U-turns, not least with Starmer dumping his £28bn green investment plan, have left the door wide open for a strong, broadly social-democratic challenge from the SNP to Labour’s policies at the general election…so why is the SNP being so cautious and over-focusing on the Tories?”