Jon Moses

youtu.beAberfan disaster: remembering the tragedy that changed a nationYouTube video by Channel 4 News

When I see articles in the Telegraph etc ranting about solar panels in the countryside, I think of what the era of fossil energy inflicted on communities in Wales and beyond. I know which I would choose. youtu.be/wzQggqG2zcI?...

theguardian.comHeidi Levine recounts how Palestinian youths helped save her in settler attackUS photojournalist describes ‘protective shield’, vows to return to work in West Bank and criticises Netanyahu comments on incident

You cannot claim the settlers are "unrepresentative" of the country when the state explicitly encourages and underwrites all that they do. The army reinforces them. The justice system excuses them. This stuff is the norm every week in the West Bank. The only novelty here is who was affected.

Jon Moses reposted

WildDartmoor

@tonydartmoor.bsky.social

We’re often told there’s a rural “culture war”. That nature recovery and rewilding is an urban agenda imposed on an unwilling countryside. But what happens when you ask people what they want? National Parks polling offers some striking evidence. 🧵

Jon Moses@jon-moses.bsky.social

I'm all for rural communities being able to shape the future of the places they live. But let's take an appropriately expansive view of what 'community' means and be careful not to conflate 'the people of a place' with one set of rural activities. national.thelead.uk/p/the-rural-...

national.thelead.ukThe ‘rural culture war’ is a mythThe issues over which we’re told we’re most divided, are often the ones on which we actually most agree.

bbc.co.ukAnother Country with James Rebanks - Muker - BBC SoundsJames Rebanks explores the lives of rural workers in and around three English villages.

This is very well put by @tonydartmoor.bsky.social. I'd add that, within a few generations, the majority of us will be able to trace our family history back to farming. What is less likely is that we can trace those histories back to ownership. 🧵

WildDartmoor@tonydartmoor.bsky.social

“Whatever the future of this dale, I hope it's created by the people of this place, not imposed on them. And I have a lot of faith in them to find their own way.” Yesterday I listened to the first episode of Another Country, the new James Rebanks doc Some thoughts 🧵 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Now, if a journalist from the Telegraph, or perhaps the BBC, came to the valley to report a piece about authentic rural life, or wanted an opinion on rewilding or access or any other 'controversial' rural issue: who would they likely platform? That farmer? Or the thousands of people who live nearby?

national.thelead.ukThe ‘rural culture war’ is a mythThe issues over which we’re told we’re most divided, are often the ones on which we actually most agree.

bbc.co.ukAnother Country with James Rebanks - Muker - BBC SoundsJames Rebanks explores the lives of rural workers in and around three English villages.

WildDartmoor@tonydartmoor.bsky.social

You can see how these questions of authenticity and legitimacy become vexed the moment you start to pick apart what they mean. Not least in a country where belonging and ownership have been decoupled for a very long time and the historic break with rural life was not always voluntary.

This month, a farmer local to where I live managed to poach the main recreational field in a private sale. They knew the community was seeking to buy the land to benefit nature and to protect the long-standing customary access. Nope. They wanted it for silage. They're now planning to fence it off.

bbc.co.ukAnother Country with James Rebanks - Muker - BBC SoundsJames Rebanks explores the lives of rural workers in and around three English villages.

WildDartmoor@tonydartmoor.bsky.social

In the 19th century the Welsh side of my family were upland farmers tenanted to an absentee English landowner. They stuck a stone plaque on the entrance outhouse, which sarcastically read “Not my own, my native land”. Later they would have to move into a terraced town house and work in the mines.

@christownsend.bsky.social

This broke the link between the family and farming. Were they still the people of the place? Their gravestones are in the churchyard. But they never owned the land and had ceased to farm it. If I moved to the valleys now, would my voice count? I'd be an outsider. But with an ancestral claim.

Jon Moses reposted

Chris Townsend

October 2, Glen Feshie. The autumn colours begin. #Cairngorms #autumn

bbc.co.ukBBC Radio 4 - Another Country with James RebanksA document of the lives of rural workers in and around three English villages.

Look forward to this and I'm sure James has done a great job. I also think we need to reckon with the fact that a true cross-section of rural Britain would feature: hairdressers, estate agents, roofers, publicans, software engineers, nurses, small business owners, and a lot of retired people.

People don't focus on that side of ruralism because, not being land-based, it is seen as less authentic and I suppose less uniquely rural... But it makes up the majority of people who actually live in the countryside. Often their values and desires for the countryside are distinct, but overlooked.

James in no way guilty of this but there is a type of journalist who likes to report the 'authentic countryside' by speaking to to three farmers, one estate owner, and five gamekeepers. Rural Britain is also the guy that runs the vape shop and the fella who set up the Indian restaurant in 1973.

Jon Moses reposted

13 Sept

Today about 100 people took part in a mass trespass in the Prime Minister’s constituency. There’s a right to roam over just 1% of Makerfield, & today the landowner proved our point for us: putting up fencing & calling the police. @andyburnham.bsky.social - please open the door to the countryside!

27 Aug

Reminder that publishers claim journalistic exemptions to evade basic responsibilities (e.g. GDPR) while simultaneously maintaining they do not have any of the professional duties of journalists, should not have to follow any journalistic codes of practice, and are not accountable to any regulator.

Janine Gibson@janinegibson.ft.com

ON the radio Alexandra Pringle, apparently the former editor in chief of Bloomsbury is asserting that of course memoirs aren't true stories and no publishers are not responsible for checking books. This well spoken lady is achieving tech bro level of don't be so naive it's not MY business

27 Aug

(in fact, in my view, a misreading of the law. But that's their position..)

It's honestly degrading that there is not a single Welsh news website you can read without your eyes bleeding from a gazillion ads and pop-ups. How much investment would it actually take to have one (1) viable publication in which one could read about and discuss issues affecting our fair nation.

Jon Moses reposted

Andy Davies

@andydavies.me

David E (& a Sloth....) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🦥🏉🎻🎸🎶🏳️‍⚧️

Replying to @jon-moses.bsky.social

Could smell it when I got up this morning and I’m on the other side if the Severn (Stroud) The Severn Vale also had a good amount of smoke settled in overnight and I couldn’t see Cinderford and the Forest of Dean clearly this morning

Jon Moses reposted

@david-elsmere.bsky.social

Replying to @jon-moses.bsky.social

I live in Y Fenni - we have fires all around us now and have had constant smoke for well over a week now - and thats after the initial Blaenavon fire a few weeks ago (thats still burning) Its human powered climate catastrophe in action and its scary

@alexanderlees.bsky.social

From a father's friend. The hills above Crickhowell are still burning. Smoke in the house again last night. There appears to be five major fires in Wales now. The same as the whole of France.

Jon Moses reposted

Alexander Lees

shropshirestar.comMotorcyclist, 47, hit road sign and died after pheasant flew up at him, inquest hearsWitness described “explosion of feathers” after “massive” bird flew into path of tragic rider

We mentioned collision impacts in a paper published 14 years ago: doi.org/10.1111/j.17...

Jon Moses@jon-moses.bsky.social

This motorcyclist is described as being "incredibly unlucky" after he died when a pheasant flew into him. In fact, it seems relatively common. There's were two other (non-fatal) cases reported just this year and have been many more in recent years.

Jon Moses reposted

Nicola Chester

@nicolawriting.bsky.social

A tragic but important thread. Anyone that rides horses knows pheasant season. Pheasant instinct is to crouch on the ground, unseen, but they lose their nerve last minute, ‘exploding’ up at head level. Staying with a horse’s evasive action is one thing. Unfortunately, bikes don’t have any instinct.

Jon Moses@jon-moses.bsky.social

Jon Moses reposted

theguardian.comJust 20 of 6,600 Defra staff working on climate adaptation amid drought and wildfiresExclusive: England ‘desperately unprepared’ for effects of crisis including water shortages and heatwaves

Revealed: just 20 out of of 6,600 Defra staff working on climate adaptation, as UK burns in fifth heatwave of this summer - FOI request by me @andyburnham.bsky.social needs to level with the country about the climate crisis & set out radical plan to tackle it 🧵 www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Jon Moses reposted

Rob Thomas

@robthomasbirds.bsky.social

@drgeoffsmith.bsky.social

A shocking thread of recent deaths and major injuries caused by pheasants flying into motorcyclists.

Jon Moses@jon-moses.bsky.social

Jon Moses reposted

Geoff Smith

Replying to @jon-moses.bsky.social

Such a shocking thread. This needs to analysed properly. So many environmental impacts get written off as freak events, but the accumulation is never considered. As a biker myself I know what it feels like to hit a bee at speed! OMG, a pheasant!

The pattern is for these to be described as "freak" incidents, or "unlucky" or "unfortunate". Are they? Or are they a predictable consequence of releasing tens of millions of non-native birds into the countryside for commercial gain and questionable sport?

There are no rules governing the release of pheasants near busy roads. In fact, the industry still isn't licensed at all. Compare that to the decades of hand-wringing and intense regulation surrounding the reintroduction of the (actually native) Eurasian beaver. Makes you think.

yorkpress.co.ukSoldiers killed in freak accidentTWO British soldiers, one of them from Selby, were killed in a freak road accident involving a pheasant.

The issue is not confined to the UK it seems. Two British soldiers died in Germany after one of their motorbikes was struck, causing them to collide with each other.

youtube.comPheasant hits motorcyclist Laura in the Face at 55Mph!! Keep your visor down folks!!YouTube video by DMS Rider TV

These are just the reported cases I found from a quick skim. Dig around further and you'll find all sorts of near misses and non-fatal accidents, like this from this year.

manchestereveningnews.co.ukFreak crash kills motorcyclistA MOTORCYCLIST died in a freak accident when a pheasant crashed into his helmet, an inquest was told. The bird hit 52-year-old Ian Bottomley on the head and caused him to swer...

Ian Bottomley, 52, died in another "freak" incident after a pheasant hit his helmet, causing him to lose control and swerve into an embankment.

David Bone, 57, was riding along the A355 Beaconsfield Road, Beaconsfield, when the bird hit his helmet. After struggling to regain control, his bike clipped a street sign, throwing the bike sideways onto a grass verge where it crashed into a large tree.

advrider.comadvrider.com

meltontimes.co.ukMotorcyclist killed after pheasant flew into his helmet causing him to leave the A606 and crash - inquest hearsA motorcyclist died in tragic accident after a pheasant flew into his helmet, causing him to momentarily lose control, leave the road and crash - an inquest heard today (Thursday).

Michael Jakes, 50, died after a pheasant flew from a hedge into his helmet. He left the road and struck a drainage culvert, dying from his injuries.

birminghammail.co.ukStaffordshire motorcyclist died after pheasant knocked him off bikeA MOTORCYCLIST died after being knocked off his bike by a pheasant.

Matthew Johnson, 32, was knocked off his bike by a pheasant that flew out of a hedge and struck the side of his helmet. The impact was severe enough that his visor was later found embedded in the dead bird. The coroner called it "an unfortunate combination of events".

edp24.co.ukMotorcyclist Stewart Mackenzie died after hitting pheasant in BlythburghA much loved and respected community stalwart from Westleton who died in a motorcycle accident in Blythburgh is thought to have hit a pheasant…

Stewart Mackenzie, 50, died from multiple injuries after colliding with a pheasant in Suffolk.

dailypost.co.ukMotorcyclist killed after pheasant smashed into his helmetThe impact of the freak collision left the dad-of-four with a fractured skull and forced him to veer off the A470

Robert Patterson, 51, was riding home from a weekend in Brecon when a hen pheasant flew into his visor, fracturing his skull and killing him instantly.

eadt.co.ukMan 'cheats death' as motorbike explodes after pheasant crashAlex Morgan, from Stowmarket, 'cheated death' after his motorbike exploded having crashed following a crash involving a pheasant on the…

Earlier this year, Alex Morgan, 21, from Stowmarket, hit a pheasant that while driving his Ducati. Four bystanders dragged him clear before the fuel tank ignited and exploded. He suffered a broken femur, broken ribs and a chipped spine.

substack.comNo, Public Access Didn't Send A Rare Bird to the Brink.But it might have helped bring them back.

9 Aug

An unhappy first as I go to sleep in a bedroom filled with wildfire smoke, from a hillside ablaze some 30 miles away. Two and a half centuries of sulphur, sheep, molinia. Now we pay the toll.

Jon Moses reposted

Right to Roam

@righttoroam.bsky.social

5 Aug

Our latest article on The Crow's Nest explores the happy revival of an endangered bird -- and why it might just challenge how we think about access and conservation. By @jon-moses.bsky.social substack.com/@righttoroam...

Jon Moses reposted

Will Davies

@will-davies.bsky.social

4 Aug

The Rod Liddle biography suggests a certain post-1968 'type' who was just idiotically drawn to norm-breaching, moving via adolescent rebellion, punk, revolutionary socialism, and eventually ending up at racism, because by the 21st century that was the most efficient transgression still on offer

Jon Moses reposted

nffn.bsky.social

@nffn.bsky.social

4 Aug

Waitrose's Leckford Estate took a phased, evidence-led approach when it started to implement regenerative approaches, avoiding the dreaded financial dip. 🌾 How they did it: 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/quxyceihqd

Jon Moses reposted

Welsh Rewilding Alliance/Cynghrair Ailwylltio Cymru

@cynghrairailwylltio.cymru

31 July

Wildfire, fire, climate change and the landscapes of Wales. rewildingalliance.cymru/wildfire-fir... #Wales #Wildfire #ClimateChange

rewildingalliance.cymruWildfire, fire, climate change and the landscapes of Wales. |

bbc.co.ukRetracing the defiant walk that changed BritainSeventy-five years after the Peak District became Britain's first national park, visitors can retrace the mass trespass that helped open the countryside to everyone.

3 Aug

I spoke to the BBC about @righttoroam.bsky.social and the legacy of the Kinder Mass Trespass. "We're trying to propose a more positive idea of what it means to belong, which is about having the right to connect to that land, but then also to care for it, to act as an environmental guardian" 🔓🥾🌳

27 July

These are not "dangerous tactics". They're de-legitimising journalism reliant on bollocks and tittle tattle, and routing out the culture that feeds it. It's exactly what they should be doing.

Jon Moses reposted

theguardian.comAlmost 75% of England’s riverbanks ‘off limits’ to public, figures showCampaigners urge government to introduce right of access to water, particularly as heatwaves become more common

25 July

REVEALED: Almost three-quarters of riverbanks in England have no public access - new analysis by @righttoroam.bsky.social @lewis-winks.bsky.social As heatwaves get worse we need a right to responsibly access rivers @angelaeagle1.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Jon Moses reposted