I Discover Terry Pratchett……From ‘Wild Justice’……
by Bernie Bell - 09:44 on 10 October 2025
I Discover Terry Pratchett……
I have frequently quoted Terry Pratchett’s advice about fungi……
"All Fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once"
A wise man – but, for some reason, I’ve never got round to reading his books.
Someone advised me…
“Don't stop at the quotes. Terry Pratchett is a very canny writer. He wraps serious messages in humorous wrappers. Don't touch his books which were written in collaboration with someone else: They're grim, and hard work.”
Which led to the following exchange……
“I already have a sizeable 'to be read' heap - but I think I'll add him to it - which would you recommend to start with?”
“ Feet of Clay, then move on to Getting up Steam, then … whichever! (Carpet People, his first book, is interesting. He wrote for a children's audience at age 17, then rewrote it later.) I will be surprised if you are disappointed.”
“Thanks – I’ll give it a go. It’s a funny business …..I saw Ursula Le Guin interviewed on the telly and took to her – I liked her view and her way of being. I started to read ’Earthsea’ and couldn’t get on with it at all. I thought……’Why read this when you can read ‘Lord of the Rings?’ I really would have thought I’d have dived straight into her world, but no.
I’ll see what I make of Terry Pratchett’s world, or worlds.
On the other hand, there are people who I don’t think much of as people, but very much appreciate what they create. I think P.B. Shelley is a git – but I do like his poetry.”
Which led to my buying, and beginning to read, Feet of Clay. It looks very promising – I think I’ll get on well with this man and his way of seeing/being.......
I’ll quote from near the beginning of the book. Commander Vimes is shaving….
“He knew that Lady Sybil mildly disapproved. Her father had never shaved himself in his life. He had a man for it. Vimes had protested that he’d spent too many years trudging night-time streets to be happy about anyone else wielding a blade anywhere near his neck, but the real reason, the unspoken reason, was that he hated the very ides of the world being divided into the shaved and the shavers. Or those who wore the shiny boots and those who cleaned the mud off them.”
This chimes with my instinctively Socialist approach to life and the world around me.
Then, Mr. Hopkinson the Baker has been murdered, but doesn’t accept that he’s dead - even though Death is there, telling him that he is!
This is a theme touched on by George MacKay Brown in his story…… ‘Brig-O-Dread’. At one point the narrator, who has ’died’, comes to what the reader realises is the Brig O’ Brodgar, Orkney. At this point in the tale the narrator doesn’t realise that he has died. It takes meeting with his dead sister at the Brig to bring that home to him.
She helps him to accept what has happened to him, and to begin his journey in the land of the dead.
And by myself……..
https://theorkneynews.scot/2020/05/01/an-extra-ordinary-orkney-holiday-part-three/
The concept that folk sometimes don’t realise/accept that they’re dead, and therefore can’t/won’t let go of the living world.
Yes…this book, and this writer, look promising…..and entertaining…..
Death….
“I FIND THE BEST APPROACH IS TO TAKE LIFE AS IT COMES”
Mr. Hopkinson….
“That seems very irresponsible…”
Death…
“IT’S ALWAYS WORKED FOR ME.”
***************************************************************************
From ‘Wild Justice’…..
“It’s been a busy few weeks for us and things don’t look like quietening down anytime soon, so it’s a bumper edition of our newsletter.
In September we attended the inaugural Wild Summit in Bristol, and you might have seen Chris has been away in Cyprus highlighting the ongoing illegal slaughter of songbirds. On top of this, we’ve got new, as well as ongoing, legal challenges on Badger culling, overgrazing on Dartmoor, the Planning & Infrastructure Bill, and gamebird releases, and we’re also involved in an investigation into the suspected unlawful release of gamebirds in England.
So, there’s quite a lot to get through!
Phabulous Pheasants at Wild Summit – a big hit!
In September we attended Wildlife & Countryside LINK’s inaugural Wild Summit in Bristol where we had a stand and we also put on a theatrical show. ‘Past, Pheasant, Future’ told the story of the history of this ridiculous industry, presented by the brilliant Henry Morris & featuring giant stage props.
For those of you who didn’t attend, we recorded our live show and will be able to share the video with you shortly!
We were chuffed to hear from the LINK organisers that our event received the most positive feedback of all the events from the day, including:
· Wild Justice put on an entertaining and informative presentation, full of energy and humour, that really got across the damage done by the pheasant shooting industry.
· Loved the powerful and brilliantly creative Past, Pheasant Future 'show' which was a master class in communication!
· I loved the theatrical talk from Wild Justice, the narrator was brilliant and the whole talk was very informative and engaging
· The 'light-hearted' and very thorough delivery of a complex, ludicrous, and often overlooked issue of game-bird releases by Wild Justice was superb and the absolute highlight for me.
· Wild Justice session on pheasants in the UK was clever, funny, insightful, and well produced. Sparked interest, debate and appropriate levels of outrage.
· The Past, Pheasant, Future session by Wild Justice was amazing. It was a really engaging format that still communicated hard facts and figures.
· The Phabulous Pheasant show was refreshing - an informative and fun call to arms.
· I also loved Past, Pheasant and Future by Wild Justice. It was a great, fun, eclectic way of getting facts across about the effects of non-native breeds on the countryside and a welcome change from the traditional format.
We chatted to many visitors throughout the day at our stall about our work. If you were one, thank you for coming to say hello and to show your support!
Slaughter of the Songbirds – Chris’s #OperationDeadAir in Cyprus.
Also in September, Chris, Megan McCubbin and their team returned to Cyprus for #OperationDeadair, a long-running campaign highlighting the work of CABS (Committee Against Bird Slaughter) who investigate the illegal killing of thousands of songbirds, many of which end up being boiled and served as a banned delicacy. If you haven’t caught up with their brilliant and shocking coverage of the issue, you can watch on Chris’s YouTube, or on social media.
Rodenticides – thanks to those who responded, and those who didn’t!
Thank you to those of you who managed to fill out the HSE’s convoluted consultation on rodenticides last week. We’ve had feedback from lots of you saying you managed it, and lots of you saying it was simply too fiddly to complete. This is all useful feedback we can provide to the HSE on what we believe was a shoddy and inaccessible consultation, so thank you for letting us know.
RSPB needs your help to encourage Welsh Government to implement regulations on the release of non-native gamebirds
Our friends at the RSPB have launched a campaign to ask the Welsh Government to implement regulations on the release of non-native gamebirds (Pheasants & Red-legged Partridges) to protect native wildlife from the threat of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (Bird Flu).
In a recent article, the RSPB argues that the Welsh Government has ignored the recommendation of its own statutory nature advisor (Natural Resources Wales – NRW) for too long and risks causing damage to protected wildlife and habitats by permitting the continued, unregulated release of gamebirds.
In October 2023, after a public consultation that attracted 42,000 responses, NRW provided Ministers with very clear advice that both Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges should be added to Schedule 9 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act so that any future releases in Wales would have to be licensed/regulated.
Two years on, the Welsh Government has not done anything.
The RSPB is calling on supporters to email the Deputy First Minister of Wales, Huw Irranca-Davies, to urge immediate action.
Please send (a polite) email to: Correspondence.Huw.Irranca-Davies@gov.wales asking him to implement NRW’s advice from two years ago and introduce a licensing scheme for gamebird releases.
Please note that his email address starts with the word ‘correspondence’. If you don’t use the address exactly as it’s written above, your email won’t get through.
An update on our legal challenge against the Badger cull
As you’ll know, along with the Badger Trust we have been given permission to challenge Natural England’s decision to issue licences for Badger culling, made after pressure from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) under the previous government. Our case will be heard at the High Court in December. However, we will also be in court next Thursday (16 Oct) for a costs-hearing, because Natural England is attempting to increase substantially our adverse costs (what we’ll pay if we lose the challenge). We believe this is an attempt by Natural England to intimidate us from taking on this, and other challenges (more detail here).
An update on our legal challenge about overgrazing on Dartmoor
Our legal challenge against Dartmoor Commoners’ Council’s management of overgrazing on Dartmoor was heard at the High Court in July. Judgement was reserved and we are waiting to hear the outcome.
An update on our legal challenge relating to the controversial Planning & Infrastructure Bill
We have a permission hearing at the High Court in November where the court will decide if we have an arguable case that can proceed to judicial review. Background here.
We’re investigating the suspected unlawful release of gamebirds on a Special Protection Area (SPA)
This summer we have been investigating what we suspect to be the unlawful release of gamebirds on a Special Protection Area (SPA) in England.
As you may recall, thanks to our legal action in 2020 about the unregulated release of non-native gamebirds (Pheasants & Red-legged Partridges) on or near Natura 2000 sites (areas designated to protect Europe’s most valuable & threatened habitats and species), Defra decided to add these two species to Schedule 9 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, which means that in England, they can only be released on or close to Natura 2000 sites under licence, with certain conditions attached, as a way of controlling the ecological damage they may cause - see here.
However, in March 2025 Defra withdrew General Licence 45 (the licence that permits the release of gamebirds on or near (within 500m) Special Protection Areas (SPAs)) due to the risk of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) spreading to birds on SPAs.
Following this, in April 2025 Natural England advised the gamebird shooting industry that although they could still apply for individual licences for 2025 gamebird releases on or close to SPAs, some licences would only be permitted with a delayed release date for the poults, whereas licences for many other SPAs would be unlikely to be issued at all, again due to the very high risk of spreading Bird Flu.
So in August when we were tipped off by one of our supporters about hundreds of young gamebirds running around the 500m buffer zone of an SPA, it got our attention.
After a number of site visits to document and collect evidence, and a great deal of correspondence between various public authorities, we learned that gamebird releases had taken place within the SPA’s 500m buffer zone, and that the shoot operator had twice applied for an individual licence to release the birds this year but that Natural England had refused permission, twice, but the releases went ahead anyway.
The local police force has now opened an investigation (it’s a criminal offence to release gamebirds in England on or near an SPA without a licence) and is working with both Natural England and the local county council’s trading standards team to establish whether the shoot operator has also breached mandatory biosecurity regulations, also a criminal offence.
We await news on the progress of the investigation and will keep you posted.
Wild Justice applies to court for Interested Party status on BASC’s legal challenge about gamebird releases
In August 2025, the British Association for Shooting & Conservation (BASC) submitted a judicial review application to the High Court to challenge Natural England’s implementation of the licensing regime for the release of non-native Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges on or near to Special Protection Areas (SPAs).
BASC’s challenge relates to Natural England’s definition of the word ‘release’ (as in, is the gamebird considered to be released when it’s put inside a release pen or when it has been released from the pen?). BASC’s challenge also concerns the matter of whether a release pen that is partially inside and partially outside the 500m SPA boundary should be subject to licensing conditions. Both issues matter in terms of the licensing regulations that may or may not apply to the shoot operator.
Wild Justice has applied to the court to be joined in the case as an Interested Party (IP) on the basis of eight grounds relating to our previous and ongoing interest in gamebird licensing. If granted IP status, this will mean we’re party to the claim and can appeal any subsequent judgement of the court. If the court deems we don’t have sufficient standing for IP status we have applied to be joined as an Intervener, which won’t allow us to appeal a judgement but will still allow us to file evidence and make representations to the court.
BASC has notified us that it intends to resist our application but ultimately it’s for the court to decide.
There are cost implementations for us to participate in another organisation’s judicial review but as we have invested considerable time and effort on the issue of gamebird licensing over the last five years, achieving moderate success and reform, we think it’s important to remain vigilant and actively opposed to any potential weakening of the licences. We hope you’ll agree and support our involvement in this case, assuming the court gives BASC permission for the judicial review to proceed. We’ll keep you posted.
Wild Justice depends on donations to do our work.
As you can see, our tiny organisation has been very busy! We haven't asked for donations for a few months - as a not-for-profit company we aren't in the business of accumulating wealth (and having to pay Corporation Tax on it), but our funds are low after all this recent work and could do with topping up, because we’ve got more plans in the pipeline. If you like what we do, then please consider making a donation today. You can donate through PayPal, bank transfer or a cheque in the post - see details here. You are our main source of funding and a donation today would also feel like a vote of confidence in what we are doing.
Ps. If you’re sending cheques, please note our recent change of registered address: Wild Justice, 124 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX.
Thank you,
Wild Justice (CEO: Bob Elliot. Directors: Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay).”
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