This post is about the current UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Owen Paterson. Another boarding school product, he failed to win a seat in Wrexham in 1992, but has been MP for North Shropshire since 1997, (from Wikipedia).
He has held a variety of positions, including –
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– Shadow Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister from 2003–05
– Shadow Minister for Transport from 2005–07
– Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from May 2010 to September 2012
none of which have provided him with the experience required for his present position in DEFRA, where his performance has been openly questioned, and he seems to have been promoted to the point of incompetence.
“An acrimonious Cabinet rift opened Monday over the handling of the flooding crisis that has inundated wide stretches of the south of England. Conservative colleagues Eric Pickles and Owen Paterson are at odds over the performance of the Environment Agency and its embattled chairman, Lord Smith.”
See “UK weather: Eric Pickles and Owen Paterson clash over the performance of the Environment Agency”
And further:-
“Mr Paterson was reported on Monday to have protested “in the strongest possible terms” to Mr Cameron about Mr Pickles’s “ grandstanding” in his absence.” “But the Environment Secretary was dismissed in scathing terms by a fellow Cabinet member. The minister told MailOnline: “He just isn’t very bright. Most of the people around the Cabinet table are bright, even if I disagree with them, but not Owen. He isn’t climate sceptic, he’s climate stupid.””
He is not doing too well on air pollution either! See “Air pollution”
He doesn’t like bees, apparently, and supported the UK government opposition to a European ban on Neonicotinoids.
Owen Paterson defends use of bees-link pesticide
Neither does he appear to like badgers!
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Badger cull: government abandons national roll-out plans
Badgers ‘moved goalposts’ says minister Owen Paterson
‘We overstated number of cattle infected’ Owen Paterson admits mistake over badger cull
As if all of that wasn’t enough, he is apparently an ardent fan of Gm foods. See:-
Ministers ‘covering up secret meetings with GM food lobby’
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Ministers are trying to cover up secret briefings with GM companies
Owen Paterson has refused FOI request to supply details about talks
Has encouraged public to accept GM crops being sold in supermarkets
Has also been lobbying EU to let Britain grow crops banned elsewhere
He is working in partnership with Agricultural Biotechnology Council
It is crystal clear to me that with Owen Paterson in his present position, we will never get the environment we want and need. It is high time to do something about it!
You can add your signature to mine on the following petition, if, as I ardently hope, you are of the same opinion as me.
Owen Paterson should resign as Environment Secretary
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I entirely agree. Get him a job as a coat hanger at moss bros, OUR wildlife and OUR countryside and the farmers livelihoods will be in serious danger all the time that he is within touching distance of it.
I think Moss Bros might be a bit choosier than Cameron! Please spread the word, and get those signatures rolling in!
Paterson is Midas in reverse, a walking disaster area. His shambolic reign at the D.O.E, has seen him lurch from one calamity to another. Never in political history has man been more ill suited for his job. If he had any honour at all he would fall on his sword, but being the coward that he is, he will no doubt have to be kicked out.
We need more signatures on the petition. Please spread the word!