Beans by many other names: Part one
The derek cooper award This month, out of the blue and marvellously, Ruth and I became the proud recipients of one of the BBC Food Programme’s Food and Farming Awards; to wit, “the Derek Cooper Award for Outstanding Achievement”. It is a great honour and a great fillip. Derek was a fine writer and a … Read more
Beans by many other names: Part two: the recipes
I ended each chapter with a few recipes plagiarised from various sources but modified in the light of what was then the orthodox nutritional theory. The emphasis was on low-fat, under the influence of the American physiologist / nutritionist Ancel Keys (1904-2004). Keys’s general idea – that we should follow a basically Mediterranean diet – … Read more
The matter of human numbers: the problem that dare not speak its name
No issue is more divisive than that of human population. Anyone who ventures to discuss it in public risks abuse, or worse, from all sides. But, says Colin Tudge, no one should doubt that human numbers matter. We cannot afford simply to duck the issue. Sir David Attenborough tells us that the human population has … Read more
Why we need the Renaissance Party even though there seem to be more than enough political parties already
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An Apologia by Colin Tudge Many thanks to everyone who commented on my blog of September 11 suggesting that we need a new political party – “The Renaissance Party”, aka the RP. By far the majority were favourable though there were objections of various kinds to which I would like very briefly to respond. Thus: … Read more
The Renaissance Party
Although there are many thousands of political parties in the world already Colin Tudge argues that we need one more – to help bring about the cross-the-board transformation of ideas and actions that the world really needs Warning: I am very aware that I have said most of what follows before, many a time and … Read more
Fellow Creatures
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PART ONE: THE ABSOLUTE IMPORTANCE OF NATURAL HISTORY Why wildlife matters – and why Britain needs to introduce a GCSE in Natural History In 2011 the wildlife campaigner and author Mary Colwell began to publicise the idea that we – Britain; society; the world – need a GCSE in Natural History. With help from the … Read more
The madness of King Donald
Though the US is now directly involved in the conflicts of the Middle East the roots of the troubles lie deep in history, far pre-dating the US itself. Beyond doubt, though, the Far Right mindset and the neoliberal economy that America in general and Donald Trump in particular have brought to bear on the world’s … Read more
Blackshirts under the organic bed
A new 30-page booklet called Organicism and Fascism in the UK claims that the organic movement, including the Soil Association and the Biodynamic Association and also, by association, the Oxford Real Farming Conference, is tainted by its Far Right and racist origins which it fails to face up to. In truth, says Colin Tudge, the … Read more
The bedrock principles of morality
I have been taken to task for suggesting that we should live our lives and frame the economy according to the “Bedrock Principles of Ecology and Morality” It’s not the first bit the critics object to. Ecology after all is a science, or at least a collation of sciences. The task of science is to … Read more
Not much scope for optimism – but never lose hope!
A fellow journalist, Barrie Lees, has written in pessimistic vein to tell me that my plans for A 21st Century Renaissance (April 2 2025) are unrealistic, or indeed forlorn (see comment number 7). Here’s my response: Dear Barrie, I’m not saying the Renaissance will in any sense be easy. I am merely saying it is … Read more