Peter Ainsworth.

Could it possibly be that I'd be the 'greenest' Conservative Member of Parliament if I were to be elected at the General Election - expected in 117 days time? Two of the current claimants to that title have announced that they are calling it a day. John Gummer made his announcement last week. and Peter Ainsworth made his today. I'm really sorry that these two Conservative MPs, who have been such champions of the environment are going. I suppose we still have Tim Yeo hanging on in there, and Zac Goldsmith would be the greenest by miles if he were to be elected. And there must be other environmental enthusiasts that I'm not aware of as well.

Mind you, many in the 'green' movement do not reckon I'm 'green' at all - mainly because I oppose the desecration of our landscapes by on shore wind turbines. They are just not worthwhile - from both landscape and value-for-money perspectives. When I made this comment at home, after first reading of Peter Ainsworth's retirement, it was met by snorts of derision - overseas holidays, poor home insulation, high mileage etc.. In my defence, I cited my 33 years farming, where I used no fertilizer, no sprays, minimal bought in feed, and turned a high input, fairly intensive business into a low input business, eventually breeding all my own replacement stock. Only reason I mention this is to point out that there are more ways to be 'green' than the obvious. Being 'green' and appearing to be 'green' are just not the same thing.