www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Lee Hurrell wrote:By the way, response from Number 10 when I got home tonight....will post later or tomorrow.

Excellent stuff, Lee. I shall look forward to this with great interest.

I don't like referring to a lady as "the lovely..." - it sounds sexist and patronising (even when true)

Mike

Gruditch wrote:Not sure if you guys are joking or not, but I would wait to speak to Pete before you send anything that could be conceived as a UK Butterflies response.

Thanks Gary. My view is that nobody is in a position to speak for the UK Butterflies membership.

Cheers,

- Pete

Pete Eeles wrote:Thanks Gary. My view is that nobody is in a position to speak for the UK Butterflies membership.

Not only do I agree, but I think it inadvisable to contact ILG, full stop.
You all have seen what he did to Jenny's communication to him - just used it to have even more of a go.
Look at the advice I was given, which I now repeat again: -

johnv wrote:I received this reply from a well-known TV nature presenter: -
"Take my advice. Ignore this.
I get torrents of far more offensive mail and criticism than this and all one can ever do by trying to provide a robust retort is draw more attention to it . And it's not worthy of attention because he is an idiot. And anyone who actually matters will know he is an idiot anyway. Why rise to his fatuous bait? It's what he wants. Do what he doesn't want and ignore him.
A thick exoskeleton is required and a dose of confidence."
I think this is very good advice - deny him the oxygen of publicity

He may be an MP, but he also has very little real influence on the issues surrounding the funding and conservation efforts he is trying to destroy.
Don't give him any more ammo to enable him to continue his attack – which a letter from us (UKB or individually) would certainly do.
As it says above- "Do what he doesn't want and ignore him."

Gruditch:

I would wait to speak to Pete before you send anything that could be conceived as a UK Butterflies response.

I had already said:

I have drafted a suitable letter but this is a consensus forum so I wouldn't want to jump the gun without some measure of agreement form other members.

It is all just a big joke of course. But it does have to be said that I L-G has scored a spectacular own goal, that own goal to an extent resulting from the tactics of members of ukb.

Jack

Dear oh dear. My (feeble) sense of humour, while understood by many, is completely missed by some who seem want to take me seriously.

So in future if I think that the joke might be missed by a few, I will ensure that a posting is littered with smileys as a guide for those who are tempted to take me too literally.
Sorry in advance to those who don’t need the guidance; a proliferation of smileys can be a trifle irksome.

So a re-write:

Nick had suggested:
We'll leave that one to you, Jack.....

The amended text:

Dear Mr. Liddell-Grainger.

The internet forum ukbutterflies would like to thank you for so eloquently drawing attention to the plight of butterflies on Exmoor. The response to your thoughts has been impressive to say the least — surely far greater than you could have possibly anticipated? The lovely Jenny must be embarrassed by the publicity you have given her and her conservation work — and at no effort on her part. She could not have done better had she employed Max Clifford .

So very many thanks . I wish my own MP had such an enlightened approach to matters of public concern .

By the way, how’s the pussy?

Yours sincerely ,......

Jack

Michaeljf wrote:And well done Lee for your MP letter-writing and subsequent responses...interesting and constructive.

Does this mean we'll be ordering the next issue of Hansard?

David M wrote: Excellent stuff, Lee. I shall look forward to this with great interest.

Thanks Michael and David.

The letter is not from big Dave, but from his Political Private Secretary, Laurence Mann. I suppose at least it may further highlight LG's idiotic behaviour in the corridors of power.

Lee

-----

Dear Mr Hurrell

I am writing on behalf of the Prime Minister to thank you for your letter of 14 February, regarding Ian Liddell-Grainger MP.

I do take on board your concerns about Mr Liddell-Grainger’s blog and website. However, I am sure you are aware that Mr Liddell-Grainger is a backbench Member of Parliament and, of course, all backbench Members are free to take up issues and campaigns that they feel are appropriate, especially when relating to local issues within their own constituencies. I am sure you appreciate that it would not be appropriate for the Prime Minister to intervene in a Member’s dealings with his or her constituents.

Nevertheless, I will certainly ensure that your concerns are brought to Mr Liddell-Grainger’s attention by the Chief Whip, and I hope that is helpful.

Yours sincerely

Laurence Mann

Lee Hurrell wrote:"However, I am sure you are aware that Mr Liddell-Grainger is a backbench Member of Parliament and, of course, all backbench Members are free to take up issues and campaigns that they feel are appropriate, especially when relating to local issues within their own constituencies. I am sure you appreciate that it would not be appropriate for the Prime Minister to intervene in a Member’s dealings with his or her constituents".

Nice to get a reply but there's no reference to the lampooning, humiliation and publishing of people's details which was what was offensive in the first place.

If this odious little bantamweight had merely attacked the issues relating to BC's campaigns, none of it would have warranted a response. It's the tactics employed that aroused retaliatory opprobrium and I daresay there are a few dozen citizens of the UK who, having not heard of him prior to this episode, now know full well who he is and, more importantly, what he is - an idiot of the highest order.

Late to the party here but clearly the guy gets heavily lobbied by his local farmers