The People's Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast

This episode almost spills into a debate, can you believe it? Though it really is more William having a rant about today’s subject, which was sparked by the following question, sent in by listener Kenny, in Little Wittenham, Oxfordshire, England. “Any views on the parties that happened in Downing Street, when the public were told to stay at home?” William feels that at the time there was an abject failure to tell the truth, and that there was a denial of the facts. He gets quite animated in this episode, whereas Stuart is a lot calmer, mainly down to the fact that he wasn’t surprised that the rules were broken, and that politicians don’t generally tell the whole truth anyway. During the discussion they go on to talk about how clarity within government is important, how fundamentally it all comes down to integrity, and they ask the question, “Are the current government really just playing at being in power?” What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com, or record us a message in your own voice by going to https://anchor.fm/thepeoplescountryside/message This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice. Find out all about the podcast via this one simple link: https://linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside Help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends https://podfollow.com/the-peoples-countryside-environmental-debate-podcast/view , support our work through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside or just 'follow' to avoid missing any public posts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepeoplescountryside/message

On this podcast we always aim to give you a balanced view, we always discuss the topic in hand from our own truths, and never shy away from the big topics. In today’s episode Stuart and William discuss the following question which has been sent in by listener Vera in New Hinksey, Oxford, England. “Feels like the 1970’s all over again with high inflation and strikes. What are your thoughts on recent rail strikes? The government says the industry needs modernising, yet rail workers seem to say that's a euphemism, really meaning costs need to be cut in the face of another recession, and the best way to do that is to cut wages. Is cutting costs really modernisation? Tourists are saying they are being screwed over by having transport reduced, but isn’t that just part of being a backpacker or a tourist?” The discussion that naturally unfolded between Stuart and William from this question revolves around ideas of what modernisation on the railway in particular means, for example how it can be a euphemism of getting rid of workers. It can seem that costs are being taken out of the system regardless of that's making it better. The human element is the biggest cost it seems, and reduction of staff is being seen as a way of modernizing. They also compare what is happening now to what happened in the 1970s here in the UK, exploring the similarities and differences. There was a different set of circumstances in the 1970’s, that weren’t too long after the second world war, but the emotions are the same in many cases. During this episode William mentions the other podcast he co-hosts with Tommy Serafinski of the Tommy's Outdoors podcast, here is a link to that joint show Have You Ever Considered? What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com, or record us a message in your own voice by going to https://anchor.fm/thepeoplescountryside/message This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice. Find out all about the podcast via this one simple link: https://linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside Help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends https://podfollow.com/the-peoples-countryside-environmental-debate-podcast/view , support our work through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside or just 'follow' to avoid missing any public posts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepeoplescountryside/message

A quite nostalgic episode, where both Stuart and William share with you their favorite parts of the county of Oxfordshire, where they both were born, live, and grew up. This nostalgia was prompted by the question below sent in by Kenny, in Little Wittenham, Oxfordshire, England. “As an Oxford based podcast, what parts of the Oxfordshire county do you both like the best?” We recommend you listen to this episode to hear which parts of the county that both Stuart and William like the best, as they list some interesting and potentially less known areas. What we’d like to know is do you have a favorite part of Oxfordshire, or whatever area you live in or are from? Why not email us at  thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com, or record us a message in your own voice by going to https://anchor.fm/thepeoplescountryside/message. You could also record us a question for discussion on this podcast. The overall themes of the show are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice. You can find out all about the podcast via this one simple link: https://linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside Finally help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends https://podfollow.com/the-peoples-countryside-environmental-debate-podcast/view , support our work through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside or just 'follow' to avoid missing any public posts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepeoplescountryside/message

If you’re looking to get into drone photography, this episode is very much for you. Also, we’d recommend you listen through to the end, as there’s a funny story about a drone and a boat. The following question, that sparked this meandering conversation about drones, was set by listener Ken, in Leek, Staffordshire, England. “How’s the drone flying going William, and any tips for us mere mortals, just starting out and cutting our teeth?” As you can see, it was very much directed at co-host William, it did however lead to an in depth discussion about drone photography, covering the laws and ethics of this practice, how it enables you to get a camera into locations you wouldn’t normally be able to reach, and how it has brought down the cost of aerial photography. The conversation  raises the need to remember you’re a pilot of an aircraft when flying a drone, and should always be mindful when you fly the drone, what impact it will have on the people, and wildlife around you. What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com, or record us a message in your own voice by going to https://anchor.fm/thepeoplescountryside/message This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice. Find out all about the podcast via this one simple link: https://linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside Help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends https://podfollow.com/the-peoples-countryside-environmental-debate-podcast/view , support our work through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside or just 'follow' to avoid missing any public posts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepeoplescountryside/message

“Where did Elon Musk go wrong?” Could there be a more polarizing figure in recent times than Elon Musk? Both his supporters and detractors feel they know the man best, but who really knows? The task of exploring this conundrum is taken up by Stuart and William in this episode, as they attempt to answer the question above, set by listener Bella from Bermondsey, London, England, which she recorded in her own voice for us at a promotional stall at the end of 2022 at the East Oxford Farmers’ and Community Market. Stuart starts from the position of not knowing anything, or very little about the man, whereas William thinks he knows who he is. So with that in mind, throughout this conversation Stuart challenges William’s assumptions, digging into where they originated from, and where William’s opinions of Musk came from. Stuart was keen to explore how we engage with people in the public eye, and what they are actually like as people, and the ingrained habits at play regarding how we are forming our opinions of them? Can any of us really have a rounded view of someone Musk due to the influence of the media? The episode begs the question, can we truly form a balanced or categorical view of the person until we meet them? Even then, some might say the accuracy of our opinions are exposed to and still have limiting factors at play on them, influencing the formation of those views. What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com, or record us a message in your own voice by going to https://anchor.fm/thepeoplescountryside/message This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice. Find out all about the podcast via this one simple link: https://linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside Help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends https://podfollow.com/the-peoples-countryside-environmental-debate-podcast/view , support our work through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside or just 'follow' to avoid missing any public posts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepeoplescountryside/message

Another great and varied question sent in by one of our listeners prompted both Stuart and William to reminisce about their favourite parts of the UK. One conclusion they come to during this discussion is that you don’t need to go far in the UK for the landscape to really change, they recommend you to steer yourself away from the more touristic areas such as London as there are some real hidden gems to be found, and as always they encourage you to get out into the countryside. This whole trip around the country was sparked by the below question sent in by Pedro from Portugal: “Nice to hear my name mentioned, and being the butt of many a joke in your episodes. I’m not a microchip salesman by the way, but will leave you guessing as to what I do. Not asked a question for a long while, just enjoying hearing all the other listener questions and you two having a go at discussing them. So my question is, I’m heading for the UK to visit family. What areas would you recommend whilst I’m there?” What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com, or record us a message in your own voice by going to https://anchor.fm/thepeoplescountryside/message This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice. Find out all about the podcast via this one simple link: https://linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside Help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends https://podfollow.com/the-peoples-countryside-environmental-debate-podcast/view , support our work through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside or just 'follow' to avoid missing any public posts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepeoplescountryside/message

Before you listen to this episode, it’s worth considering that this was recorded in October 2022, and as you’re aware; the world has moved on, quite significantly. So with that in mind, Stuart and William tried their best at the time to predict the future, by answering the following three questions: Is Liz Truss still in power? Is Jeremy Hunt still the chancellor? Has a general election been announced? Listen till the end, where you’ll find out what Stuart and William predicted, and whether they got any of the answers right or wrong. Spoiler alert, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. This whole discussion was prompted by the following question, that was sent in by listener Terry from Watlington, Oxfordshire, England. “I wonder how people (especially Conservative voters) feel about the sweeping changes Liz Truss, the UK Prime Minister is implementing? By the time you do this question she may have lost her job though?” Topics that were covered include, hypocrisy within government, how Liz Truss was at first supported by her party, but then wasn’t. The anti growth coalition. Stuart in particular speaks of how humanity doesn’t like change, it’s always resistant to change in all its forms, and yet we’re talking about constantly changing the Prime Minister, and we’re seemingly happy with that. So do we really like change, or don’t we? What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com, or record us a message in your own voice by going to https://anchor.fm/thepeoplescountryside/message This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice. Find out all about the podcast via this one simple link: https://linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside Help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends https://podfollow.com/the-peoples-countryside-environmental-debate-podcast/view , support our work through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside or just 'follow' to avoid missing any public posts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepeoplescountryside/message

Stuart and William are here to wish you a Happy New Year and all the best for 2023. They also invite you to look back on 2022, and ask the question: What is your highlight of the past year? What is the one thing that will define the year? You can find out all about the podcast via this one simple link: https://linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice. Help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends https://bit.ly/3Avt0b4 , support our work through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside or just 'follow' to avoid missing any public posts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepeoplescountryside/message

Stuart and William are taking a step back for the month of December to rest and recuperate over the Christmas and New Year periods. So, instead of the usual discussion style, they’ve each picked four episodes that they feel you and they would like to or should listen to, either again, or maybe for the very first time. In this, the eighth and final episode in the mini series they’ve called December Reflections, Stuart has chosen the episode that was originally released on the 26th September 2022. It marks the launch of the Indigenous Voices mini series. Both Stuart and William felt privileged to have Chase as the first guest of this series, as he’s such a great orator and storyteller, and for that reason alone this is a great episode to listen to again. They hope next year, if the stars align, that Chase will be a guest on the panel for Environmental Debate Live & Unscripted, the live (but not recorded) in person iteration of the podcast, which is currently being planned for late May 2023. This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice. Find out all about the podcast via this one simple link: https://linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside Help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends https://bit.ly/3Avt0b4 , support our work through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside or just 'follow' to avoid missing any public posts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepeoplescountryside/message

Happy Christmas for yesterday! Stuart and William wish you a very Merry Christmas as they share some random facts about both Boxing Day and cheese! We hope you have a great festive period. You can find out all about the podcast via this one simple link: https://linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice. Help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends https://bit.ly/3Avt0b4 , support our work through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside or just 'follow' to avoid missing any public posts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepeoplescountryside/message

Merry Christmas from all of us at The People's Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast, we wish you the best for the festive period, and beyond. As you may be aware, Stuart and William are taking a step back for the month of December, to rest and recuperate over the Christmas and New Year periods. So, instead of the usual discussion style of output, they’ve each picked four episodes that they feel you and they would like to or should listen to, either again, or maybe for the very first time. In this, the seventh of eight episodes, in the mini series they’ve called December Reflections, William has chosen the episode that was originally released on the 20th June 2021 where they discuss the idea of whether Britain is a pretend democracy. He felt that due to the recent happenings within government in the UK over the past year, that the subjects discussed here are worth hearing again. This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice. Find out all about the podcast via this one simple link: https://linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside Help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends https://bit.ly/3Avt0b4 , support our work through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside or just 'follow' to avoid missing any public posts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepeoplescountryside/message

Hosts Stuart and William, mark International Human Solidarity Day, in this bonus episode of The People's Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast. Solidarity is identified in the Millennium Declaration as one of the fundamental values of international relations in the 21st Century, wherein those who either suffer or benefit least deserve help from those who benefit most. Consequently, in the context of globalization and the challenge of growing inequality, the strengthening international solidarity is indispensable. You can find out more about this day here: International Human Solidarity Day | United Nations --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepeoplescountryside/message

Stuart and William are taking a small step back for the month of December to rest and recuperate over the festive period. So instead of the usual discussion, they’ve each picked four episodes that they feel you and they would like to or should listen to, either again, or maybe for the very first time. In this, the sixth of eight episodes, in the mini series they’ve called December Reflections, Stuart has chosen an episode from this year, 2022, in particular the very first iteration of the Beyond Stereotypes mini series, released on the 8th June. He chose this one as he feels that our guests for this inaugural episode raised some really interesting, and relatable points in relation to activists and activism. This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice. Find out all about the podcast via this one simple link: https://linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside Help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends https://bit.ly/3Avt0b4 , support our work through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside or just 'follow' to avoid missing any public posts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepeoplescountryside/message

Stuart and William are taking a small step back this month, to rest and recuperate over the Christmas and New Year periods. So instead of the usual discussion, they’ve each picked four episodes that they feel you and they would like to or should listen to, either again, or maybe for the very first time. In this, the fifth of eight episodes, in the December Reflections mini series, William has picked an episode that was originally released on the 5th July 2020. He chose this particular one as the discussion is around the profound idea of our perceptions of nature, in particular what is a good animal and what is bad. They confront the very human centric thinking we all have on a daily basis, in particular about the Magpie. This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice. Find out all about the podcast via this one simple link: https://linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside Help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends https://bit.ly/3Avt0b4 , support our work through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside or just 'follow' to avoid missing any public posts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepeoplescountryside/message

Hosts Stuart and William, mark World Energy Conservation Day, in this bonus episode of The People's Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast. World Energy Conservation Day is celebrated on the 14th December globally, highlighting the importance of energy consumption and its use in our day-to-day life, its scarcity and its impact on the sustainability of global ecosystems. It focuses our attention on significant issues facing the future of mankind with respect to energy. This Day serves to spell out a sense of urgency on the issues involved. You can find out more about this day here: World Energy Conservation Day --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepeoplescountryside/message