Rod Liddle blinded by ideological beliefs at the expense of scientific evidence

Ahead of the new grouse season starting on Tuesday, Times Radio Presenter and long-term field sports critic, Rod Liddle, hosted an extended segment on grouse moor management on his Saturday morning show.

Strangely it was billed by Times Radio as a ‘confrontation’ with Moorland Association Chief Executive Andrew Gilruth, as well as other guests including, Mark Avery. 

In reality it was more of a reality check on facts, rather than a confrontation. 

Liddle started the discussion by suggestion grouse moors could earn more money if they followed a ‘nature tourism’ route. Owning a grouse moor has never been about financial returns, which is lucky because the vast majority lose a great deal of money each year. 

Liddle, himself a keen birder, then lamented the loss of birds across the country, only for Gilruth to point out that multiple peer reviewed scientific studies have shown that grouse moors more than anywhere were the areas delivering results for birds, particularly red listed curlews and lapwings. This has resulted in grouse moors holding on average five times as many birds as non-managed areas of land. 

Seemingly taken aback that he didn’t know these fairly basic stats, Liddle tried to move on to hen harriers, questioning their numbers and accusing gamekeepers of killing them across the uplands.

Despite the sweeping, baseless claims, Gilruth calmly suggested he ought to check Natural England data, which shows that 80% of English hen harriers are nesting on driven grouse moors” despite them making up only half the habitat. 

In reality this exchange was not a debate, it was just a one individual throwing unsubstantiated accusations around based on nothing but mistruths and another responding with clear evidence, like so many debates about moorland management have become.

What is even more bizarre is that when Ruth Tingay promoted the show on her blog, RPUK, the vitriol received from her own readers about being seen to collaborate with Rod Liddle, was as great as anything these people throw at moorland managers. 

If ever there was an example of an ideological mindset preventing rational and factual conversation, this was it. On every count.

You can listen to the fill exchange here: