From marksimonbrown at googlemail.com Sun Apr 5 23:31:19 2026 From: marksimonbrown at googlemail.com (Mark S Brown) Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2026 23:31:19 +0100 Subject: [Diggers350] Duke of Devonshire lambasted for 900% hike by Knockmealdowns Hill Farmers in Waterford, Eire In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: On Thursday April 1st, protesters in London occupied the exclusive Mayfair antiquarian bookshop belonging to the absentee landlord at the centre of the rent dispute hitting hill farmers in the Knockmealdowns in Waterford, Eire. A proposed 900% increase in rent by Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire will drive these traditional farmers off the land their families have tended to for centuries. Sheep farmers 900% rent increase issue raised in Dáil The Munster Express, 28th Mar 2026 Ref: https://www.munster-express.ie/sheep-farmers-900-rent-increase-issue-raised-in-dil/ The issue of a proposed 900% rent increase for sheep farmers leasing land in the Knockmealdown Mountains was raised in the Dáil last week. A group of farmers, who lease the almost 8,000 acres of land on the mountains from Lismore Estate, which manages Lismore Castle on behalf of the Duke of Devonshire and his son the Earl of Burlington, recently spoke out after they were told that the rent they pay will increase up to €50 per hectare in 2029. The farmers on the commonage told media that they had previously been paying €5 per hectare for over 20 years. The figure increased to €15 in 2024, and €17.50 in 2025. They were recently told by Lismore Estate that it will now increase every year up to 2029. One sheep farmer, Thomas Fitzgerald said there are concerns they will be ‘hunted’ off the land by the increase, and he has refused to pay the increased rent until it can be negotiated. In response, Lismore Estate has refused to provide him with a letter of evidence to prove he is leasing the land. Sinn Féin TD Conor D. McGuinness raised the issue to the Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon in the Dáil last week. “I want to raise the issue of hill farmers on the Knockmealdown Mountains in County Waterford,” Deputy McGuinness said. “They are currently in dispute with a landlord over exorbitant rent increases. I know the Minister will not intervene but the Department has effectively taken a side in an ongoing dispute here in holding these farmers over a barrel because no farm payments are being issued while the dispute goes on because of the requirement to provide a commonage-evidence letter. “This is effectively the State siding with the landlord. These farmers rely on that farm payment. They farm other lands as well as the ones that are in dispute. This has echoes of darker times in our history when absentee landlords pushed farmers of the land. The Department needs to take a realistic look at this,” he added. In response, Minister Heydon said: “I am aware of the particular case in Waterford that Deputy McGuinness has raised. It is a bit beyond the scope of this question. The issue of single farm payments comes down to who is the active farmer. That is the position on that question. I hope a resolution can be found in the near future”. Deputy McGuinness said that the response received by the Minister was “wholly inadequate” and confirms that the Government is “taking a hands off approach.” He added: “These farmers are facing rent increases of up to 900 percent. At the same time, they are being denied access to their farm payments because they cannot produce a commonage evidence letter while the dispute is ongoing. That leaves them trapped, under pressure, and with their livelihoods at risk”. “This has echoes of darker times when absentee landlords pushed Irish farmers off the land. That is a comparison that should deeply concern this Government. “The Minister’s response boiled down to a narrow technical definition of ‘active farmer’ and a hope that the issue resolves itself. That is not good enough. These are real families who rely on those payments to survive and to continue farming. “This is about the future of hill farming and rural communities in places like the Knockmealdowns. Once this way of life is lost, it cannot simply be restored. “The Minister must now intervene. He must ensure that no farmer loses their payments because of documentation issues arising from an ongoing dispute, and he must engage to support a fair and sustainable outcome for those farming these lands,” Deputy McGuinness concluded. A spokesperson for Lismore Estate provided the following statement: “A rent review was conducted in 2023 which informed the proposed rents for tenants of the Knockmealdown Mountains on the Lismore Estate, up to and including 2029”. “This proposal was endorsed by an independent agricultural consultant, and we are working with tenants on its gradual phased implementation,” the spokesperson for Lismore Estate added. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tony at cultureshop.org.uk Mon Apr 6 12:38:48 2026 From: tony at cultureshop.org.uk (Tony Gosling) Date: Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:38:48 +0100 Subject: [Diggers350] =?iso-8859-1?q?_Princess_Kate=27s_sister=2C_Pippa_Mi?= =?iso-8859-1?q?ddleton=2C_blocks_off_Mill_Lane_access_at_her_=A315million?= =?iso-8859-1?q?_Berkshire_mansion?= Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.1.20260406123653.08426be0@pop.gn.apc.org> Pippa Middleton ready for a rumble with The Ramblers’ Association after blocking Mill Lane at her £15million Berkshire mansion https://tlio.org.uk/pippa-middleton-ready-for-a-rumble-with-the-ramblers-association-after-blocking-mill-lane-at-her-15million-berkshire-mansion/ 6 April 2026 Tony Gosling Leave a comment Pippa Middleton ready for a rumble with The Ramblers’ Association after shutting footpath at her £15million mansion https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15706723/Pippa-Middleton-Ramblers-Association-shutting-footpath-15million-mansion.html When Pippa Middleton and James Matthews paid £15 million for a 32-room red-brick Georgian mansion set in 145 acres of Berkshire countryside, they surely thought they had found the perfect sanctuary to raise their young family in privacy. [] But the Princess of Wales’s younger sister and her hedge-fund tycoon husband now find themselves in a battle with furious locals, after they barred dog walkers and ramblers from going through their grounds. The couple will now have to persuade a government-appointed planning inspector next month that they are within their rights to withdraw long-standing access to the track. [] Grade I-listed Barton Court, which sits on the River Kennet near the village of Kintbury, was previously owned by the late retail tycoon Sir Terence Conran, who allowed locals to use Mill Lane, which winds through the estate. But when the couple arrived in 2022 with their three children – Arthur, seven, Grace, five, and Rose, three – they wasted little time in closing off the lane with an electric gate. Signs warning ‘Private: No Public Access’ and ‘No Trespassing’ appeared around the perimeter. Thirty-five residents, backed by The Ramblers Association, applied to West Berkshire Council to have Mill Lane declared a public right of way. The council sided with the villagers, but Mr Matthews, through his land agent, then objected. Do YOU think that access to this footpath should be made public? No, it’s on private property Yes, people have used this lane for a long time Next month a planning inspector will hear representations from both sides before making a legally binding ruling. Eugene Futcher, chairman of West Berkshire Ramblers, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The public have had for a very long time – certainly before the 1960s.’ ‘Taking it away will be inconvenient, especially when walking is so important. It will force people on to the main road, which is very dangerous. ‘There is no footpath or verge. ‘The paths were never closed under Conran – he actively encouraged people to use them.’ Rob Brown, 68, a Kintbury resident since 1985, said: 1 don’t think they give a damn about what anyone in the village thinks. ‘They’re not very popular in the area. They think they’re better than everyone else. They re not even the proper Royal Family ‘Closing the path is a nuisance. Conran was better for the area.’ Peter Clegg, 68, said: I don’t know who they think they are. They think they can decide who can walk where and when. ‘It’s not on. It’s not like people are trampling on arable fields. People have been walking there for a long time. It shows a lack of respect.’ A resident of 20 years added: ‘I understand their need for privacy, but you can’t move into a village and demand that people change their ways.’ The footpath dispute is not the only source of friction since the couple arrived in Kintbury. Plans to renovate the mansion stalled after archaeologists warned that work could disturb prehistoric remains on the site. And last year a party to mark Mr Matthews’ 50th birthday drew complaints over late-night music. -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 5a8e916d.jpg Type: application/octet-stream Size: 248197 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 5a8e918c.jpg Type: application/octet-stream Size: 79353 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- Weekly politics show page http://www.thisweek.org.uk Radio stream live 5pm Fridays and repeated 11am/pm UK time http://www.talkradio.org.uk Also on: NOT The BCfm Politics Show App https://apkpure.com/not-the-bcfm-politics-show/com.sweetsmile.bottom_navigation_flutter NB please reply with any unsubscribe request in the email body, leaving the subject line intact, if you do not wish to recieve further emails - thanks And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. http://biblehub.com/kjv/luke/24.htm 'Capitalism is institutionalised bribery' TG - Cancelled -> https://www.youtube.com/user/PublicEnquiry/videos Albert Pikes 1871 WWIII plan to cancel God Accelerationist multicrisis: my schoolfriend Nazi Nicks Dark Enlightenment death trip is designed to discredit all democracy Essentials: Michael Hudson | Blackrock/Vanguard | Tony on Brexit & The Traitors of Arnhem | Evolution | War between God & Lucifer | Plan for three World Wars | Armageddonists I have known: Nick Land (1975-8) | George Monbiot (1995-8) | Manna for the Revelation Generation: CONSPIRACY CLASSICS, longer interviews/lectures "And I think, in the end, that is the best definition of journalism I have heard; to challenge authority - all authority - especially so when governments and politicians take us to war, when they have decided that they will kill and others will die. " --Robert Fisk https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMn9GM4atN3t7AHJBbHMR0Q/videos http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/contributor/2149 http://www.thisweek.org.uk http://www.911forum.org.uk http://www.tlio.org.uk Tony's free watermarked books www.bilderberg.org - My ebooks https://payhip.com/TonyGosling https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvPbHiqhLtpNWA_cg_1NULw https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMn9GM4atN3t7AHJBbHMR0Q https://www.twitter.com/TonyGosling https://www.facebook.com/tony.gosling.16 You can donate to support Tony's work here http://www.bilderberg.org/bcfm.htm Or buy Tony's three ebooks for 10-15 here https://payhip.com/TonyGosling or paperback here https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254963338161 TG mobile +44 7786 952037 From tony at cultureshop.org.uk Tue Apr 7 02:33:22 2026 From: tony at cultureshop.org.uk (Tony Gosling) Date: Tue, 07 Apr 2026 02:33:22 +0100 Subject: [Diggers350] Fwd: Back in Palestine gardening, More from Iran, Gaza, West Bank Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.1.20260407023213.07fdfcd8@pop.gn.apc.org> >From: Mazin Qumsiyeh >Date: Mon, 6 Apr 2026 19:24:14 +0300 >Subject: Back in Palestine gardening, More from Iran, Gaza, West Bank >List-Archive: >List-Subscribe: , > > > >Dear Friends After the ordeal of a canceled >flight and a rebooking from Paris to Cairo to >Amman, we spent a whole day at the bridge >crossing from Jordan to occupied Palestine on >Easter Sunday.* In total some 70 hours "on the >road." It was costly financially and physically. >The profiteers are everywhere and the Zionist >harassment (mostly via the collaborating >Jordanian government) of people coming back here >is intentional to make us (Palestinians) suffer >and leave. Yet, it was good to return home and >the first thing I did was work in the botanic >garden, weeding and tending to plants that are >doing very well thanks to the rain. Also seasona >fruits (loquats, green almonds, etc). WE COULD >USE SOME HELP IN THE GARDEN SO PLEASE COME VISIT >AND VOLUNTEER (we could use the company and the >garden is beautiful). It is te best relaxation >and excercize. I also managed to get my phone >number back (stolen phone not recovered). * >Note: This was Western Easter calendar- next >Sunday is orthodox Easter. The passover stories >of the old testament are now recpognized to be >mere stories without any historical reality >(slavery or exodus from Egypt). The idea. Easter >holiday is itself based on Ishtar (goddess of >Fertility) celebration (hence eggs and bunnies). >But for 2.4 billion Christians, the resurrection >of Jesus gives hope. For 2 billion Muslims, >Jesus was the Messiah - a most revered prophet >but he was not crucified; he ascended to heaven. >For Palestinians (Christians and Muslims), the >Easter holiday reminds us that there is always >hope for Palestine's rise from the ashes. >Wishing you all, no matter your beliefs a >peaceful holiday and PEACE. More from Habib in >Iran: On the 35th day of the Saturday war, >Israel bombed Iran's largest petrochemical plant >in Mahshahr this morning at the start of a >working day. The number of workers killed and >injured there has not yet been announced. The >war is showing its ugliness more and more every >day. Trump has publicly said he wants to return >Iran to the Stone Age. People here joke that we >cannot return him and his government to the Age >of Freedom because there was no American at that >time. We used to go to Bushehr every year for >Eid al-Fitr, but this year we decided to stay in >Tehran. Today was the first day of my eldest >grandson's virtual class, who is in the second >grade of elementary school. He connected to the >class through his mother's mobile phone. But he >was very upset when I asked him what happened, >Dad. He said I would have liked to go to school >and see my friends. I remember my own school >days and the end of the Eid holidays, which felt >like a day of mourning, perhaps because children >are at home during this period and school is >considered a pastime for them, and during this >month of war, they are under stress that needs >to be relieved in some way, and this can only be >achieved by playing with other children. If >Trump carries out his threat to cut off the >electricity and water supply to the cities, the >war will automatically enter a new phase. At the >bottom, I have posted a video of the bombing of >people under the Karaj bridge who were bombed on >Nature Day. In the evening, we will go to the >Minab children's painting exhibition again to >help a little. This is the only joy of doing >something positive in these circumstances." >Ethnic Cleansing in the West Bank: It’s Even >Worse than You Think, Voices From the Holy Land >panel https://youtu.be/Xp6y9RBymGs What Gaza >looks like NOW https://youtu.be/Y86qXXEQtW8 >https://youtu.be/edcPQzqywzo Jeffrey Epstein >sighted in Jaffa? Is this Fake too? >https://x.com/ABridgen/status/2040808692031873288 > Clarissa Ward of CNN on Gaza >https://www.facebook.com/reel/1027075736261348 >Colonel Douglas Macgregor: Worst of Iran War >Still Ahead https://youtu.be/9fBciZHmnF8 Mazin >Qumsiyeh palestinenature.org -------------- next >part -------------- An HTML attachment was >scrubbed... URL: > >_______________________________________________ >HumanRights newsletter http://lists.qumsiyeh.org/listinfo/humanrights