The government has recommitted itself to woke plants. Defra ministers were asked in a parliamentary question why Steve Reed said new Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew need to have skills in “Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.” Apparently that is “critical“…
Minister Mary Creagh clarified that “Equality, diversity and inclusion are a priority for this Government, as they were under the last.” Nice dig…
“Defra wants Kew’s Board to continue to have skills in those areas, in order for Kew to effectively implement their ten-year Manifesto for Change, which was launched in 2021. For example, one aim of the ten-year plan is to increase the number of visitors to Kew from under-represented communities whilst another is to train the next generation of plant experts, attracting a wide range of people to a career working in and with nature.”
That 10-year plan includes a pledge to “decolonise” the plants collections by acknowledging and addressing “exploitative and racist legacies.” Its director said a priority is making sure “people do not feel intimidated by the Victorian wrought iron gates of Kew. At the moment we have too few role models from minority backgrounds” and that you could no longer say plants were “discovered” by western botanists. Just wait til they find out about invasive species…
Sarah Pochin at Reform Scotland’s manifesto launch event: “I really wanted to come on in a Reform tartan burka, but apparently I wasn’t allowed… One day let’s do one of these events not live-streamed. We’ll do all the naughty stuff…”