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New York Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
This Odd Couple Fought Tyranny, Until the French King Lost His Head
FRIENDS UNTIL THE END: Edmund Burke and Charles Fox in the Age of Revolution, by James Grant Edmund Burke, an 18th-century British traditionalist who respected the monarchy but nevertheless believed in progress and representative government, is still famous today, over two centuries after his death; Charles James Fox, an enemy of despotism whose sympathies came to lie with revolutionaries, is remembered mainly by historians. In their own time, however, as James Grant shows in his double biography, 'Friends Until the End,' they were a brilliant team in the House of Commons, an odd couple from what we might today call different ends of the political spectrum. Spellbinding speakers in an age of great oratory, Burke and Fox made an indelible mark on a country that was responding to a series of challenges — the loss of its American colonies, the exploitation of India for profit and the radicalism of the French Revolution. There was also the iniquity of slavery, which Burke and Fox eloquently denounced. Though they had very different ascents through the ranks of British society, Grant, the author of a biography of John Adams and of numerous books on finance, shows how they came together to form the conscience of their nation. Born in Dublin in 1729, Burke did not follow his father into the law. Instead, after a move to London in 1750, he turned to journalism and aesthetic theory, which won him the attention of literary giants like the essayist Samuel Johnson, who became his close friend. At the age of 36 in 1765, Burke leveraged his intellectual talents to win a seat in Parliament. His opponents sneered at him as an Irish upstart, and although he was a Protestant they persisted in calling him a secret Catholic. Caricaturists depicted him as a Jesuit. Two decades younger than Burke, Fox came from significant wealth; his father, a member of the peerage, helped procure Fox a seat in Parliament in 1768 when he was just 19. A playboy and risk taker, he gambled extravagantly and drank to excess. Caricaturists had fun with him too — he was fat and slovenly, with a perpetual five o'clock shadow. Still, he had an engaging personality and formed friendships wherever he went. Inseparable allies in Parliament, Burke and Fox were nearly always members of the opposition. 'In any body of men in England,' Burke said ruefully, 'I should have been in the minority; I have always been in the minority.' As spokesmen for a splinter group of the Whig Party, they came to power just once, in 1782, and Burke's criticism of slavery helped cost him his seat in Bristol, a center of the slave trade, forcing him to seek re-election elsewhere. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CTV News
04-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Global salmon populations are in trouble. How will the trend affect groceries in Canada?
A new report from Concordia University shows global salmon populations are on the decline. Professor James Grant shares why and what the consequences will be. A new report has found young wild salmon populations are decreasing around the world, with the trend expected to have 'minimal' impact on fresh fish at grocery stores in Canada. However, James Grant, a professor at Concordia University in Montreal and co-author of the study, says if the decline continues to accelerate, shoppers will see more of an effect on prices of certain fish products. The Concordia University study shows wild salmon, trout and related fish known as salmonids have declined globally by nearly 40 per cent since 1980. The study was published in the journal Fish and Fisheries. It is based on data from more than 1,000 rivers and streams in 27 countries involving 11 salmonid species. The fish sampling noted in the data occurred from 1937 to 2021. Most salmon or trout sold in Canadian grocery stores are typically from aquaculture, or fish farms, which Grant says is different from fish caught wild from oceans, adding that most of the wild salmon he sees at grocery stores are typically canned. 'Our study shows that salmonid numbers are down over a long period of time,' Grant told in a Zoom interview Tuesday. 'That's probably why aquaculture has moved into that space at providing … inexpensive, high quality fish protein.' 'A huge environmental cost' The Concordia study focused on wild fish and the rivers and streams where they spawn, not fish that are sold in grocery stores and born in aquaculture. At the same time, Grant said wild salmon populations are decreasing. 'Aquaculture has made fish prices very inexpensive, but there's a huge environmental cost that we're all paying, including that's one of the main drivers of the decreases in wild salmon,' Grant said. He said aquaculture fishes are a source of potentially deadly sea lice and can pollute the ocean floor with their waste -- both negatively affecting wild fish. Grant says the fishes that Concordia researchers studied are the smaller types that Canadians might catch at the cottage, as well as wild juvenile fishes that travel from streams to the ocean and grow to become bigger adults that people or trawlers may catch. 'If the juveniles are in decline in rivers, then the adults are inevitably going to be in decline as well,' Grant said, adding that the researchers focused on salmon streams because more data is available and they're more accessible to humans. 'But streams are embedded within our forests and farms,' he said. 'And so streams give you a very good indication of how we're treating our flowing water in Canada and the rest of the world.' Other impacts of salmon's decline Salmon species are in trouble not only on the West Coast. 'On the East Coast, the Atlantic salmon has been in decline for a long time,' Grant said in a separate interview with CTV Your Morning on Tuesday. 'We no longer fish them, and even the sport fishing industry is primarily catch and release because the numbers are so low. So huge economic costs we are paying.' The salmon's plight is also detrimental in other ways. The loss of fish is devastating for Indigenous Peoples across the country who have close relationships to these fish, including those on the West Coast who built their cultures around Pacific salmon, Grant said. Fishing is one of the top hobbies for Canadians, he told Your Morning. 'It generates money for our economy and makes us feel better about the world,' Grant said. 'These fish are also great indicators of ecosystem health.' In a May 27 press release from Concordia, lead author Kyleisha Foote noted that the sharp decline is not surprising but it's hard to determine the exact cause. She said many rivers are suffering from serious issues related to habitat degradation, climate warming and overexploitation. Watch the video above for the full CTV Your Morning interview.
CTV News
03-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Global salmon populations are in trouble. How will the trend affect groceries in Canada?
A new report from Concordia University shows global salmon populations are on the decline. Professor James Grant shares why and what the consequences will be. A new report has found young wild salmon populations are decreasing around the world, with the trend expected to have 'minimal' impact on fresh fish at grocery stores in Canada. However, James Grant, a professor at Concordia University in Montreal and co-author of the study, says if the decline continues to accelerate, shoppers will see more of an effect on prices of certain fish products. The Concordia University study shows wild salmon, trout and related fish known as salmonids have declined globally by nearly 40 per cent since 1980. The study was published in the journal Fish and Fisheries. It is based on data from more than 1,000 rivers and streams in 27 countries involving 11 salmonid species. The fish sampling noted in the data occurred from 1937 to 2021. Most salmon or trout sold in Canadian grocery stores are typically from aquaculture, or fish farms, which Grant says is different from fish caught wild from oceans, adding that most of the wild salmon he sees at grocery stores are typically canned. 'Our study shows that salmonid numbers are down over a long period of time,' Grant told in a Zoom interview Tuesday. 'That's probably why aquaculture has moved into that space at providing … inexpensive, high quality fish protein.' 'A huge environmental cost' The Concordia study focused on wild fish and the rivers and streams where they spawn, not fish that are sold in grocery stores and born in aquaculture. At the same time, Grant said wild salmon populations are decreasing. 'Aquaculture has made fish prices very inexpensive, but there's a huge environmental cost that we're all paying, including that's one of the main drivers of the decreases in wild salmon,' Grant said. He said aquaculture fishes are a source of potentially deadly sea lice and can pollute the ocean floor with their waste -- both negatively affecting wild fish. Grant says the fishes that Concordia researchers studied are the smaller types that Canadians might catch at the cottage, as well as wild juvenile fishes that travel from streams to the ocean and grow to become bigger adults that people or trawlers may catch. 'If the juveniles are in decline in rivers, then the adults are inevitably going to be in decline as well,' Grant said, adding that the researchers focused on salmon streams because more data is available and they're more accessible to humans. 'But streams are embedded within our forests and farms,' he said. 'And so streams give you a very good indication of how we're treating our flowing water in Canada and the rest of the world.' Other impacts of salmon's decline Salmon species are in trouble not only on the West Coast. 'On the East Coast, the Atlantic salmon has been in decline for a long time,' Grant said in a separate interview with CTV Your Morning on Tuesday. 'We no longer fish them, and even the sport fishing industry is primarily catch and release because the numbers are so low. So huge economic costs we are paying.' The salmon's plight is also detrimental in other ways. The loss of fish is devastating for Indigenous Peoples across the country who have close relationships to these fish, including those on the West Coast who built their cultures around Pacific salmon, Grant said. Fishing is one of the top hobbies for Canadians, he told Your Morning. 'It generates money for our economy and makes us feel better about the world,' Grant said. 'These fish are also great indicators of ecosystem health.' In a May 27 press release from Concordia, lead author Kyleisha Foote noted that the sharp decline is not surprising but it's hard to determine the exact cause. She said many rivers are suffering from serious issues related to habitat degradation, climate warming and overexploitation. Watch the video above for the full CTVYour Morning interview.
CTV News
03-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Global salmon populations are in trouble. Here's how the trend affects Canadians
A new report from Concordia University shows global salmon populations are on the decline. Professor James Grant shares why and what the consequences will be. Salmon populations are decreasing around the world, including on Canada's West Coast, a trend that is having ripple effects in the country, a biology professor says. A new Concordia University study shows salmon, trout and related fish known as salmonids have declined globally by nearly 40 per cent since 1980. The study was published in the journal Fish and Fisheries. It is based on data from more than 1,000 rivers and streams in 27 countries involving 11 salmonid species. The fish sampling noted in the data occurred from 1937 to 2021. 'Although some fisheries are doing well, on average not doing so well,' said James Grant, a professor of biology at Concordia University in Montreal, who is a co-author of the report, told CTV Your Morning in an interview Monday. Salmon species are in trouble not only on the West Coast. 'On the East Coast, the Atlantic salmon has been in decline for a long time,' Grant added. 'We no longer fish them, and even the sport fishing industry is primarily catch and release because the numbers are so low. So huge economic costs we are paying.' The salmon's plight is also detrimental in other ways. The loss of fish is devastating for Indigenous Peoples across the country who have close relationships to these fish, including those on the West Coast who built their cultures around Pacific salmon, Grant said. Fishing is one of the top hobbies for all Canadians, he added. 'It generates money for our economy and makes us feel better about the world,' Grant said. 'These fish are also great indicators of ecosystem health.' In a May 27 press release from Concordia, lead author Kyleisha Foote noted that the sharp decline is not surprising but it's hard to determine the exact cause. She said many rivers are suffering from serious issues related to habitat degradation, climate warming and overexploitation. Watch the video above for the full interview.
BBC News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Green Party will 'work with anyone' on North Northants council
Green Party will 'work with anyone' on council 8 minutes ago Share Save James Grant BBC News, Northamptonshire Share Save Emily Fedorowycz The Green Party now have eight councillors elected to North Northamptonshire Council The Green Party has celebrated a landmark performance in the 2025 local elections in a county, emerging as the third largest party on a unitary authority. The party took eight seats on North Northamptonshire Council, double that of Labour. It also picked up 19 of the 20 seats on Kettering Town Council. Emily Fedorowycz, Green Party leader on North Northamptonshire Council said: "We're very appreciative. We've always said we would work with anyone to get things done for the good of the community." What does the Town Council do? Emily Fedorowycz Ben Jameson was elected to represent Ise Ward in Kettering after receiving 1,612 votes Kettering Town Council serves a community of about 50,000 electors and consists of 20 councillors, elected for a term of four years. Town councillors are all elected members and they receive no financial allowances for their term in office. Town councils take responsibility for providing and maintaining local amenities such as open spaces, allotments, public clocks, village halls, footpaths and litter bins. They also provide community buildings and a wide range of facilities, from cemeteries and allotments to grants and community groups. Responding to planning applications and accessing grant funding for projects can also fall under their remit. Town councils can influence local laws and policies that address community needs, such as zoning regulations, public safety measures, and environmental policies. They also raise a precept - a form of council tax - to help fund its operation and oversee the allocation of funds for various services, ensuring taxpayers' money is spent effectively. What are the Green's policy priorities? Laura Coffey/BBC Emily Fedorowycz and Dez Dell were both elected for Kettering North on North Northamptonshire Council While the Greens do not have control of North Northamptonshire Council, they can propose items to the local authority. However, the party does have a majority on Kettering Town Council. Ms Fedorowycz said: "We want to act as a spark for local action - we will push for funding to empower local people and businesses, and work proactively to get more done for the town. "We want to have a positive influence on North Northants Council, especially on big issues like improving our town centre, creating opportunities for young people and, of course, getting our roads fixed. "Kettering Town Council already has money allocated to doing more for young people in Kettering, and as Greens we want to support our younger generations." How did the Greens win 19 seats? Green councillors credit grassroots engagement and voter disillusionment with traditional parties for their success. "It's been a huge team effort," said Ben Jameson, 29, who was elected to represent Ise ward in Kettering. "[Kettering was where the party has] been the most active and had the most presence. People are so fed up and disenfranchised – they voted for change, whatever that looks like." Mr Jameson, who entered politics just over a year ago, added: "We need to look at how we make people feel valued again and how we make sure they have a voice." How will they work with Reform UK? Following the local elections, Reform UK now controls North Northamptonshire Council - with 39 councillors. While the party's national policies differ significantly, Ms Fedorowycz said the Greens are prepared to work across party lines where needed. "We've always said we would work with anyone to get things done for the good of the community. Once you're elected as a councillor, you need to put the politics aside and work together for the good of the area," she said. She added: "Obviously we're not really aligned with [Reform] on a national level, but that isn't relevant locally. We want to be the experienced person in the room and guide them, making sure local people don't miss out."
