EU

If yesterday’s news is supposed to be today’s fish and chip wrappers, then today we have an odd scenario: your fish supper is probably wrapped in a hefty helping of column inches on fishing.

Discards are disgusting. No-one with any sense can support the catching, killing, and throwing away of fish. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Fish Fight – which Greenpeace has supported from the outset - has at long last made the waste of perfectly good fish a national outrage. It is a pointless waste of life, and potential resources. It’s abhorrent whether you eat fish or don’t.

Thanks to all of you who sent emails to Philip Hammond and Ford over the past few months - you really made an impact.

Your pressure helped us take an important step towards kicking our oil addiction.

Every year, it’s the same. Despite evidence and advice from marine biologists that really there aren't plenty more fish in the sea, European fishing quotas are set way above what's required to halt and reverse the downward spiral of many commercial species. As Willie pointed out this time two years ago, it's a pantomime farce which comes along like clockwork in the week before Christmas. But that may be about to change.

Update: Over 6,000 emails to Ford bosses. Yet to receive a reply.

As the clock ticks down to some pretty important laws that could potentially save us millions of barrels in oil consumption (3.6m in the UK alone), one car manufacturer is doing its best to scupper this important legislation: Ford.

We've just heard from some high-level sources that Ford is pressuring Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, to weaken the UK's position on proposed European emissions targets.

Why are car companies hiding their progress? Photo: drinksmachine

It's not often you see car companies trying to hide their green achievements. We're more used to seeing them worn boastfully on the outside. The way Superman wears his underpants.

So why would they hide them now?

The Corporate Social Responsibility guys must be choking on their almond croissants. Today's news is something they want to shout about: fast, tangible progress on vehicle efficiency technology that reduces emissions. Greener cars, greener company. This time they don't have to make it up. But they're being hushed up by the lobbyists in the boardroom, who know that talking about these gains is going to counter their main argument with politicians: that their companies can't comply with proposed CO2 targets in time.