The People's Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast
Homelessness And Overeating
Published: 13 April 2025 at 10:53 Europe/London
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Episode notes
On this podcast, the questions are set by you, the listeners. Even though the questions are often detached from the environment, we always try and bring back the discussion to it in some way.
In today’s episode, Stuart and William, your co-hosts, chew the fat over two intriguing questions, the first of which comes from Bartek in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England - “I have not asked any question since 2020 I don’t think, but always listen whilst I work. I see some of the UK royal family are pushing forward anti homelessness and anti domestic abuse projects. Should they abstain from such things or should they use their status in these ways?”
Stuart feels an undercurrent from the question, that Bartek is possibly an anti monarchist. He sees the question being more “should they exist and should they be sticking their nose in if they do?” His conclusion though, is that the royal family do have a status in society, and they should be doing something good, however he often feels they do more bad than good.
Throughout this discussion, both Stuart and William in some way, express anti-monarchy sentiment, which deviates from Bartek’s question a bit, but that is how they rock on this podcast, they often allow the conversation to weave and meander, like a shopping trolly with a dodgy wheel, as you never know where the conversation might lead?
The second question comes from a listener that William is, for no reason at all, particularly afraid of, that person being Debs in Didcot, Oxfordshire, England - “1 in ten (if not more) of 4 year olds in the UK are considered obese. Yet when parents are advised how to help their children lose wait, they often close their ears. Is that because as a nation we’re not emotionally mature enough to take this feedback on board?”
William starts the conversation by bringing up how people don’t like to be told when they are doing something wrong in their lives. Off the back of this bold statement, Stuart relates a story from his time in Manchester, how a group of kids were seen as feral, and their parents weren’t bothered as it was how they were brought up, and it hadn’t harmed them in their opinion.
Stuart and William then steer the conversation towards how we need to consider the impact of cheap processed foods. Stuart sees it as an indication of the lifestyle, the processes we live by. That it isn’t all down to telling parents how to bring up their children better. He feels that we need to look at the whole way we live.
Stuart’s conclusion for this question: we need to put systems in place to allow people to make better decisions.
William concludes that a good community can also make a positive impact. The difference between a person in power like a teacher, and a member of your own community advising you, can make a big difference.
What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com
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This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice.
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