OUR Government seems very concerned with "taking back control".

Ostensibly this seems to mean control over immigration and trade.

However, there are other areas where it has shown loss of control which may have significant consequences for all of us and our environment.

These may not be immediately apparent and are not high on the election agenda.

I am thinking of the following but maybe you can sniff out others:

Invasive species – whether these be in the soil, in our watercourses or in the tree canopy they are capable of causing major harm to the environment. For example, the New Zealand flatworm devours our native earthworms; the signal crayfish devours fish eggs and other invertebrates in our streams and rivers; Himalayan Balsam overwhelms other riverside plant life; the Asian hornet threatens to devour our honey bees, and now the Spanish slug is arriving.

Pests and diseases – enter our country on imported plants, in ships’ ballast water, in imported fruit and vegetables. Biosecurity deserves much more prominent intervention and fuller resourcing, for example to save our ash trees.

Hostile takeovers – of public companies such as Cadbury’s and ARM Holdings. George Osborne proudly declared that Britain is “open for business” yet this has led to our work force being employed by foreign companies with profits going overseas. This applies to public services such as utilities and transport.

Three-quarters of our rail companies are foreign owned as are four of the big six energy suppliers.

Most issues to do with our borders require international co-operation and negotiation yet our political masters are in danger of getting bogged down in legislation relating to Brexit rather than on these issues.

Do we really want to turn Great Britain into little England and the United Kingdom into disunited fragments? So much for “taking back control”.

How reassuring to see the Green Party Environment Manifesto with Caroline Lucas writing: "For some, the environment takes second place behind other concerns. But the truth is our economic prosperity absolutely depends on the natural world: it’s the ultimate source of everything we make and use. Nature deserves to be defended, especially in the face an extreme Brexit that threatens to wreck decades of progressive, hard won environmental legislation."

If you want a principled government to conserve a secure future vote for your Green Party candidate in the election.

Lisle Ryder, Newton-le-Willows, Bedale