This Blessed Plot

}England’s green and pleasant land, a muse to artists and writers for centuries, could soon inspire a different set of creative souls—billboard advertisers.

Many Brits were jolly upset last week to read that their government had dropped “Areas of Special Control” status from about 80 percent of the countryside—leaving only national parks, conservation areas and areas of special scientific interest protected from the blight of marketing excess. The Council for the Protection of Rural England warned that the ruling could “rapidly erode the quality of the countryside,” although environment minister Michael Meacher insisted no boards will go up where none currently exist.

Ad types, ever the pragmatists, welcomed the change.