Is Britain really “a nation of animal lovers”?

First topic message reminder :

Between them, British people own 7.7 million cats and 6.6 million dogs. If you include one million budgerigars, 18 million goldfish, and countless other creatures such as rabbits and hamsters, then 49% of the population (about 30 million people) own a pet.

Britain was the first country to have a society that campaigned for animal welfare (now called the RSPCA) that led to changes in the law. Anna Sewell's book ‘Black Beauty’ was a serious work criticising the welfare of horses and led to the spread of concerns regarding the care of animals to other parts of the world, especially the US. These days we have a host of animal charities, many working for animal welfare abroad (such as the Brooke Hospital), and many earning huge incomes while charities caring for people struggle to raise enough to keep going. To people from many other countries this seems absolutely bizarre and it appears that we are obsessed with animals.

Whenever an animal appears in a news story the response is huge. You may recall Sefton, the drummer horse seriously injured in the Hyde Park bombings; although people were injured, the news and public interest focused on him and his recovery. Then there were the Tamworth piglets which escaped from an abattoir and went to an animal sanctuary; anywhere else they would have gone back for slaughter as soon as they were caught, and would probably never have even made the news.

However, although there are many millions of animal lovers in Britain who provide their pets with the absolute best of care, how can we honestly describe this nation as an animal loving one when there are so many cruelty cases each year, and when dogs are abandoned after being received as unwanted Christmas presents?

Fortunately, the last government did care about animal welfare. Labour’s achievements were:-
To ban fox hunting, hare coursing, hare hunting and stag hunting.
To ban fur farming and worked in Europe to ban imports of cat and dog fur into the EU.
To ban driftnet fishing which helps protect dolphins, turtles, sea birds and other animals.
To ban the testing of cosmetics, toiletries, alcohol and tobacco on animals.
To refuse to license any testing on great apes (such as chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas).
To establish the National Centre for the Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of Animals in Research, which provides research into alternatives to animal testing.
To secure better welfare standards at a European level for battery hens and meat chickens.
To tighten up the rules on the transport of live animals across Europe.
To secure an EU-wide ban on the trade in seal fur.
To increase prison sentences for wildlife crime.
To introduce pet passports, allowing people to take their pets abroad in the EU without the need for quarantine.

With the passing of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, Labour put into law the most comprehensive piece of animal welfare legislation for nearly a century. The act introduced a new duty of care on people to ensure the needs of any animal for which they are responsible, while creating a new offence of failing to provide for the needs of an animal in your care. The new laws place more emphasis on owners and keepers who now need to understand their responsibilities and take all reasonable steps to provide for the needs of their animals.

So what is the Tory policy on animal welfare? If they ever get a majority in Parliament, they want to repeal the ban on hunting with dogs, so that wild animals can be terrified, chased and ripped to pieces for the pleasure of the psychos who consider that to be a sport.

If you’re an animal lover, please visit our games board and play “free kibble for hungry dogs”.

Meddle with the British Establishment at your peril. Particularly when it is "at play".

Why would he go quietly if he'd been forced out by the Countryside Alliance?

I haven't suggested that Gavin Grant was overtly forced out by the Countryside Alliance, but who knows what nods and winks have ensued? Maybe it was Cameron - after all, Grant did prosecute some of his toff chums from the hunting fraternity in his Witney constituency.
 
It's more likely that Grant was forced out by Charles Windsor, who may have threatened to remove the 'royal' from the RSPCA and then left the society to do his dirty work. Charles was so incensed when Labour stopped him from foxhunting (he'd even smeared blood from dead foxes on the faces of his sons when they were quite young - which is child abuse in my book) that when he took charge of the guest list for William's wedding in 2011, he invited Major and Thatcher but not Blair and Brown. If that asshole ever becomes our unelected head of state, I predict big trouble and hopefully the end of the monarchy in this country.

I don't see what he or the CA would have to gain compared to what they would have to lose with what you suggest. Conveniently ignoring for a moment the complete lack of a scrap of evidence to support your claims whoever replaces Grant will oppose foxhunting so they'd be back to square one. The massive fallout from any subterfuge would be scandalous for either though, were it to come out.

Dan Fante. The sudden deterioration in the health of Gavin Grant is plausible, but it’s also very convenient. We’ll have to wait and see if the next chief executive of the RSPCA shows such determination to prosecute illegal foxhunting. Personally I doubt it. I also note there’s been a suggestion that the society could lose its power to prosecute.
 
So what do we know? Charles Windsor was very keen on foxhunting. Charles Windsor was responsible for the guest list at his son’s wedding. That list was politically biased in that two former Tory PMs were invited and two former Labour PMs weren’t. What does Charles Windsor have against Labour? The Hunting Act of 2004 for a start.
 
If the truth emerged, the fallout would be limited, because the British Establishment is superb at looking after its own. Charles Windsor was a close personal friend of Savile, so much so that Diana described Savile as her husband’s ‘mentor’. In order to protect him and his staff from any embarrassment, we either have to wait for the truth to come out when the scumbags die (as in the case of both Savile and Cyril Smith), so that they can’t drag others down with them, or settle for the prosecution of a few minor celebrities. If the latter get jailed, the public desire for justice is salved, while if they get acquitted it justifies demands to call off the dogs before they close in on the surviving paedophiles in Thatcher’s government and maybe in royal circles.
 
But I’ve digressed. My own gut feeling is that Grant has been eased out by the RSPCA acting under duress. But as you rightly say, I don’t have a scrap of evidence to support it.

Last year Attorney-General Dominic Grieve was reported to have written to the charity (RSPCA) suggesting they carry out an independent review of their prosecutions, after they doubled in two years.

This is currently being undertaken by Stephen Wooler, a former chief inspector at the Crown Prosecution Service and is due to report back shortly.

It could possibly be true but, funnily enough, I don't give much credence to baseless accusations, even when they aren't being levelled at Labour politicians. Especially when, for the reasons I've already given, I don't think it makes any sense.

Incidentally, Grant's a life long Liberal / Lib-Dem with close links to Nick Clegg, apparently.

Le dernier cri of Gavin Grant 28.12.13

http://www.rspca.org.uk/utilities/statement/1213_1

This would never have happened under the last government. They would have had him taken out and made it look like suicide

We didn't get where we are today by not knowing how to breed conspiracy theorists to order...

 

I do not like politics and even less politicians and usually avoid them, however, having owned many different kinds of animals this subject did interest me.

My first thought was that I looked after and protected them far more than many humans look after and protect their children and family etc;

To abuse anything is not realy acceptable.

However, the first step is to decide just what constitutes abuse in the terms of the manner in which we use the animals in our care for both pleasure and food.

If we are to eat any animal then it is obvious we must first kill it.

We know that in different cultures different animals are held in high regard and sentimentality then becomes a major concern for different reasons.

We cannot dictate to those who feel that a cow is sacred and tell them they should eat beef and leave the horses alone etc;

The fact is that God gave us the right to eat meat, he did not so far as I am aware say not to eat either a horse or a cow or anything else, on the contrary lamb is often mentioned etc;

To get back to the manner in which an animal for eating is killed.

The most humane way is the fastest method possible; under the prevailing circumstances at any one time.

There is no doubt that many animals are intelligent and from some posts maybe more so than some people, from personal experience I could relate many instances of the fact that animals can understand many things and behave in an intelligent manner based on those understandings which would make for a better world if humans just considered doing the same.

You should have asked that before they super-glued your paws together, Tiddles...!

A pause for thought goes a long way.

This article is repeated in full with the kind permission of the author, Kitty S. Jones (Twitter ID: @suejone02063672).

Labour plan to extend their excellent animal welfare policies

I have often said that a person’s attitude towards animals is a pretty good indication of their attitude towards people too. Valuing and respecting the right to life, and ensuring freedom from cruelty and abuse for all living beings is a fundamental starting point for a civilised society.

We know that the Labour Party’s track record on human rights is excellent: it brought us the Human Rights Act in 1998 and the Equality Act in 2010.

The Labour Party also has an excellent record of promoting animal rights and creating animal welfare law. Here are six things you need to know about Labour’s future plans to protect animals (by Maria Eagle, shadow secretary of state for the environment, food and rural affairs, 18 February 2015):-

1) Only Labour will protect the Hunting Act
Ten years ago the Labour Party ended the cruel practice of hunting with dogs, because we believe that causing defenceless animals to suffer in the name of sport has no place in a civilised society. But just as we celebrate the Hunting Act, the Tories plan to repeal it. Only Labour can protect the Hunting Act because Labour is the only major party committed to defending it.

2) Labour will ban wild animals in circuses
Travelling circuses are no place for wild animals. Being moved from place to place in cramped and substandard enclosures, forced training and performance, loud noises and crowds of people are the unavoidable distressing realities for animals in circuses. Despite promising to ban the use of wild animals in travelling circuses, the Tory-led government has failed to do so. The next Labour government will ban this cruel practice.

3) Labour will end the ineffective and inhumane badger culls
Badger culls are supposed to reduce Bovine TB but experts say the Tories’ culls will make the problem worse. Following repeated failures to meet deadlines and targets, the Tories are effectively pursing an unscientific mass cull with no rigorous monitoring or evaluation. Labour will end this and develop a better plan to eradicate Bovine TB.

4) Labour will improve the protection of dogs and cats
At present we have ineffective regulation, a lack of information for pet owners and a failure to deal with irresponsible and cruel breeding practices. Labour will review the inadequate regulations on the sale and breeding of dogs and cats and develop a new strategy to improve their welfare.

5) Labour will tackle wildlife crime and reduce animal cruelty on shooting estates
More needs to be done to protect animal welfare on shooting estates. The next Labour government will undertake an independent review into the most effective way to end the illegal persecution of birds of prey, such as the hen harrier; prevent non-target animals getting trapped in snares; and ensure the humane treatment of game birds.

6) Labour will lead the fight against global animal cruelty
The humane treatment of animals should be a benchmark for any civilised society. National governments have a duty to work together to prevent cruelty around the world. Labour will push to end all commercial whaling and prevent the poaching and near extinction of endangered species such as elephants, rhinos and tigers.

https://kittysjones.wordpress.com/

If I believed in reincarnation, I would arrange to return as a British domestic pet.

oftenwrong wrote:If I believed in reincarnation, I would arrange to return as a British domestic pet.

I thought you were one

I went to the RSPCA for my present woof woof, I said to the lady in charge that I wanted a female dog please, instead she gave me a right BITCH, Good job she's as soft as shit and makes me laugh my head off...