Office of National Statistics, 29 May 2014:
‘The inclusion of illegal drugs and prostitution is likely to increase the level of GDP in 2009 by around £10 billion, around £5.3 billion attributable to prostitution and £4.4 billion attributable to illegal drugs. In all years between 1997 and 2009 the impact ranges from £7 billion to £11 billion.’
Almost everyone involved in shooting in the UK, 6 July 2014:
‘The industry is worth £2billion a year to the UK economy‘.
It would be foolish to measure the worth of everything in terms of money – although it seems to be a slippery slope down which society as a whole is sliding, but shooting, including target-shooting, where no animals are killed in the pursuit of the sport, is pretty small beer compared with illegal drugs and prostitution.
Driven grouse shooting in England is a tiny proportion of the overall economic activity associated with shooting. And shooters would simply spend their money differently when driven grouse shooting is banned.
So, more drugs and sex?
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and rock and roll
Sex and drugs – like many things in life including rock and roll can be good and can be bad and can be a bit of both. So the sensible thing to do is regulate them in various different ways depending on harm vs benefit although I personally would not support legislation over bad rock and roll.
I have heard all of this rhetoric before, when hunting with dogs was banned. The countryside didn’t collapse then.
“The countryside didn’t collapse then.”
Isn’t that because we just carried on hunting?
Our local beagle pack switched from hunting Hares (illegal) to Rabbits (perfectly legal) – we organised a powerpoint session for the hounds to explain the new rules to them, can’t say they were that impressed, barked all the way through the presentation!
Yep we know…its illegal to kill raptors, but its still done… no doubt the NGO and SGA have a powerpoint as a help around….. no doubt the audience will be barking too…
First of all thank you for confirming something we all knew, that the countryside economy didn’t collapse with the hunting with hounds ban. But I am a little confused at why you singled out beagles. What about the staghounds, mink hounds, foxhounds and the all the sight hounds? Also I can’t imagine rabbits giving the beagles a good run. Surely they just pop down the nearest warren, not like the hares on open country. But this was a discussion about the importance of hunting to the economy wasn’t it? With a ban on driven grouse shooting, I’m sure that the people involved would find other ways of making money out of wildlife, just like your local beagles. Maybe they could take small groups of birders to see the flourishing Hen Harrier populations?
“First of all thank you for confirming something we all knew, that the countryside economy didn’t collapse with the hunting with hounds ban. But I am a little confused at why you singled out beagles.”
Because I only ever really used to go out with the Beagles, much more social, I’ve moved now, the pack is still thriving.
“What about the staghounds, mink hounds, foxhounds and the all the sight hounds?”
Still hunting, legally – the law was badly written, though IMO thats the inevitable result when house of commons legislation is forced through without amendment from an appointed revisory chamber with policing and legal experience…
“Also I can’t imagine rabbits giving the beagles a good run. Surely they just pop down the nearest warren, not like the hares on open country.
Works fine round there.
“But this was a discussion about the importance of hunting to the economy wasn’t it? With a ban on driven grouse shooting, I’m sure that the people involved would find other ways of making money out of wildlife, just like your local beagles. Maybe they could take small groups of birders to see the flourishing Hen Harrier populations?”
Maybe, How much would you be willing to pay to go birdwatching? £1500 per day? £2000?
£2000 day ? To go birding? No Kie, you’re quite right, I wouldn’t pay that. But there is an old saying that a fool and his money are soon parted.
But here are some facts. The British people are becoming more concerned about their environment. We see it in the media every day. Protests against fracking sites, wind turbines and industrial incinerators. We’ve seen a growth in popularity of television programmes such as Springwatch and Countryfile. And, even through the recession, the sales of bird feeders, seeds and nest boxes at our garden centres has continued to grow, as has wildlife tourism. These are just a few small indicators of a growing awareness of our surroundings. What was once seen as the actions of a lunatic fringe are now the concerns of a large section of the general public.
It was once considered, by certain members of society, ok to go big game hunting in Africa or India. To bag a Tiger or an Elephant. Thankfully that has stopped. The recreational killing of animals in the UK will stop, eventually. From the shooting of a swan on a urban park lake, to the fox torn apart beside a bus in a welsh village, most people are reviled at the suffering of animals. The loopholes that presently exist will be closed. There are parties looking at it while I write.
But I don’t blame you really. If someone was trying to pass a law to stop me sitting in my local park or nature reserve and watching the grebes, swans and squirrels I’d be dragging out every reason I could think of to overturn it. It is, after all, human nature to defend what we like to do. But if stopping me from entering the park somehow benefitted the things that lived there, I’d do it in a heartbeat. Even if it cost me £2000.