It’s very obvious that there are a lot of signatures coming our way from Scottish constituencies. This is wonderful! And, entirely appropriate.
Although our e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting will eventually receive a response from Defra and not from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, its aims are not country-specific. If we were to reach 100,000 signatures, or maybe even with fewer, if there were a debate in Westminster Hall it would be open to MPs from all parts of the UK – they could raise issues and points that were specific to their constituencies, countries or the UK as a whole. And they could support the banning of driven grouse shooting, or oppose it, or support other measures that might make the situation better.
If you are concerned about the ecological, economic and social damage caused by driven grouse shooting anywhere in the UK, and you live anywhere in the UK, then it is perfectly proper to sign this e-petition (even if you live in Northern Ireland and only want it banned in Scotland!).
So many thanks to Scotland! And I hope the Holyrood government is taking notice of the upswell of concern from Scottish constituencies which have plenty of driven grouse shooting within their borders such as Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (leading the race to 100 signatures across the UK with 90 at the time of writing).
Please add your name to over 15,000 others in calling for a debate on the future of driven grouse shooting – please sign this e-petition.
[registration_form]
It’s very gratifying to see how much support the petition is getting up here. The fact that so many involved with grouse moors in Scotland have ridiculed the petition and vilified Mark personally in the past has shown that their cages have been rattled and that the points it is making go way, way beyond national boundaries. Of course now the deafening silence of these same characters shows they can’t afford to draw any more attention to the petition this time around, they are worried and embarassed. In Scotland we not only have massive, intensive grouse moors, but deer ‘forests’ as well so over grazed a tree is a rarity and therefore it is ironic that by far the strongest voice against the status quo not only emanates from England, but in a technical sense only applies to it. If the petition can help galvanise those north of the border to take action on their own account, and I believe that’s happening, it will be one hell of a result.
It certainly gives lie to the oft stated defence that campaigners for reforms like these are just townies who don’t understand the countryside and who want to impose weak city morals on it. In this case it is undisputed fact that it is the countryside leading the way and, with London providing the last constituency to supply even one signatory, dragging the urbanites behind them. It shouldn’t be a surprise really, the grand country houses are just glorified weekend apartments for the merchant bankers who make up the grouse shooting set. People in the countryside see, every day, the damage grouse moor management causes and have to live with the consequences (like increased flooding).
I did a quick calculation of the total of Scottish signatories and came up with 1755, or 11.3% of the petition total. With Scotland accounting for roughly 8.3% of the UK population, the Scots definitely seem to be punching some way above their weight thus far. Also of interest is that the average constituency figure in Scotland (based on that total) would be 29.7 signatures and, at a glance, constituencies with driven grouse moors seem to be getting well above that. Hopefully I’ll get chance to do a more rigorous regional analysis (and check the figure thoroughly).
The younger generation in Scotland is much more politically aware and active compared to the rest of the UK. One of the most astonishing things about the Scottish referendum was the prevalence and quality of debate amongst the under 30’s. Perhaps they will do their bit for the BDGS campaign if the right social media buttons can be pressed?
I’ve nothing but admiration Murray; it was very evident during my most recent stay in Scotland last August.
Checked;
1793 (Scotland total) of 15677 (UK total) = 11.4%
1793 ÷ 59 (Scottish Westminster Constituencies) = 30.4 signatures per constituency
15677 ÷ 650 (UK Parliamentary Constituencies) = 24.1 signatures per constituency
An average of 153.8 signatures per constituency across the UK is needed for the 100000.
Jim – Good morning! Very good. I’d be surprised if Barking gets to 154, so some others are going to have to do its share!
Working on it Mark, working on it!
In fact the UK constituency average is 23.9 signatures (15534 ÷ 650). Can anyone spot a constituency with driven grouse moors that isn’t above that figure?
Always reassuring when you get a ‘dislike’ for simply stating numerical fact. It can be hard to find a suitable patch of sand amongst all the peat on a grouse moor but someone seems to have located one big enough to stick their head in!