In today’s Guardian, from George Monbiot: The grouse shooters aim to kill: the first casualty is the truth
Crispin Odey, Ian Botham, the Daily Telegraph, Paul Dacre, the Daily Mail, Jonny Scott, Ian Gregory, YFTB, Richard Benyon and David Cameron – all in one article.
Please remember to ask your friends to sign the e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting.
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Thank you Mark for your brilliant book. I had no idea of the atrocities going on against wildlife in this country. I thought everyone was trying to protect wildlife. I am passing your book round my neighbours to get as much support as possible. I was at a family event recently when my ex husband was showing off on his mobile phone his catch of a grilse. ‘of course you are meant to put them back, but this is in my freezer!’
VJ – your comment rings many bells with me. I was brought up in a city, and pretty much assumed that everyone was working towards a beautiful, welcoming countryside in which all forms of wildlife could thrive. About 30 years ago, I moved to the country and started to see what really went on. Initially I was shocked; recently I’m rarely shocked, but often disgusted and saddened.
Very good article, thanks for the link. Obviously the reason the petition is now over 111,000. An article such as this for the next 33 days will surely get the petition to the 150,000 mark.
I have already printed the article off to send to my MP. Suggest others do the same.
Owzat ‘Sir’ et. al.
Thank you George!
Looks like there may well be another ‘target’ in their sights after this wonderful piece?
Good stuff by George Monbiot. I could get to like this man! The only point he didn’t make as forcefully as he could have is regarding membership. YFTB doesn’t have any members as I understand it; supporters with a financial interest in its aims, yes, but no actual members as the oft-maligned RSPB does – over a million of them who put their money up every year for no financial return at all.
They’d be accountable to members Derik, can’t be having that? Easier to keep it as an manageable establishment clique and as for accountability ….
I got two pheasant shooters to sign yesterday. They’re as miffed as the rest of us about the intensification of commercial shooting and the arrogant illegality of the rich estate people, who have turned their low key social sport into big business and so brought it into disrepute. We may have a wider circle of allies than we thought.
jbc – well done!
What a great article though BREXIT could have been added to the list as far as I am concerned .
JBC; it’s interesting to note that the Countryside Alliance is now pushing the line that the Ban Driven Grouse Shooting petition is a threat to……..anglers!
http://news.horseandcountry.tv/2016/08/16/the-unintended-consequences-of-grouse-petition/ .
Luckily most of the anglers I know have already signed, little did they know (add malevolent cackling sounds to suit)!
Local news: Sheffield Central 400!
My home constituency has been adding an average of nearly 16 signatures a day for the last 10 days. Can’t last,……can it? If it did we would end on over 950 signatures. I’m expecting a wee bit less than that but, hey, who know’s? 6 signatures so far today. Love you neighbours!
There is a Marc Whalen who frequents various fishing and angling groups that is really pushing the angling angle. He would also like to see lead weights brought back in for angling. His entire schtick is very much based on the anti-environmentalism kick-a-liberal trolling though, but it is always difficult to estimate how much support that sort of thing can drum up. Sometimes it can be a disturbing amount.
In the interests of fair play it has to be noted that the ‘Protect grouse Moors and grouse Shooting petition’ is already coming close to beating us in one constituency: Chelsea and Fulham (81/85). Well, who would have seen that coming?
So Chelsea & Fulham can offer expert witnesses at the upcoming grouse shooting debate, why waste parliamentary time with two? Could they manage 100k mickey mice?
Let’s have a thorough evidenced based robust cross examination of experts etc.? Bring it on ….
Readers of George Monbiot’s excellent article will be pleased to see that Abzed appears to have run out of ideas http://www.abzed.com/ideas/.
I note that Ian Gregory who runs Abzed ‘started his political career by helping Margaret Thatcher with her weekly preparations for Prime Minister’s Questions.’ ‘Nuff said.
Costa Rica shows the way to save their wildlife from the hunters. All I can say well done to Costa Rica for taking such a bold stand. However when you think about what this country has done it makes a lot of ethical common sense.
http://inhabitat.com/costa-rica-becomes-first-latin-american-country-to-ban-hunting-for-sport/