Update – we are 11,061 ahead

Mark 6 Comments

Here is an update on three e-petitions about grouse shooting:

Gavin Gamble’s e-petition in favour of banning driven grouse shooting – c25,547 signatures

Jane Griggs’s e-petition supporting grouse shooting – c14,486 signatures

Ed Hutchings’s e-petition in favour of licensing grouse shooting – c2,046 signatures

Last week saw the ‘Gamble-ban’ e-petition pass 25,322 signatures (the highest total achieved by an e-petition in favour of grouse shooting) and pulled another c250 signatures ahead of the ‘Griggs-protect’ e-petition. More progress in the right direction. The ‘Hutchings-license’ e-petition added the fewest number of signatures despite the support of the RSPB (which is still very low key).  There certainly don’t seem to be many spontaneous enthusiastic supporters of licensing of grouse shooting.

Here are the leading constituencies supporting a ban of driven grouse shooting so far – those with more than 100 signatures. The list has grown by the addition of Derbyshire Dales.

    1. High Peak, Ruth George MP, 146 signatures
    2. Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, Drew Hendry MP, 131 signatures
    3. Sheffield Hallam, Jared O’Mara, 124 signatures
    4. Westmorland and Lonsdale, Tim Farron MP, 119 signatures
    5. Calder Valley, Craig Whittaker, 119 signatures
    6. Ross, Skye and Lochaber, Ian Blackford MP, 111 signatures
    7. Skipton and Ripon, Julian Smith MP, 110 signatures
    8. Isle of Wight, Bob Seeley MP, 109 signatures
    9. Suffolk Coastal, Therese Coffey MP, 107 signatures
    10. Stroud, David Drew MP, 106 signatures
    11. Thirsk and Malton, Kevin Hollinrake MP, 105 signatures
    12. Sheffield Central, Paul Blomfield MP, 103 signatures
    13. Derbyshire Dales, Patrick McCloughlin MP, 101 signatures

The strongest constituencies supporting the Griggs petition in favour of grouse shooting remain these same top-10:

  1. Chelsea and Fulham, Greg Hands MP, 401 signatures
  2. The Cotswolds, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, 299 signatures
  3. Thirsk and Malton, Kevin Hollinrake MP, 257
  4. Battersea, Marsha de Cordova, 249 signatures
  5. Kensington, Emma Dent Coad MP, 245 signatures
  6. Richmond (Yorks), Rishi Sunak MP, 240 signatures
  7. Cities of London and Westminster, Mark Field MP, 216 signatures
  8. Skipton and Ripon, Julian Smith MP, 187 signatures
  9. Northwest Hampshire, Kit Malhouse MP, 186 signatures
  10. South West Wiltshire, Andrew Murrison MP, 176 signatures

There are still c36 constituencies which haven’t leant a single signature to this e-petition – just another example of how concentrated is the support in a few rich areas of the country at the moment.

This e-petition got its government response, which didn’t say anything very daft but little very sensible either.

The Hutchings RSPB-supported e-petition has only four constituencies with 20+ signatures – three in Scotland and the North East Bedfordshire constituency which contains the RSPB HQ at Sandy.  I look forward to this being a much longer list when the RSPB leaps into action.

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6 Replies to “Update – we are 11,061 ahead”

  1. Over the last 11 days, the numbers of signatures gained by the 3 petitions are (approx):
    Gamble – 632 (about 57 per day)
    Griggs – 312 (28 per day)
    Hutchings – 223 (20 per day).
    I’m hoping for something remarkable to happen soon!

  2. Not very likely RSPB to leap into action on behalf of Hen Harrier.
    For the second time in the past 3 or 4 years a big cock up with O Hs membership payment.RSPB sent a email saying please renew membership when the cheque was presented by them a week before.
    Two emails asking them to reply to the information we sent them=nothing just ignored.
    Saving grace was sending the third email to Mike Clarke=response a matter of a couple of hours.Fantastic but how ridiculous to sort out some small problem you have to go to the top.
    He does seem a genuine great guy which makes the RSPBs position on Hen Harriers all the more wierd.I therefore think there must be something he would love to say in the defence of RSPB on the issue but cannot.

    1. There’s no doubt about Mike Clarke’s commitment to conservation. That doesn’t mean that everything the RSPB says and does is the best solution – if only life was that simple! The RSPB’s position should become clearer when we see Kevin Cox’s guest blog – must be coming soon?

      1. Mark – Has Kevin Cox responded yet to your invitation to write a piece for your blog? It’s hugely disappointing that the RSPB seems so reluctant to make much of this great opportunity to highlight the problems associated with DGS and their position as regards the petitions.

        1. Lizzybusy – I got his guest blog today. It will be published Monday at 6am and will be well worth reading.

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