We, by which I mean the supporters of a ban on driven grouse shooting, are now 12,200+ signatures ahead of the forces of conservatism who wish this unsustainable hobby of shooting birds for fun and profit to continue.
But it’s not quite as simple as that, as there are three e-petitions including Ed Hutchings’s e-petition, supported by the RSPB, which suggests that there is a middle way of licensing grouse shooting.
And, the three petitions all started at different times and so have been running for different lengths of time and have different times remaining until they close.
Maybe this table makes things a little clearer:
Three e-petitions - how do they compare?
| Position | Signatures | Signs/day | Signs in last week | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gavin Gamble | Ban | 27,200 | 205 | c200 |
| Jane Griggs | Pro | 15,000 | 185 | c50 |
| Ed Hutchings | License | 7,200 | 120 | c800 |
Ed Hutchings’s RSPB-supported e-petition in favour of licensing of grouse shooting had a reasonably good week, adding c800 signatures in a week that a thunderclap went out to over a million social media accounts and Ed was interviewed on an RSPB blog. That’s certainly progress but not very spectacular progress.
If you want to see more sustainable land managment in the uplands and an end to wildlife crime then the outcome that will deliver that is certainly a ban on driven grouse shooting – so please sign Gavin Gamble’s e-petition which calls for a ban on driven grouse shooting.
You may also feel that licensing is a step on the road to that outcome – in which case you might want to sign Ed’s e-petition as well. I’ve been very happy to sign both,
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I must say I’ve been disappointed at the lack of ambition by the RSPB. If they were interested they could have had a poster up at the RSPB reserve I was at today. I could add many things the RSPB could do that Gavin could not.
Please extract the digit, RSPB.
I’ve supported both petitions but wish there was more hard hitting, despite the improvement we have seen in the past year.
If the RSPB are supporting Ed Hutchins petition, they are not very effective.
Dave – or else this approach really doesn’t have many supporters.
Mark, I do believe there is a significant mass of members who would act as directed, if given a loud and clear message Mark.