British Prime Minister Tony Blair was given high marks in many quarters for his recent remarks in support of animal research and against violent animal rights extremism. But an editorial in the Daily Telegraph rightly pointed out that for all of its sudden concern over pharmaceutical companies fleeing the country, the Labor Party has no one to blame but itself for encouraging animal rights extremism.
The Telegraph wrote,
But who encouraged the political atmosphere in which “unlawful protests” by animal activists have recently thrived? The Government . . . itself. The Government is pursuing its hunting ban on the basis of spurious claims about cruelty that are not supported by the report that the Government itself commissioned. Only recently it has started work on a “Bill of Rights for animals”. It is a huge step and a major error. Ultimately it may lead to the point where we — pet owners, scientists and fisherman alike — will have to prove that we have treated animals well, presumed guilty until proved innocent. . . .
Labour has financial reasons for having pursued this line. The political Animal Lobby gave the party “an Ecclestone” (pounds 1 million) in 1996 and may have given a further sum more recently that has not yet had to be declared. The Government’s own attitude has sustained “unlawful demonstrations”. . . .
Mr. Blair needs to show leadership and moral consistency about the treatment of animals. This is not an issue in which, to use the Least of New Labour of metaphors, he can run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.
Frankly, despite some recent promising public relations turns, it is not clear at all that the Labor government has any sort of consistent policy in mind to address animal rights extremism. Hearing Blair defend science and seeing Brian Cass and others in the pharmaceutical industry recognized was nice, but so far Blair doesn’t seem to have much in the way of concrete proposals to make his vision of science in the UK a reality.
Source:
Labour dogged by hypocrisy. The Daily Telegraph, May 24, 2002.