Please help us bring animal abusers to justice...
Our harrowing Farm Animal Investigation at Bagshaws' Slaughterhouse, and the sentencing of Anthony Bagshaw as a result of our evidence, has been widely reported across the media yesterday and today. With so many animals in our care, complex and long term investigations are difficult to fund and to organise. It would be easy to give up and become a 'traditional' animal sanctuary but it is very important to us that we continue to raise awareness of the dreadful conditions for animals that we find in too many farms and slaughterhouses across the country, and also expose those who commit acts of cruelty and violence towards defenceless animals. If you are able to spare a donation, however small, towards our Animal Investiations, please please click the link below. When we achieve a successful investigation such as this one, it is only made possible with the help of our supporters. https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=DHHMRGTBH6QKG Thank you very much from all at Hillside Please see below for links to the Bagshaws Investigation in the press... BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-37159311 Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3754444/Cruel-slaughterhouse-worker-caught-undercover-footage-kicking-pigs-face-hurling-sheep-against-metal-gate-jailed.html METRO http://metro.co.uk/2016/08/23/barbaric-slaughterhouse-worker-jailed-after-being-filmed-crushing-and-stamping-on-screaming-animals-6085433/ ITV http://www.itv.com/news/central/2016-08-23/man-jailed-after-abhorrent-show-of-animal-cruelty/ The Sun https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1659789/barbaric-abattoir-worker-caught-on-secret-camera-kicking-and-knee-dropping-pigs-and-sheep/ Daily Express http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/703069/cruel-slaughterhouse-worker-jailed-10-months-extreme-animal-cruelty-video Hillside is home to 1600 Rescued Horses, Ponies and Donkeys, 300 Rescued Cows, 600 Sheep and Goats, 200 Pigs and lots of other animals. Hillside Animal Sanctuary Hill Top Farm Hall Lane Frettenham Norwich NR12 7LT Telephone 01603 736200 www.hillside.org.uk Patron: Martin Shaw
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Early in May 2016 we posted a reported titled "Give women in Safe Houses the right to vote" [http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/your-voice/give-women-in-safe-houses-the-right-to-vote] It was regarding a petition and this is what it said: TO: ELECTORAL COMMISSION Wednesday we have received the following update. Success is a whisper away but please keep sharing the petition and signing: Women living in safe houses are one step closer to being able to vote - thanks to a petition signed by you and 20,000 other 38 Degrees members. NOTE: There is also a petition on the government website-sign and share somit will get debated in the House of Commons - https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/131305
This is not a discussion but a polemic rant.
Folk have asked me, why a nice middle class man like you is so angry and such a left wing socialist. The answer is easy, its class and it’s always been class. It's quite simple there is a ruling class, the establishment, call it what you will and they have always been in charge. They have continually buggered up people’s lives even in that past rose-coloured dawn of the 50 – 70s. There were still bloody awful employers and rulers who would have screwed us all but it suited all political parties to keep us sweet after all we had done for them. If you want to know what work was like though ask any old man who was in the building trade or some god awful factory. I worked some of them and also saw my old man come home knackered from a day's work So what do I know about it. Well I packed up school on my 15th birthday and as I’d played truant for most of that year they were glad to let me go. And this was a lad who could have had a scholarship to Christ Hospital but thankfully didn’t. I'd have missed mum too much. And for the next 25 years I worked at everything from demolition, selling insurance, plumbers mate to managing Audio Club of Britain and one thing for sure was that all employers would try and grab you. Now I was lucky enough always willing to give them the rods and move on and there was always something to do or the trade union was good and looked after me. But no job was great. Yes we had fun and I did in all the jobs I did, but most of it was due to great comrades at work. Then I got lucky, got an education, thank you Jenny Lee. Margaret Thatcher said her regret as education chief was that she got there too late to stop th OU. Now look at it. Can anybody afford it? I then got into teaching and adult education; just at the time people were saying “Management has the right to manage”. Well no they don’t!! They only have the right to manage with the consent of those they are managing, anything else is coercion. And I was still needed as a union rep to stop bullying managers who worked on behalf of the employers, the government and therefore the ruling class. Why? How? It’s simple, it’s called Hegemony. The ruling class own the set of ruling ideas and from the concept of private ownership of the mean's of production to the idea that bankers, employers and financiers are above the (Phillip French), they own the ruling culture as well. And yes it still makes me angry and until I can no longer do it I will take action where I can, visit picket lines and go on demos. Yes it’s sometimes tougher as you get older but as that marvellous woman La Passionnara once said; “its better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.” And from the age of 16 I was always involved in politics and trade unions. And one thing about trade union and political leaders that is common; they are like football teams, they always let you down. And that’s what members are for, to make sure they keep to their (our) principles. So that’s also why we need leaders with principles. The idea of softening principles to gain power is ludicrous and unworkable. What’s the point with gaining power? Can you change your principles once you get into power? Redraw your manifesto? “Oh sorry electorate, I didn’t mean that, I meant this.” I think not. After all Blair never did. Many thanks to Mike Parsons http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/your-voice/brussels-does-not-rule-britain-the-ruling-class-does Yesterday, I went to Owen Smith’s event (I can’t really call it a rally as I’m not sure 100 people sitting in a room constitutes that…)
As I’m sure you’re aware, I am a big Corbyn supporter. So why did I go? Well, there are a few reasons. First of all, I think its important to hear both sides of an argument. I was pretty certain that Smith wouldn’t change my mind, but I felt it was important to hear what he had to say. Also, all I’d heard from Smith supporters, were reasons not to vote for Jeremy, rather than why I should vote for Owen in particular. I thought going to his rally would change that, and maybe I’d hear some genuine reasons to vote for him (I thought wrong, as it turns out, but we’ll go into that later on). Thirdly, although I am a relatively new member, I have always been a Labour supporter, and who runs our party is an important thing. If Jeremy loses the contest, Smith will be the new leader. I felt it’d be good to know what that leader is about. So, my friend and I decided to go along. We’d spent the morning on a Momentum stall in a nearby ward of our constituency, handing out Jeremy leaflets. We headed over, and out of respect, removed our Corbyn badges. There were, as we counted, about 100 people present. I was struck by the difference in atmosphere to the room where Smith was about to talk, to the rally held by Corbyn in Leeds a few weeks prior. Now, this may be because I am a Corbyn supporter or it may just be how it is, but I felt a sort of electricity in the air at the rally in Leeds. People were talking to the people next to them, asking where they’d come from, discussing how they’d become a Corbyn supporter etc. However at Owen’s rally, I didn’t feel anything in the air. No excitement. No hope. No excited talking and sharing stories. Owen finally came on stage. A couple of people stood up and cheered. Again, I was struck at the difference in reaction to Owen entering the room at his event, compared to Jeremy entering the room at his. The room took 5 minutes to quieten down after Jeremy’s arrival, which shows the optimism and hope that Jeremy brings with him into politics. Owen spoke of his upbringing in Wales, how he came to be involved in politics. He spoke about how he didn’t vote for Jeremy last year but took on the role as Shadow Secretary for the DWP as he felt they should ‘make a go of it’. He spoke about how it was him, not Jeremy, who secured the U turns on welfare policies over the past 10 months. However, under Jeremy’s leadership we have become a party that vote against things, not just abstain on them. Would we have fought as hard against these welfare bills if the leadership had asked the PLP to abstain? If any of the other candidates had won last year, we would still be fighting for an austerity lite agenda. He said that Jeremy had left taking on IDS and Stephen Crabb down to him, and how he’d had no help from Jeremy at all. Well, with all due respect Owen, that was what your job was. You were supposed to take on the DWP, that is the brief of Shadow Secretary for DWP. He said that Jeremy spoke with slogans but took no actions- but then continued to speak in slogans himself (“British New Deal”, and “Anti Austerity, pro- Prosperity” to name but a few). He said that Jeremy wasn’t a leader, and that its all well and good having principles, but if you aren’t in power you can’t do anything about them. He said he was ‘fed up’ of Corbyn supporters claiming moral superiority over the rest of the Labour Party, and that we aren’t morally pure as we think we are, seemingly feeding into the “us and them” rhetoric. When we were allowed to ask questions, a man at the front said that he wasn’t voting for Owen, because Owen was calling for a second referendum, and how would he create a story that would win over Leave voters who traditionally vote Labour. Owen’s response was a list of reasons why we should vote Remain. Owen also said that his principles tell him that we have to fight for the EU- but surely he’d just said that principles don’t lead to power? Owen said that Jeremy and his supporters are talking inwardly, and that they are talking to themselves. However, I would like to compare the demographics of a Jeremy rally compared to Owen’s event. Out of the 100 people there in Halifax, there were maybe 5 young people, and a one or two people from ethnic minorites. People I know who want Jeremy as leader span a huge range of races, socio-economic backgrounds, genders, ages, previous voting habits…I have friends who have never voted, friends who have voted Tory, friends who have voted Lib Dem, friends who have voted Green- all of whom want to join the Labour Party or have joined the Party to become part of the movement created by Jeremy. The only people I know who are voting for Owen are people who would vote for Labour regardless. At the end of the event, I went over to speak to Owen. I introduced myself and said I was a recently elected Town Councillor, and although I was voting for Jeremy, I would really appreciate it if he could denounce the names Corbyn supporters are called, such as Nazi Stormtroopers. Owen: I already have. Me: I haven’t heard you doing so Owen: I have, on national TV. Me: Well I’m sorry but I haven’t heard you say that Owen: well I’ve been called a Red Tory (in hindsight, I wish I’d said at this point that being called a Red Tory and a Nazi are by no means comparable). Me: yes abuse from anyone is wrong, however I’m asking you to publicly denounce the Nazi slurs. You don’t need to be defensive, I’m not attacking you, but that it would mean a lot to a lot of people. Owen: Well it was only one man calling you Nazis! Me: Yes one man but in a national newspaper! Owen: (sarcastically) What would you like me to do- write everyone a letter? Me: Well you could write an email, or put a statement on Facebook or Twitter. All I had wanted him to say was that he was sorry we’d been subject to that and he had tried to denounce it but if we hadn’t heard his statement, he would try and make one more publicly. That would have sufficed. But instead he got defensive and angry like a child. That, to me, is not a leader. It was at this point that my friend cut in and said we had only come to make sure we saw two sides of the argument. He asked her if she was still voting for Jeremy. She said yes. I left the event feeling incredibly disheartened and angry. Owen had done exactly as his supporters have done so far - give a list of ‘reasons’ not to vote for Jeremy but as far as I saw, no concrete reasons to vote for him. He lazily repeated criticisms of Jeremy such as ‘he’s a bad leader’ and ‘he hasn’t gone far enough’ with no way to back up those broad statements. And the way he handled my comment about denouncing Nazi Stormtrooper slurs was incredibly childish and petty. He got defensive very quickly - a trait which I don’t think would play out very well with the public or at PMQs. He had some good policies, but they were all policies Jeremy has already said himself. I compared this to how I felt leaving the rally in Leeds a few weeks back. Heart full of hope, feeling optimistic about the future. Everyone you walked past when leaving was talking about how enthused and emotional they felt. I commend Smith on his apparent switch to socialism and ‘radical’ policies, of which most are identical to Jeremy. I also hope that whoever wins, the other agrees to work alongside him. We are all supposed to be the same party, after all. Jeremy is often criticised by his opponents for not being a leader, however what a leader actually is is never quantified. What is this miraculous leadership quality they are all looking for? Did Ed Miliband have it, in their eyes? Did Tony Blair? Owen claims that Jeremy speaks in slogans and not with actions, but I could not disagree with him more. For the first time in a long time, with Jeremy as leader, the Labour Party has a clear direction and is a distinct opposition party. That, for me, sounds like pretty good leadership. Many thanks to Beth "I'm Beth, and I am a proud socialist, a proud feminist and a proud northerner. All views are my own. Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts." Check out her blog here https://reflectionsofayounglefty.wordpress.com/2016/08/21/so-i-went-to-an-owen-smith-event/ Hereford is the most rural diocese in England, it is good hunting country and a recent expose of the Hereford hunt by the Hunt Investigation Team (HIT) resulted in five people being arrested and charged with animal cruelty. (Hunt Investigation Team expose of south Hereford hunt throwing live fox cubs to a kennel full of hounds. https://www.youtube.com/embed/iwwfwUsLDEY) With the horrific footage raw in mind, a HIT supporter wrote to the Archdeacon of Hereford about the Church and hunting. The Team posted the following comment on their Facebook page last week. “We are concerned by the Archdeacon of Hereford’s response to a HIT supporter's email about hunting. We suspect a tinge of bias here. What do others think? If you have concerns, please raise them politely with the Archdeacon, and support us in asking individual churches to prevent suffering and pledge not to host hunt meets on their land.” (Hunt Investigation Team August 2016) Below is the Archdeacon’s reply which is not exactly what anyone expected. "Your case can be made by speaking to people, as I am sure you do, and writing to them to persuade them that your views are correct. Hunt supporters would no doubt tell you that hunting foxes with dogs is at least as humane as shooting, trapping or poisoning them. They would therefore hold that hunting foxes is consistent with animal welfare (and certainly promotes the welfare of poultry, lambs and even on rare occasions human babies). Other people however are dismayed at the sight of horsemen and hounds tracking down and killing foxes. This dismay is not always motivated by love of foxes. It sometimes grows from dislike of privilege, or from a principled repudiation of killing for sport. As I said, both views are represented in church, and in each case the people concerned would claim to be acting in the interests of animal welfare. There is no contradiction in the church’s refusal to take a side officially, Best wishes, Paddy" Tel: 01432 373316 Fax 01432 352952 Email: archdeacon@hereford.anglican.org bishopofhereford@hereford.anglican.org Open letter to the Archdeacon of Hereford. Dear Archdeacon, I read with incredulity and alarm your comments regarding hunting with dogs, an activity that has been illegal for several years, particularly in light of events in Hereford where an investigation revealed video evidence showing live fox cubs being apparently thrown to young hounds at the South Herefordshire hunt kennels. The video caused nationwide revulsion and condemnation of a cruel and sadistic practice. This evidence is currently the subject of a criminal investigation. I was raised as a Christian but it is difficult today to consider myself a religious believer when I see a representative of the Church such as yourself showing a total lack of concern for God’s creatures. My Christian education as a child taught me to follow the example of Christ in loving my neighbour, treating others as myself and valuing kindness, compassion and decency above material concerns. To read then a response from you stating that opposition to hunting 'sometimes grows from dislike of privilege' reaffirms my view that the Church is out of touch. Polo is a sport practised in the main by privileged members of society, as are many equestrian pastimes. If the assertion regarding privilege were correct, would it not be reasonable to imagine a number of people objecting to these sports? I would counter that the vast majority of people object to hunting due to the horrific suffering it inflicts on sentient wild animals who I presume you believe to be part of God's creation. Be assured, Archdeacon, three quarters of the country are against hunting with packs of dogs. Surely, even the most ardent of supporters of this cruel form of entertainment could not accuse ALL of us of being jealous of privilege? My personal opposition to the violent, bloodthirsty and cruel practice of hunting with dogs stems purely from a sense of compassion and pity for a vulnerable wild creature who has a hard enough time simply trying to survive without being persecuted mercilessly by a pack of braying fools on horses. Wild foxes rarely survive beyond 18 months anyway, most die on the roads, but those that survive should surely be left to live their lives in peace. The Burns report, which resulted in the hunting ban, was at pains to be impartial, yet Lord Burns was unequivocal in hisfindings that hunting severely compromises the welfare of wild animals. (Not to mention the welfare of the dozens of pets killed by rampaging hounds annually, and the hounds themselves shot in the head or bludgeoned after six seasons when they are no longer deemed fit to hunt.) And it’s not just animals who suffer, those who monitor hunts, including the saboteurs, are regularly harassed, threatened and injured at hunt meets where the atmosphere is one of threat, menace and sadism. I have myself been a victim of hunt trespass, many of us living in the countryside are given little support against hunt bullies who tend to go wherever they wish, and who seemincapable of controlling the large pack of dogs they have let loose in our countryside. My niece, aged 6, was visiting when hounds invaded my land. She was inconsolable when she learned that a wild animal was being pursued to a grisly death, and she was terrified for our pets. I managed to secure our animals inside, but when I asked the hunters to vacate my property I was told in a very un-Christian way that I should be the one to 'leave'. Is this the sort of behaviour the Church now condones? The League Against Cruel Sports employs a number of monitors armed only with cameras to follow the hunts to ensure that the law is not being broken. Recently two of the League’s monitors were attacked by pro hunt thugs. One suffered a broken neck when both men were thrown down an embankment. Last year a young female saboteur was ridden down by a mounted huntsman who did not stop. She suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung, from which she is still recovering. These incidents are by no means isolated, and if corroboration is required, then please, Archdeacon, visit the POWA website, (Protect Our Wild Animals). A quick browse through the list of 'latest hunting news' will show you all of the incidents involving pro hunt law breaking, cruelty and bullying. The list of hunting crimes against animals and humans is enormous. I, for asking the hunt to leave my land, have had dead foxes and hares left at my house. An unpleasant experience I’m sure you will agree. Again, is this sort of menacing intimidation, trespass and cruelty now endorsed by the Church? I notice that you mention the usual pro-hunt arguments and scare mongering. To suggest that human babies are in danger from foxes, and that this is a legitimate reason for those animals to be pursued and torn apart by dogs, is laughable.The pro hunt Daily Mail, from which I’m informed you get your information, is notorious for publishing unverified scare stories and anti-fox propaganda. Perhaps you could use Christ as your example and allow compassion and kindness to guide you rather than the Daily Mail scare stories and lies by put about by those with a hobby to protect. No human has ever been killed by a fox, despite the best efforts of the Countryside Alliance and other pro hunting organisations to publicise any made up story demonising foxes. As for the assertion that hunting is at least as humane as shooting, trapping or poisoning, the experts would beg to differ. The Burns report showed unequivocally, that if an animal MUST be killed, shooting is preferable to hunting from a welfare perspective. Many studies suggest that fox control is unnecessary, but the propaganda against the species by people, including yourselfit seems, who support killing animals for fun, may prejudice others who might otherwise consider leaving our wildlife to live in peace. I also note that you did not mention stag hunting with dogs. Was that because of less opportunity to demonise deer as they are herbivores and cannot be accused of eating children? Compassion is surely a Christian concept that, with advancements in our understanding of sentience and animal psychology, should arguably be extended to other species as God's creation and thus worthy of a degree of respect, rather than a convenient source of 'sport'. Let us remember too, that Cardinal Ratzinger and his predecessor decreed that animals have souls. Fox hunting is anything but humane and the post mortems of four hunted foxes pre Burns showed that hunted foxes die in agony. Perhaps, Archdeacon, instead of identifying with the people who take pleasure in killing harmless wildlife, you could try to imagine the terror of a hunted wild animal used to his wild life in the quiet of the countryside. Suddenly you are confronted by a pack baying hounds, thudding hooves, shouts and horns as you are chased with no escape because your bolt hole has been blocked by the men the day before. Imagine if you can, a small fox who does manage to find a hole in which to hide. Often a gun may be fired into the hole, or a terrier sent down. You have no escape just the sounds of digging and the men’s voices above getting closer and closer to where you are hiding. Eventually, you are dragged out, bludgeoned, shot or thrown to the hounds. Foxes that are caught above ground by the dogs are eviscerated as they fight for their lives. In February 1999, five years before the hunting Bill became law, the hounds of the Chiddingfold, Leconfield & Cowdray Foxhunt scented and chased and caught a fox. Luckily for the fox, Andy the saboteur happened to be there. "When I saw the hounds bite into the fox's backside, I knew I had to do something and the only thing left was to jump in and rescue the fox myself. Grabbing the fox distracted the hounds enough for them to let it go, but the terrified fox bit me and I lost my hold...the fox saw its chance and bolted down a rabbit burrow. Its tail was still poking out, so I sat on the hole to stop the hounds from snapping at it. To my amazement, a policeman lent me his helmet to plug the hole, and refused to let the hunt dig out the fox and kill it. Even the police must have been affected by the plight of this pathetic little creature! Eventually, once the hunt had left, we got the fox into a travelling cage and raced it to the vet's." ‘Copper’, irreverently named after the policeman who helped in the rescue, was examined by wildlife vet, Richard Edwards, who said the fox would have died without prompt treatment. However, its life-threatening condition was not caused by the bites Copper had received, but by extreme stress - caused by the prolonged chase of the hunt. (He had even begun to bleed from his penis, evidence of kidney damage due to trauma or extreme physical exhaustion.) After medical treatment Copper spent some weeks recovering and recuperating in a wildlife hospital. He was released, fit and well, into a non-hunting area in March 1999. http://nwhsa.org.uk/Copper%20leaflet.htm Although illegal today, terriers are still often sent below ground where they fight with a fox in complete darkness. This often results in horrific injuries to both animals. It is a myth that hunting is necessary animal control, in fact it’s an open secret that hunts across the UK rear foxes specifically for the hunting season. This cruel practice waseasily exposed by the League Against Cruel Sports earlier this year when they rescued 16 fox cubs from a barn where they were being reared to ensure a plentiful supply to hunt later in the season. I look forward to your response, Archdeacon, and a decision on whether your Church will allow access to hunts on its land. Very best wishes, Pete This post from Koser Saeed is rather long but well worth reading; I've been doing a little study on comparative voting histories for Jeremy, Owen Smith, Theresa May and Sadiq Khan (well if Sadiq wants to weigh in on the debate then he deserves a little scrutiny as well, wouldn't you agree folks?). I've broken it down into categories for you so you can just pick out the stuff that's important to you if you prefer. It's been a lot of hard work but I've actually found it quite eye opening so it's been well worth it in my opinion. |
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