Why Labour has become the party of Guns N Roses

EVERY morning, before I sit down and switch on my PC, I take a deep breath.

What upsetting news awaits me? Shall I even bother to switch on and so spare myself the frustration and upset of reading about some gross animal abuse or how certain sections of our society considers animal abuse low priority?

But I can't do that! I care too much about animals to ignore their pain. You see their pain has become my pain, so I can no more close my eyes to it than stop breathing.

This morning I was shocked to hear that Martin Salter MP, who is also a Labour vice-chair, has become a centenary patron for the British Association for Shooting and (so called) Conservation. I mean, how hypocritical is that?

Labour have boasted that it is the only Government to have made vast improvements on animal welfare, yet have it has MPs that support the killing of countless birds and animals for sport.

As for its animal welfare advances, I'll be damned if I can see any that have made any real difference.

I can remember vividly New Labour's pre 1997 leaflet entitled, New Labour - New Life. Most, if not all, its promises were forgotten once it gained that all elusive power.

The party can boast all it likes about how much it has achieved for animals, but live exports are still in full vigour and factory farming is as robust as ever.

Taking some peaceful time out with our dog Holly.

Vivisection has increased dramatically, despite all Labour’s promises to reduce the amount of animals used in horrific experiments, and the ban on hunting with dogs is a wishy-washy piece of legislation.

If Labour had really wanted to ban this barbaric sport, it could have done it quickly and easily before the British Field Sports Society (now the Countryside Alliance) ever had a chance to rear its ugly head. 

It was obvious that the Labour hierarchy didn't really want the ban at all, which is why it dilly dallied for so long, hoping the Lords would throw it out (which they did) and that would be an end to it.

The top brass didn't count on its back benchers and the fury of the animal-loving public demanding it kept its promise, so it had no choice but to ban the activity.

Instead it decided to make it as difficult as possible to enforce. This enabled hunts to find and use any loopholes they could in order to carry on torturing foxes and deer as before. Any hunters found guilty are let off with laughable fines. 

Just recently 25 Asian business men were found guilty of attending an horrific, illegal dog fight, which left two on the combatants screaming in agony.

One of the two dogs had its face ripped off, and the other had horrific injuries to its upper body. Both later died because of the severity of their injuries.

The court heard how dogs used in fights can suffer for anything up to an hour. The beasts that were part of this evil were let off with a lowly fine. 

I find it odd that America has far more severe penalties for animal cruelty than we do. If the same 25 people had been caught for the same crime there, they would have been facing a huge fine of up to £20,000, plus three to four years in jail.

No wonder one of the defendants sniggered in court as sentence was passed. They'd got off with it!

 Enjoying my right to a peaceful walk around Llyn Elsi

So much for Labour’s new animal welfare laws! It meant diddly to those poor dogs.

Labour also decided that hunting would 'not' be a notifiable offence, so any hunter prosecuted would not have a criminal record.

To you and me, it means that laws that apply to us, don't apply to them.

Now after a decade of Labour rule, most of those Labour backbenchers (that were so opposed to hunting with dogs), can now be seen supporting the shooting fraternity.

Labour might like to believe that they're leading the way on animal welfare issues, but in reality they are no better than the Tories.

Mind you, it's become a typical tactic of Labour to run with both the fox and the hounds.

The stupidity of this government is that while it cosies up with the wildlife killers, these same people are trying unseat them.

Another less obvious disappointment of Labour’s inept rule, is that it can't see that by allowing one section of society to kill for fun, it is setting the poor in society a bad example.

Why should inner city kids behave impeccably when Mi’ Lord and his shooting/hunting chums can blast away as many living creatures as they like and get a pat on the back for it?

It's time all the three main parties realised that it only takes a few rotten apples to infect all the others.

Moreover, with AMs and MPs such we have at present, life looks set to get even more grim. That is of course unless you are an abuser of animals.

People like myself who want to enjoy a peaceful walk in the countryside are dismissed without a thought. The fact that we don't want to come across a shoot or hunt in progress doesn't matter to our MPs.

All that matters to them is that they are seen to be doing their job - in other words keeping the status quo. 

What a pity that politics only seems to attract the dull in society, those who would struggle to find fame and fortune in any other sphere.

 It's obviously the power and wealth that they crave, otherwise why do they seem to forget the very people who voted them in?

I can only assume it's because they start to mix with the upper echelons in society and so lose contact with the people that really matter.  

On reflection, perhaps the political party Animals Count (www.animalscount.org) are right about New Labour being the party of Guns and Roses. After all, Labour has shown more support for shooters than their own loyal supporters.