Thursday, May 19, 2011

Non-existent circus animal lawsuit is another Defra disaster | Damian Carrington (Guardian)

A ban on wild animals performing in UK circuses was not possible due to an
ongoing European legal case, said ministers. But the case doesn't exist yet

"The Defra big top is spinning out of control." That was the verdict of
Labour's Mary Creagh after environment minister Jim Paice suffered a pasting
in the House of Commons today.

Paice had to "clarify" that legal proceedings pitting the European Circus
Association against the Austrian government - used by the government to
justify not banning wild animals from UK circuses - doesn't actually exist
yet.

In a scene reminiscent of secretary of state Caroline Spelman's humiliating
apology for her proposals to sell off England's publicly owned forests, Paice
blamed, extraordinarily, a newspaper for the mistake.

MPs lined up to take potshots. "It's the department for error, failure and
rotten administration," said LibDem Bob Russell, displaying no coalition
solidarity. Labour's Helen Jones said Paice's defence was "pathetic".

Paice fought back. Would Labour have ignored the legal advice of its officials
in government, and if the issue is so vital, why didn't they manage a ban in
13 years? Then, weirdly, he said, if you don't like the idea of elephants ...
Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/91193771?client_source=feed&format=rss

dvc jon stewart bill o reilly hard rock cafe facebook.login danielle staub

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.