Parliamentary Debate - Ban Driven Grouse Shooting

While we all knew that this long awaited debate would not involve a vote ( what ? a debate without a vote ?  that was a new one for me ) it was never-the -less a major milestone in the battle against raptor persecution and a fantastic achievement for Dr Mark Avery who instigated the petition.

Bizarrely, the debate considered two petitions but only one had over 100,000 signatures.  The pro Grouse shooting petition had only around 30,000 signatures but somehow got in on the act !

There were a number of shocking aspects to this debate -
- The biased introduction which was shamelessly pro-shooting.
- The arrogance and rudeness of the Tory pro-shooting MPs.
- The low number of MPs to speak for the petition to ban driven grouse shooting ( no Lib Dems ! ).

The Tory MPs dominated the early part of the debate with a bombastic tirade about how Grouse shooting protected the uplands - all doubtless prepared for them by the Grouse shooting 'industry'.
They very rudely and wrongly referred to Mark Avery as the 'perpetrator' of the petition and cast further aspersions on the 123,000 signatories of the petition as being somehow wrong in protesting by way of a Parliamentary Petition - a process of course created by Parliament itself !!


One telling exchange went like this -
Richard Arkless, SNP MP for Dumfries and Galloway. ( Law Degree ) -
"Since I was elected to this place, economics has been used to justify dropping bombs, supplying arms, withdrawing tax credits and now killing birds.  Does this place ever come down on the side of morality versus economics, or will it always be the case that if it makes a few quid, it is okay with the Tories ?"
Nigel Adams, Tory MP for Selby and Ainsty (No apparent qualifications. Voted against measures to combat climate change, voted to sell off state-owned forests ).
"I appreciate the hon.Gentlemans intervention, but it is probably one of the most nonsensical I have heard in this Chamber ..."


Caroline Lucas ( Green Party ) spoke well for the BDGS petition but was brief and soon left.

Rachael Maskell ( Labour MP ) spoke well for the opposition front bench but was insufficiently well versed in the whole matter to effectively challenge the misleading and incorrect assertions being dished out by the Grouse shooting lot.

Kerry McCarthy ( Labour MP and former shadow Defra minister ) also spoke passionately but was similarly limited in her detailed knowledge.

Stephen Timms ( Labour MP ) intervened with limited success but his question about Hen Harriers was somehow completely ignored.

Therese Coffey ( Defra ) gabbled her way through some closing remarks, clearly prepared earlier but inadequately practised to get through her words clearly.

And that was it !