I'm the Hen Ferchetan. This is my take on the world through the eyes of Wales. While mostly about Welsh politics (that most famous of dour topics!) I try to scatter some humour around, but I doubt anyone but me will find it funny! Have a read, and if it bores you then feel free to never come back!

Monday 21 July 2008

Words of Advice

Early Day Motions are a bizarre tool of the London Parliament. They're basically way for MP's to make statements about anything and everything they want to. EDM's in the past few days have go from the USA's use of Music as torture (claiming it to be an infringement of the musicians human rights), the removal of US nukes from UK soil and congratulating Lewis Hamilton on winning the British Grand Prix!

Two EDM's this week should raise a few eyebrows down in the Bay. They are signed by, among others, 7 Labour MP's representing Welsh constituencies. Chief protagonists it seems are ex-First Secretary Alun Michael and Paul Flynn. The text of the first EDM is:
That this House congratulates the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for his principled stand in rejecting calls for a widespread cull of badgers; notes that the evidence shows that such a cull would do nothing to help eradicate bovine tuberculosis and would be likely to make matters worse; considers that he is right to take his decision in accordance with science; and hopes that the Minister for Rural Affairs in the National Assembly for Wales will set aside her intention to allow a cull, and return to an evidence-based approach.

Just in case everyone didn't quite get the message, another EDM was quickly drafted and signed, this one not even trying to appear courteous to Elin Jones and the Welsh Assembly Government:

That this House applauds the courageous decision of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to reject the irrational, evidence-free calls for the mass slaughter of badgers; notes that after a wholesale cull of badgers in the Irish Republic bovine tuberculosis levels are higher there than in Northern Ireland where no cull took place; agrees with the Independent Scientific Group's conclusion, after a 10-year study, that badger culling cannot meaningfully contribute to the future control of bovine tuberculosis; welcomes the Government's search for an effective vaccine; calls on farmers to reduce unnecessary cattle movements that increase the susceptibility of cattle to cattle infections; and regrets the cheap populism of those who demand a cull of badgers that is likely to increase the spread of bovine tuberculosis.
Cheap populism? Ouch!

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