Guess why the Coalition is afraid to ban circus animals? The Human Rights Act
A jumping lion in St Petersburg (Photo: Reuters)By Pete Wedderburn Health and lifestyle
May 20th, 2011
from: The Morning Telegraph, UK
Pete Wedderburn qualified as a vet twenty-five years ago, and now spends half his working life writing newspaper columns. He lives in Ireland with his wife, two daughters and a menagerie of dogs, cats, poultry and other furry and feathered companions.picture
A jumping lion in St Petersburg (Photo: Reuters)
The Coalition government seems to be digging an entirely unnecessary hole for itself over an issue that should be a no-brainer: the banning of wild animals in circuses.
Last week, the Coalition Government stated that it was loathe to legislate because the Austrian Government had recently been taken to court for its “attempt” to ban wild animals in circuses.
When supporters of the ban investigated this claim, they discovered that, in fact, there was no legal challenge involving the Austrian Government’s circus ban. The Austrian ban has been firmly in place for over six years and other European countries such as Denmark have implemented similar bans without challenge.
Yesterday, when the Defra Minister, Jim Paice, was put under intense pressure to explain the Government’s position he admitted that comments made regarding the Austrian legal case were incorrect. To scoffing laughter from MPs, he then went on to say that legal advice suggested that a total ban “might well be seen as disproportionate action under the European Union Services Directive and under our own Human Rights Act.”
The government seems to be scrabbling around desperately, looking for excuses not to take action. Labour’s Mary Creagh was right to describe the government’s approach as “an all-singing, all-dancing disaster”.
It’s now over a year since DEFRA published the results of a public consultation into the subject. The results were unequivocal: 94.5 per cent of those responding supported a complete ban on wild animals in circuses. Recent surveys of public opinion have provided more support for a change in the law. A recent independent online poll carried out by YouGov asked impartial participants aged over 18 to what extent they would support or oppose a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses: 72 per cent of the public backed a ban with only 8 pe rcent against. Meanwhile, a recent poll by ADI also found strong support for a ban in the House of Commons with 63 per cent of MPs in favour and 14 per cent against.
Is the Government deliberately trying to be unpopular?
The Coalition government seems to be digging an entirely unnecessary hole for itself over an issue that should be a no-brainer: the banning of wild animals in circuses.
Last week, the Coalition Government stated that it was loathe to legislate because the Austrian Government had recently been taken to court for its “attempt” to ban wild animals in circuses.
When supporters of the ban investigated this claim, they discovered that, in fact, there was no legal challenge involving the Austrian Government’s circus ban. The Austrian ban has been firmly in place for over six years and other European countries such as Denmark have implemented similar bans without challenge.
Yesterday, when the Defra Minister, Jim Paice, was put under intense pressure to explain the Government’s position he admitted that comments made regarding the Austrian legal case were incorrect. To scoffing laughter from MPs, he then went on to say that legal advice suggested that a total ban “might well be seen as disproportionate action under the European Union Services Directive and under our own Human Rights Act.”
The government seems to be scrabbling around desperately, looking for excuses not to take action. Labour’s Mary Creagh was right to describe the government’s approach as “an all-singing, all-dancing disaster”.
It’s now over a year since DEFRA published the results of a public consultation into the subject. The results were unequivocal: 94.5 per cent of those responding supported a complete ban on wild animals in circuses. Recent surveys of public opinion have provided more support for a change in the law. A recent independent online poll carried out by YouGov asked impartial participants aged over 18 to what extent they would support or oppose a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses: 72 per cent of the public backed a ban with only 8 pe rcent against. Meanwhile, a recent poll by ADI also found strong support for a ban in the House of Commons with 63 per cent of MPs in favour and 14 per cent against.
Is the Government deliberately trying to be unpopular?
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