[ SHOWGSD-L ] AP Interview: Animal rights party poised for historic win in Dutch elections
- From: "Ginger Cleary" <cleary1414@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Showgsd-L@Freelists. Org" <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Pet-Law@Yahoogroups. Com" <pet-law@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 19 Nov 2006 14:03:58 -0500
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Here is where we are headed if we do not wake up, and get a grip on our US
politics.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/19/europe/EU_POL_Netherlands_Animals_
Party.php
AP Interview: Animal rights party poised for historic win in Dutch
elections
The Associated Press
Published: November 19, 2006
E-Mail Article
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: The Roman emperor Caligula is fabled to have made
his horse a senator. The Dutch Party for Animals won't go that far, but
looks set to score a milestone in elections Nov. 22 by becoming the first
animal rights party in Europe to have its own lawmaker.
"We see this as a follow-up to liberating slaves, giving rights to women,
and finally giving rights to animals," says party leader Marianne Thieme.
The Party for the Animals is poised to win at least one, and possibly two
seats in the Dutch parliament ? another coup for a country known for
progressive legislation on decriminalizing and regulating euthanasia, soft
drugs and prostitution.
"We want a constitutional amendment, guaranteeing animals the right to
freedom from pain, fear, and stress caused by humans," said Thieme, 34, in
an interview with The Associated Press.
Her party, known by its Dutch acronym PvdD, has adopted a down-to-earth
program, sidelining more radical activists who would like to mandate
vegetarianism and forbid zoos.
Its central aims are promoting "biological" farming practices ? such as
giving animals a minimal amount of living space ? and discouraging the most
inhumane of industrial farming practices, such as castration or slaughter
without anesthesia.
Those goals are already endorsed by most political parties, but Thieme
said support for her group has swelled since it was formed in 2002, as
politicians failed to make animal welfare a priority.
"They say: people are more important. People should come first. But if you
always follow that line of reasoning, animals never make it onto the
agenda," she said.
The PvdD is one of 24 parties qualifying to stand for election, but only
about 10 are likely to win seats. In 2003, PvdD drew 48,000 votes, just shy
of the roughly 50,000 needed for a seat in the 150-member legislature.
In the most recent polls, the party stands to win around 130,000-140,000
votes, enough for two seats.
"Suddenly all the political parties are talking about animals," she said.
"We're winning voters from them."
She says PvdD supporters not only come from the left, but also include
traditional supporters of Christian parties who feel animal abuse is
contrary to their values. Some likely voters are working-class pet owners
with a strong feeling for "social justice," many who have never voted
before.
"They say, I don't know what politics is. But I know what I want: I want
to vote for animals," Thieme said. "I know that I care for them, I know
they're abused, and that the violent way we treat animals says something
about our society."
She said the broader movement suffered a setback after the murder of
populist politician Pim Fortuyn in 2002 by an animal rights activist. The
PvdD rejects violence, she said.
Animal rights parties exist in other western countries, notably Germany,
and environmentalist parties that endorse animal-friendly policies have
booked political successes around Europe.
Thieme said success in the Netherlands could help the movement elsewhere.
"One of our purposes is to be an inspiration for other countries and animal
rights activists," Thieme said.
She also credits her party's strength to a backlash against intensive
farming in a country that is one of the world's biggest meat producers and
has seen three massive outbreaks of animal disease in the past decade.
The worst was an outbreak of bird flu three years ago that led to the
slaughter of 30 million chickens and infected 89 people, killing one. The
government culled livestock and even ordered children's pet birds be handed
over for gassing to control the spreading disease ? a public relations
disaster.
On issues that are not obviously animal-related, the PvdD will vote to
"protect the weakest members of society," Thieme said.
Once it achieves its goal of a constitutional amendment, she said her
party may simply dissolve itself. Or it may push the philosophical debate
further.
"Let's begin with easing the suffering of the hundreds of millions of
cows, pigs and chickens stuck in factory farming," she said. "After that, if
there are people who want to stand up for the mosquitoes, then we'll talk
about it."
.
__,_._,___
Ginger Cleary, Rome, GA
Never underestimate the ability of the hypocritical to hoodwink the
sanctimonious. www.rihadin.com
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