Badger Cull Protest Outside Don Foster's Office, 8 July

Bath Badger Walk and Bath Against the Badger Cull have been posting details of a forthcoming demonstration outside Bath MP Don Foster's office on Monday 8th July.

Don Foster, who last week voted in favour of the badger cull (despite previously voting against it), has enraged local opponents to the cull, some of whom have written to Don to express their disappointment (see here for his response: http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/foster-watch-4-dons-revised-opinion-on.html).

The demonstration will be held outside Don's office at 31 James Street West, Bath, BA1 2BT from 12.30 in the afternoon.

The Facebook event page can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/events/481387925275375/

At the time of posting, 18 people had confirmed that they would be attending, with 27 maybe attending. With several weeks to go, many more may be joining them as word gets out.

This will be the third demonstration in Bath against the badger cull, following demonstrations in October 2012 and in May 2013.

For more on the badger cull, see my in-depth article here: http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/the-badger-cull-what-you-need-to-know.html

For more on Don Foster and recent actions of his that have caused his constituents to cry "shame on you", check out FOSTER WATCH here: http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/p/blog-page.html

Foster Watch #4 - Don's Revised Opinion on the Badger Cull

FOSTER WATCH
is a new series of posts following Bath MP Foster, who is now Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government. Details of Don's voting record can be found at http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?id=uk.org.publicwhip/member/40062&showall=yes#divisions


Don's Revised Opinion on the Badger Cull
Foster Watch has been forwarded two separate e-mails from Don Foster, one from March this year, when he appeared to be against the cull, and one from this week,a reponse from Don to one of his concerned constituents who wrote to him asking why he voted for the badger cull last week:

Don's position in March 2013:

"Dear XXXX

Thank you for getting in touch about the proposed badger cull.

I fully recognise the sensitive nature of this issue. As you can, imagine many of my constituents have contacted me regarding the cull over recent months, and I take their concerns very seriously.

I have written to the Environment Minister a number of times to highlight the strong misgivings my constituents have about the cull, especially regarding the scientific evidence for its efficacy.

I have always had reservations about a cull, and gained permission to abstain from the vote had it gone ahead late last year. I would have been unable to vote against due to my role as a minister.

Like you, I was very disappointed to learn that 3 pilot culls are now due to go ahead following initial postponement. While it is now seems likely that these culls will now go ahead, I will continue to urge that a sustainable strategy to eradicate bovine TB is pursued.

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely,
Don"

And Don's position in June 2013: 

"Dear XXXX 
Many thanks for your email.
I recognise that the proposed badger cull is an emotive issue, and I appreciate that you, like so many of my constituents, feel passionately about this subject.

My party has long supported animal welfare and I previously have expressed my concerns about the cull. The idea of culling even a single badger is naturally deeply distressing; however, as a Government we have decided that we cannot stand by and do nothing to help the cattle which become infected by bovine TB every year. During last year alone, 28,000 cattle were slaughtered in England as a bovine TB control measure. It is a trend that cannot be allowed to continue.

The planned badger cull that is due to take place this summer is a trial only, and is designed to have a positive impact on the spread of bovine TB. Any decision to extend the cull to other parts of England will be wholly dependent upon the successful outcomes of the two pilot areas. Crucially, I now believe that results of the trials will help inform the scientific debate around the efficacy of a wider cull. Despite my initial concerns, I have been comforted by the fact that the British Veterinary Association believe that a trial cull is required in the fight against bovine TB.

Notwithstanding, I maintain that we need to consider all the current tools available to us to halt the spread of bovine TB and it is reassuring that the Government is equally aware of the need to apply other control measures alongside these cull trials. That is why from 1st January 2013, better controls on cattle movements as part of a new bovine TB surveillance testing regime have come into force.

Ideally, I would like a science-led vaccination programme to be implemented, provided that we were certain that this would have a credible and lasting impact on bovine TB. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has invested heavily in the development of effective cattle vaccines for over a decade, and over the next four years we plan to invest a further £9.3 million in this area. Unfortunately however, cattle vaccination is currently prohibited under EU law.

Although Defra is in discussion with the European Commission about the necessary steps for allowing TB cattle vaccines, it is likely that it will take several years, rather than months, for a change in the law. The vaccination of badgers meanwhile poses various practical challenges, as the badgers themselves must first be trapped and the process of injected vaccination must be repeated every year. An oral badger vaccine is also many years away. However, the Badger Vaccine Deployment Project, funded by Defra, is currently ongoing in Gloucestershire, and we remain hopeful this too will have an important impact in tackling the disease.

I hope this response helps to reassure you that the Government is considering every available option in our struggle against bovine TB.

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

Don"

So in the space of a few months, Don has gone from being disappointed that the cull is going to go ahead, to voting for it? Where was his engagement with the public to get their permission to vote against it? Most likely he was whipped into it - in which case he should have stuck by his principles and rebelled. We can't allow this man to change his mind without discussing it with us first. Who is he representing - the people of Bath or the Lib Dems (or even the Tories)?

More on the badger cull: The Badger Cull - What You Need to Know

Foster Watch
1. Badger Cull and Tuition Fees
2. Decarbonisation Targets and NHS Reforms 
3. Climate Change in the National Curriculum

4. Don's Revised Opinion on the Badger Cull

Disclaimer

Standing Stone's Blog and Foster Watch is an independent blog that is not affiliated with, nor endorses, any political party or general electoral candidate currently in existence. It maintains that all leadership and authority should be questioned and seeks to do just that.

 

Foster Watch #3 - Climate Change in the National Curriculum

FOSTER WATCH
is a new series of posts following Bath MP Foster, who is now Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government. Details of Don's voting record can be found at http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?id=uk.org.publicwhip/member/40062&showall=yes#divisions


Climate Change in the National Curriculum

Education Secretary Michael Gove wants to downgrade the issue of climate change in the National Curriculum http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/may/02/michael-gove-climate-change-curriculum

Of course, with the planet headed for disaster, more than ever we need to make sure our children our taught about climate change in school.

A concerned correspondent wrote to Don Foster and received this reply:

"Dear XXXX

Many thanks for getting in touch about climate change and the National Curriculum.

Liberal Democrats would not accept a National Curriculum that didn’t cover climate change.  This draft one does, in the Science Curriculum, which states that children should learn about “the production of carbon dioxide by human activity and the impact on climate”, before the age of 14.  Climate change will not be removed from the National Curriculum on our watch.

This is a draft National Curriculum, which has been out for consultation.  There is every opportunity to push for changes if people feel that climate change should be covered in other subjects besides science.

However, it is right to slim down the curriculum to be less prescriptive and to focus on the essentials, including climate change,  that children need to learn.

A slimmed down National Curriculum gives teachers more freedom to adapt their lessons to the individual children in their class – so it’s very likely teachers will choose to teach climate change in other subjects as well and there is nothing we would do to stop them doing this.  It is very hard to see how teachers could follow the Geography curriculum, for example, without talking about climate change.

I hope this offers you some reassurance."

Does this reassure that Don is doing all he can to include climate change in the National Curriculum? Foster Watch is not convinced, and does not find Don's answer satisfactory in the slightest.

Foster Watch
1. Badger Cull and Tuition Fees
2. Decarbonisation Targets and NHS Reforms 
3. Climate Change in the National Curriculum
4. Don's Revised Opinion on the Badger Cull

Disclaimer

Standing Stone's Blog and Foster Watch is an independent blog that is not affiliated with, nor endorses, any political party or general electoral candidate currently in existence. It maintains that all leadership and authority should be questioned and seeks to do just that.

National March Against the Badger Cull in London

Nation March Against the Badger Cull, London, 1st June 2013

With the mounting criticism of the government's policy of culling badgers to combat TB, it was only a matter of time before a huge demonstration took place in London.

A large group of badger activists set off from Bristol on a coach, stopping near Bath to collect members of Bath Against the Badger Cull, and headed up to London for the day. The atmosphere on the coach was vibrant as people got to know each other, and a team set about painting people's faces with black and white facepaint. Almost every was dressed appropriately for the day in black and white, with many "Stop the Cull" t-shirts and badger masks on board.

Arriving at the start of the demonstration outside Tate Britain, we were greeted warmly by a crowd of around 2000 people dressed as badgers. As some one put it - "There's never been so many badgers in London!". A range speakers from various organisations addressed the crowd, including Queen guitarist Brian May. See the video below for some of these speeches and footage of the march.

The march then set off with banners and placards raised, good spirits and lots of chanting, as well as sound system on wheels with a painted wooden badger on top.

The march was diverted at the end, and so we didn't go past parliament, due to a BNP demonstration taking place at the same time. Following the march, many headed to St James's Park for a picnic, while others, including Bath and Bristol activist, went on to picket the DEFRA office. On the way, we passed the pitifully small BNP demonstration, and some dressed as badgers chased a few of the fascists hanging around nearby.

For more on the badger cull, see: The Badger Cull - What You Need to Know

Bath Badger Lovers Walk - Opposing the Cull

Badger Cull demonstration outside the Guildhall in Bath

 Following a previous demonstration against the badger cull in the city centre, around 25 badger activists took to the streets on 6th May bank holiday to protest the cull. Organised by Bath Badger Walk and promoted by Bath Against the Badger Cull, the demonstration sought to publicise the negative impact of the cull and provide advice on how to combat it.

Starting out at the Guildhall, the badgerists then hit Milsom Street armed with leaflets, placards and a badger puppet and engaged with the public about the badger cull. A nice surprise was found at Lush, who had a Stop The Cull box displayed in the window.

Stop the Cull box in the Bath Lush window

Finally, the roving demonstration moved to Starbucks to protest against their sourcing of milk from the cull zones. The manager was annoyed at our presence, but no security or police came to move us on (it should be noted that since this demo took place, Starbucks has stopped sourcing milk from the cull zones).

With the anti-cull campaign gaining momentum, demonstrations such as this are only going to attract more and more people. Cull supporters of Bath - beware!

For more on the badger cull, see The Badger Cull - What You Need to Know

Visions for Change 2013 a success!

At 11am on 28th May this year, Visions for Change opened its doors to the public after months of planning., bringing together around 30 different radical groups active in the Bath area, along with a whole day of speakers, a radical photography exhibition and a vegetarian cafe. From the second you entered, it was apparent that Bath People's Assembly had worked hard to improve on last year's event.

Since the first Visions for Change in April 2012, much has changed in the landscape of radical activity in Bath. New groups such as BARF, Bath Against the Badger Cull and South West Food Not Bombs have been set up, and new initiatives such as Forum Bath and Open Cafe have been started. Many groups have worked much more closely together in the last 12 months than previously, and there has been a boost to membership of some groups. Visions for Change Bath even inspired a similar project in Norwich, which is still going today.

Fast forward to 2013 and there were too many groups in Bath with "visions for change" to fit in the large upstairs room of the Bath Friends' Meeting House and have a section for speakers, and so the speakers were given the entire basement room, complete with a video screen for presentations and short films.

While the talks varied between experienced speakers and those who had never spoken in public for, the message coming from all of them was clear - Bath, and the rest of the world, faces some serious issues, including the state of the economy, the environment, the political system, wars and food wastage, and there are ordinary people within our city who are willing to get up and try to do something about it. The main attraction for some was the packed-out talk by veteran film-maker Ken Loach, who showed part of his film 'Spirit of '45' and spoke at length about the attack on the welfare state and the NHS by the current government, and also criticised the current Labour Party for not being as radical as the party under Clement Attlee and claimed that we need a new party of the left. While some may disagree, and point to the Socialist or Green Party as the true party of the left, or that the party system as it is is not the answer, there was widespread agreement amongst the audience that the big three parties have failed us. A (poor quality,but listenable) audio recording of Ken's talk can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8PAQf6rOdE&feature=youtu.be. Some did criticise the shortness of some of the talks and that there was often not enough time for questions, however no-where else in Bath has there been such a variety of radical speakers all in one place - quite an achievement.

Later on, many of the groups met to discuss how they can help each other and work together more closely. Further steps are being planned, and already people are talking about an even bigger event in 2014. With a much bigger turnout than last year, more groups and speakers and more enthusiasm, this annual celebration of radicalness and a wake up call to those wandering in from the street can only get bigger and better. Congratulations to everyone who worked hard to make this a great event, and I'm looking forward to April 2014 already!

Foster Watch #2 - Decarbonisation Targets and NHS Reforms

FOSTER WATCH
is a new series of posts following Bath MP Foster, who is now Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government. Details of Don's voting record can be found at http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?id=uk.org.publicwhip/member/40062&showall=yes#divisions


Decarbonisation

An amendment to the Energy Bill, which would have seen Britain decarbonised by 2030 was defeated by 290 votes to 267 this week in parliament. This would have seen more renewable energy being used, as well as greater usage of technologies such as carbon capture.More info here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jun/04/decarbonisation-target-defeated-energy-bill-vote

Unfortunately the conclusions of our scientists and other experts on the subject require the backing of MPs in order to become policy under the present political system - and so we hope that they do the right thing and vote for the greater good. And many did, but, alas, Don Foster did not. http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2013-06-04a.1387.3&s=speaker%3A24910#g1407.1

Don is, of course, now part of what David Cameron claimed would be the "greenest government ever". Well after trying to sell off our forests, kill thousands of badgers unnecessarily and now this (and let us also not forget Michael Gove's proposals to water down climate change in the national curriculum), they are surely on the right track.

NHS Reforms

It is no secret that since his re-election in 2010, Don has supported the government's NHS reforms, with a few tweaks here and there by his Liberal Democrat peers. Don blames Labour for starting us down the path to privatisation, and while he may be right, he has played a role in pushing us further down that path. If you want to read his views, they can be found here: http://www.donfoster.co.uk/?p=642 

Those present at the Occupy Bath camp in Queen Square on the night of November 4th 2011 will remember his visit, and his prompt exit,saying he needed to go to a "sports event". The photograph of Don at the top of this page was taken that night. However, those occupiers who were still at the camp the following morning were visited by hoards of anti-privatisation campaigners who had been at a 38 Degrees meeting on the NHS reforms on the very night Don visited the camp, and claimed that he was invited but didn't show up. A fuller account of these events can be found here: http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/moving-beyond-this-representative.html

He has turned up to other events to justify his support,including another public meeting organised by 38 Degrees, at which he himself had expected a "pretty hostile" reception. http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/MP-questioned-support-controversial-health/story-15726948-detail/story.html#axzz2VTjf0uO5

Don has ignored the views of a large proportion of his constituents who are opposed to the NHS reforms and voted with the government on his issue. One only needs to look at the election of anti-privatisation RUH Foundation Trust Governor Dominic Tristram to see where Bath stands on this issue.

Foster Watch
1. Badger Cull and Tuition Fees
2. Decarbonisation Targets and NHS Reforms 
3. Climate Change in the National Curriculum
4. Don's Revised Opinion on the Badger Cull 

Disclaimer

Standing Stone's Blog and Foster Watch is an independent blog that is not affiliated with, nor endorses, any political party or general electoral candidate currently in existence. It maintains that all leadership and authority should be questioned and seeks to do just that.

Foster Watch #1 - Badger Cull and Tuition Fees

FOSTER WATCH
is a new series of posts following Bath MP Foster, who is now Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government. Details of Don's voting record can be found at http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?id=uk.org.publicwhip/member/40062&showall=yes#divisions


The Badger Cull

Today it was revealed that Don voted in favour of the badger cull - see here to find out how all MPs voted: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/hansard/commons/todays-commons-debates/read/unknown/186/

Previously, Don signed Early Day Motion 1591, which reads: 'That this House notes the encouraging downward trend in bovine TB incidence in England and Wales; urges the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs not to put these improvements at risk by culling badgers; further urges the Secretary of State to follow the peer-reviewed advice of the Independent Scientific Group to concentrate on improving and rigidly enforcing cattle-based controls and testing procedures in order to bring the disease under control; and calls on the Secretary of State to take account of the opportunities now offered by successful badger vaccination trials and to prepare the way with Brussels for the earliest possible application and introduction of cattle vaccines that offer the only real long-term solution.' http://www.donfoster.co.uk/?p=635

By voting in this manner, Don is now among those responsible for ConDemning badgers to death, when our top scientists have concluded that it will make "no meaningful contribution" to controlling TB in cattle. Although it is possible that the government would have gone ahead with the cull even if they had lost the vote, this site maintains that although it may have harmed his political career, voting against the cull would have been the right thing to do.

Conservative MP Tracey Crouch rebelled against her party's three-line whip yesterday and voted against the cull - because she did her research and decided that it was the right thing to do. Don should have followed her example.http://www.kentnews.co.uk/news/mp_tracey_crouch_defies_party_whip_in_battle_against_badger_cull_1_2225038

More on the badger cull here: http://standingstonesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/the-badger-cull-what-you-need-to-know.html

Tuition Fees

Don signed the 'Vote for Students' pledge - signed by over 1000 candidates in the 2010 general election, including all 57 Liberal Democrat MPs that were elected into office following the election. However, Don broke the pledge and voted for a rise in tuition fees http://www.libdemvoice.org/tuition-fees-how-liberal-democrat-mps-voted-22346.html

It should be noted that 21 Lib Dem MPs did keep their word, including high-profile MPs such as former leaders Menzies Campbell and Charles Kennedy.

Speaking to the Bath Chronicle, Don claimed "Had my vote helped to defeat the government, the coalition would have collapsed." The full article is here: http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Don-Foster-votes-Government-tuition-fees-rise-approved/story-11336467-detail/story.html#axzz2VNi2JBhE

This sparked outrage from the students in Bath - a small city with two universities - and his indecision prior to the vote sparked a protest outside his office: www.thisisbath.co.uk/Protest-planned-outside-MP-Don-Foster-s-office-tuition-fees/story-11320295-detail/story.htm

Don lost a lot of trust from the students and may never win it back. 

Foster Watch
1. Badger Cull and Tuition Fees
2. Decarbonisation Targets and NHS Reforms
3. Climate Change in the National Curriculum
4. Don's Revised Opinion on the Badger Cull

Disclaimer
Standing Stone's Blog and Foster Watch is an independent blog that is not affiliated with, nor endorses, any political party or general electoral candidate currently in existence. It maintains that all leadership and authority should be questioned and seeks to do just that.