For political candidates

The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has launched this dedicated election microsite – Vote for the Voiceless – to allow you to post relevant comments for WSPA UK supporters and people interested in animal welfare issues in the run up to the general election on Thursday, 6 May.

 

Here, we hope that you - the candidates and representatives of the UK's political parties - will take this opportunity to share your animal welfare commitments with some 150,000 plus WSPA UK supporters across the country.

 

The Vote for the Voiceless microsite is for political candidates to read about the animal welfare issues most important to WSPA UK, and publicly sign up to support them. That way, your constituents can get a good idea of your political stance on these issues.

 

You can post your responses to our three questions, by clicking on the ‘candidates’ survey button on the right hand side of this page. Filling in the survey will only take a couple of minutes of your time.

 

Here are the three issues that matter most to WSPA UK – you can read the Q&A’s in full online or download them for your reference.

 

Q: Will you oppose gigantic, intensive indoor dairy farms, like the proposed Nocton Dairies farm in Lincolnshire?

 

Q: Will you press the new Government for a public statement renewing the UK’s support for an end to cruel bear bile farming in Asia?

 

Q: What will your party do to ensure the commercial whaling ban is upheld?

 

 

You may see this poster in WSPA UK supporters’ windows while you are out canvassing. If you do, you will know that animals matter to that voter, so be prepared to be quizzed on these three questions.

 

Finally, thank you to the many candidates who have already responded to us by email. We are in the process of uploading your replies as comments below this article. You may also see your support and comments uploaded to our dedicated WSPA UK Twitter and Facebook pages.

 

Best wishes for your election campaign!

 

Suzi Morris
WSPA UK Director
wspa.org.uk

 

Comments

[John Mason]

Dear Ms Morris

Thank you for your email.

I think you can take it that I am on board for the three specific points you mention and for animal welfare in general.

I personally am very keen on animals and have an excellent Dogs Trust facility in my constituency. In addition I think I was the first Scottish MP to sign up to the BUAV's campaign to have constituency offices only using cleaning products that have not been tested on animals.

Thanks again for being in touch.

Sincerely,

John Mason

Member of Parliament for Glasgow East - Ball-Pàrlamaid airson Glaschu an Ear
Scottish National Party - Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba

[Gordon Prentice]

Count me in.

Gordon Prentice MP
Labour

[Paul Flynn]

Animal welfare is a top priority. I agree with all your aims.

Paul Flynn
Labour - Newport West

[Peter Bottomley]

Thanks – I have a record of supporting these issues quite actively.

Peter Bottomley

MP for Worthing West
House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA

[Chris Foote-Wood]

I agree with all three of your main points

Chris Foote-Wood

Liberal Democrat candidate, Middlesbrough

[Duncan Borrowman]

Thank you for your email. I fully support these campaigns. I am friends with both Chris Gee - Programmes Manager Wildlife, and Paul Rainger, who used to work with me before joining WSPA and then heading off to Forum for the Future.

Duncan Borrowman
Lib Dem PPC Old Bexley & SIdcup

[Henry Bellingham]

Thanks.

This is very helpful.

Regards.

Henry Bellingham
Conservative Party

[Julie Hawkins]

I have been out on the streets campaigning with Greenpeace against whaling and Friends of the Earth against intensive farming in the fix the food chain campaign myself, and I think bear farming is cruel and should be stopped too

Yours

Julie Hawkins
Green Party

[Peter B Thorogood [(Dr)]

I DEPLORE ANIMAL CRUELTY OF ALL KINDS.

WHALING IS UTTERLY OBSCENE.

I DETEST BATTERY HEN PRODUCTION OF EGGS, THE LONG JOURNEYS HERDED ANIMALS ARE MADE TO MAKE IN CRAMPED, POORLY VENTILATED CONDITIONS etc.

I AM VERY MUCH AGAINST HUNTING.

YOU HAVE MY FULL SUPPORT.

SINCERELY

Peter B Thorogood [(Dr) University of St Andrews]
CHAIRMAN
ESSEX/LONDON BRANCH
ENGLISH DEMOCRATS

[John Reardon]

I'm more than happy to sign up to all of this as it's Green Party policy anyway, and is a key part of our campaign as a party. Keep up the good work.

Best wishes,

John Reardon
Green Party candidate for Carlisle

[Ian Wright]

Good luck- I can assure you I totally support your campaign

Ian Wright
Green Party Candidate for Truro and Falmouth

[Alex Berhanu]

As an agricultural-economist who studied zoology and animal husbandry, I will be your ideal candidate to look after your noble plight. I am totally behind your noble idea and count my support... Let 's fight together for all voiceless creatures for fair & green habitat for both two, four, six legged or none legged animals.

Keep in touch.
Alex Berhanu
PPC - for Ilford North

[Alan Whittaker]

Thank you very much for writing to me.

As supporter of WSPA, a member of the Green Party, let me assure you that my commitment to animal welfare and animal rights is total and unequivocal. As a parliamentary candidate, my answers to the specific questions are 1. yes, 2. yes, and 3. a Green government would use every economic, political and diplomatic measure at its disposal to put pressure on countries such as Japan and Norway to cease ALL whaling immediately and permanently.

In any case, you will be well aware of the Green Party's underlying philosophy and published policies covering the whole area of the creatures with which we share our planet, and I trust that they cover all WSPA's aims and aspirations satisfactorily.

Best Wishes

Alan Whittaker
Shrewsbury and Atcham Green Party Parliamentary Candidate

[Ian Lindley]

Totally agree especially the horrors of factory farming compared with the hypocritical furore about fox hunting.

I would be especially interested in hearing of any issues specific to my constituency of North Durham

Thanks for your work

Ian Lindley
PPC for North Durham
Liberal Democrats

[Eric Goodyer]

Should you be listing support on your website or elsewhere I will support all 3 of your objectives

Regards,

Eric Goodyer
Charnwood's Prospective Labour MP

[Graham Elliott]

Thank you for your e-mail with advance notice of your three priorities for this election, of which I am very supportive.

Regards

Graham Elliott
Green Party Parliamentary Candidate for Waveney

[Roy Vickery]

I SHARE YOUR CONCERN.

MY FATHER, NOW 88, HAS BEEN A DAIRY FARMER ALL HIS LIFE, SO HE'S NOT SENTIMENTAL ABOUT ANIMALS, BUT HE FINDS WHAT HAPPENS TO DAIRY COWS TODAY TO BE UPSETTING. I HAVE LARGELY GIVEN UP ON MILK & DAIRY PRODUCTS. THE WELFARE OF DAIRY CATTLE IS MY PRIMARY CONCERN AS AS FAR AS ANIMAL ISSUES GO.

YES AND YES TO YOUR OTHER TWO QUESTIONS.

Thanks for your message,

Roy Vickery
Green Party - Tooting

[Fred Bishop]

This is good

Cheers,

Fred Bishop
PCC for Bromsgrove
English Democrats

[Paul Kenny]

Thank you very much for your email. I fully support the campaign which you are embarked upon, in the interest of animals within our world

Paul Kenny
Labour PPC Boston & Skegness

[Dr Mick Taylor]

Will you oppose gigantic, intensive indoor dairy farms, like the proposed Nocton Dairies farm in Lincolnshire?

ANSWER: Yes. I believe animals should be out of doors not cooped up inside.

Will you call for the UK Government for a public statement renewing Britain’s commitment to ending cruel bear farming?

ANSWER: If elected I most certainly will

What will your government do to ensure the commercial whaling ban is upheld?

ANSWER: The international controls over whaling need to be strengthened and their rules need to be enforced. I would press my government to campaign for this in the international whaling commission.

Best wishes

Dr Mick Taylor
Liberal Democrats, Leeds Central

[Pippa Bartolotti]

As a Green Party Parliamentary election candidate I am totally at one with your animal welfare concerns. Please be assured that I will do my utmost to promote animal welfare whether elected or not.

Regards,

Pippa Bartolotti
Green Party
Newport West

[G. Richard Mallender]

Thanks for your email. The Green Party is very supportive of animal welfare issues and if elected I will certainly oppose intensive battery farming and push for a complete ban on whaling and an end to bear farming.

Yours sincerely,

Councillor G. Richard Mallender
Green Party Parliamentary Candidate for Rushcliffe
Chair, Nottingham Green Party

[Dennis Robertson]

I am writing to pledge my support for the work of your organisation.

The welfare of animals is very important to me and I will be happy to champion the rights of animals who do not have their own voice to speak up for themselves.

Best regards

Dennis Robertson
SNP Parliamentary Candidate
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine

[Paula Black]

As the Green Party candidate I fully support your cause,

Cllr Paula Black
Devon County Councillor
Parliamentary Candidate for Exeter

[Rodney Cann]

I have only a vague idea of the scale of the proposed farm, but I find the concept as I understand it to be on a horrifying scale that cannot be in the best interest of the animals.

I have no problem in supporting the second two bullet points. In truth I literally have difficulty in even swotting the proverbial fly, I regard myself as a genuine respecter of almost all forms of life.

Rodney Cann
Independent, Devon North