animals count - A UK political party for people and animals

And so it begins…

The General Election passes into history, even as the talks continue to resolve the final result and the construction of a coalition Government.

For Animals Count we can take great encouragement from our participation in the election process. No one had ever done this before in the UK and no other party has ever dared to step forward and offer a manifesto to the electorate that is so deep and so inclusive with a foundational focus on animal protection issues and embracing a whole range of social justice issues too.

We hold true to our beliefs that we are a Party for animals and people, and we know not only what we are standing against but also what we are standing for.

We have proven something very significant with our campaign. We have proven that we can more than “hold our own” when up against the “big parties” when taking part in hustings events, and we can offer a credible and effective campaign that generates significant and serious press interest.

Animals Count received positive and very useful coverage in the national press and on national television as well as reportage in the local press. This is something of which can be very proud. There were, literally, thousands of candidates taking part in the General Election, and the vast majority of them were not seen in the national press and were not seen on national television. We were!

We have proven that there is an “acceptable face” to animal protection campaigning. We know that there is (a very often unjustified) perception amongst many in the wider community that “animal rights” equates only to aggressive, antagonistic tactics, illegal actions and verbal abuse. But we have shown that the animal protection message is one that can be articulated positively and personably, with intelligence and supported by evidence, and thus is taken seriously by the media and reported in a favourable manner. This is an important step forward and its significance should not be underestimated.

We are greatly heartened by the many messages of support and encouragement we have received from across the country following the election result, and we give our sincere and profound thanks to everyone in the constituency of Islington South & Finsbury who had the courage and the conviction to offer their (extremely important) vote (a precious gift) to Animals Count.

It is a genuinely magnificent feeling to know that despite the best intentions of the “big three” that people are still prepared to resist their demands and vote according to what they know is right and represents real justice for all!

And so, our journey does not end of course with that election which was for us only our first step on a long road to freedom for all.

With your support, we will keep walking the way of truth and justice!

A precious gift

Tomorrow, of course, is polling day, the day when we can use the power of our vote to make a real and lasting difference.

We know that the vote that we have is a precious gift handed down to us by our ancestors who strove and fought so valiantly to ensure that the vote can be ours.  We know how valuable it is.  We will not, therefore, just throw it out to anyone who demands it, and who will take it and abuse it and use it to satisfy only the needs of an elite few.  No, we know that we must use it wisely and offer our vote only to those we can trust and who will use the vote to offer a better future and a better world for everyone, including those who are least regarded, most vulnerable and utterly at our mercy – those animals in our world.

There are hundreds of millions if not billions of people across the globe who are desperate to have the opportunity that we have tomorrow – a simple but profoundly important act of being able to cast a vote.  There is power in our vote and there is power in the knowledge we have of what those so-called main political parties really stand for  – which is only more of the same that has caused so much damage in our society and harmed so many so much for decades.

We can use the precious gift of our vote to say “No!” to any more of any of the same and say a resounding, loud and heartfelt “Yes!” to something new, something positive, something that represents real justice and hope for all – and all it takes is a simple X next to the name of Animals Count…

It is time for a new way of doing things.  It is time for Animals Count.

Courage!

Just as couple of days to go!

We’ve had a terrific campaign with better, more extensive media coverage than we could have hope for and lots of words and emails of encouragement from people not only with the constituency of Islington South & Finsbury, but from across the country from people who are following our campaign with real interest.

All we need now is a good turnout on the day and the determination of the electorate to express their desire for other voices to be heard other than the prattle and babble of the “big” political parties, who are resolute in making sure that everything stays exactly the same after the election as it was before.

But we can make a difference.  We can use this election as our historic demonstration that we want more from our democracy (because we know we deserve better) than what is offer from the main parties.  We can show them that they will be challenged, that others will be heard, and we will have a new politics that represents real change and social justice and fairness for all.

All we need is courage.  All we need to do is to stand together and collectively resist the shrill insistence of the big parties that our vote must be a vote for one of them – it doesn’t have to be and we can prove it.  We can vote with our hearts and mark our X next to a name that has compassion at its heart, and that is Animals Count.

No other political party has a manifesto as deep, as wide-ranging and as shot through with the sense of true justice as the Animals Count manifesto.  We are utterly committed to justice for all and every vote we receive raises the volume of our voice and makes it possible for us to speak on behalf of all of those who are disadvantaged, vulnerable and ruthlessly ignored by the main political parties.  Every X next to our name is the proof that another politics is possible, that other voices will be heard and that we do care about the lives of all in our world.

We are the proof that politics can have a heart of compassion, and as a Candidate in the election I make no apology for saying that I care, I really care and that I really want to make a positive difference to the lives of those in society who are so desperately at our mercy and who deserve to be treated with respect and consideration.

It is not about power for its own sake, it is not about making a profit and protecting the wealth of the almost uncountably wealthy, it’s about giving a damn.  And we really give a damn.

With just a little courage we can resist those tired old parties who have nothing to offer anyone else but only something for themselves; with a little courage we can say goodbye to them and their old ways, and say yes to what is new, what is real and what will be a fresh and vital change for our world.

It is time for a new way of doing things.  It is time for Animals Count!

One more push … and a new politics is born

We’re entering the final few days now of campaigning, so we’re really pushing to get our name out there as much as possible in the run-up to polling day.

It’s a great testament to the Animals Count team that they’ve been out there every day, whatever the weather, wind, rain, it’s no matter, the team are out there making sure that we’re connecting with people and they get to hear about Animals Count and the great policies that we have.  I’ll be out on the streets too later today handing out leaflets – whatever we can do, however we can do it, the important thing is getting our message out there!

We’ve had great momentum throughout the campaign and the energy levels are still right up there because we know that we have something important to say, something that deserves to be heard, and the people in our constituency of Islington South & Finsbury have the right to know that there are real choices out there for them this time, that in this election their ‘X’ can be put next to a party that represents genuine change and a genuine commitment to fairness, decency and justice for all!

A day-off!

Hi there

I took a “day off” from actively campaigning in the General Election yesterday (although it was almost a “busman’s holiday”!), and instead visited a secondary school in Kent to give a full day’s set of presentations on behalf of a charity on “health and well-being”. This was a great opportunity to put across the benefits of a healthy, plant-based diet and to ensure that the pupils recognise how everything is connected – and show them that the food choices they make have a direct impact on the lives of other animals in this world, and the state of the environment.

They showed a lot of interest in – and (naturally) were quite appalled by – what I was able to show them in terms of how animals are treated on factory farms, and the huge impact of the meat and dairy industries on climate change.

There were some really positive comments afterwards, and they took away a lot of the leaflets that I had so that they could learn more.

Following on from my interview on the BBC on Wednesday, this has been a really productive couple of days in getting the message across that animal matters do matter – animals do count!

Bigoted isn’t the half of it!

Today’s appallingly snide comment by our current Prime Minister Gordon Brown in describing a voter as “bigoted” is an unexpectedly overheard but all too typical expression of what the “political class” and especially those currently within the narcissistic, almost solipsistic “Westminster Village” really think about so-called “ordinary” voters.

They are utterly disconnected from the overwhelming majority in this country and they hold us in sheer contempt (they just don’t expect us to hear them talking about it!).  Whilst the Conservatives and Lib Dems will try and make political capital out of this, they are no different.

 That is why it is critical for the very vitality of our democracy that Animals Count is represented on the ballot paper.  We represent genuine concern and consideration for all in our society, including those who are least regarded, most vulnerable and completely at our mercy.

 Our manifesto pledges, our very aims and principles, all demonstrate our sheer commitment to establish compassion and consideration at the heart of politics.  We represent the very reinvention of politics in our country and we the proof that another politics is possible.

 We know, from talking to people, emails we receive and the general buzz on social forums and other Internet sites, that people are – quite rightly – ragingly angry with those so-called “main” political parties, and their failure to represent, or even care about,  our real concerns and hopes for our communities, our society and our world.

 It is so important that we are on the ballot paper as a demonstration that those “main” parties will not go unchallenged, that democracy is alive and kicking in this country, and as proof indeed that not only are there other voices in this democracy but also that those other voices will be heard!

We are a genuinely credible alternative to those “big” parties and everything in our manifesto is practical, achievable and affordable.

 Brown’s “gaffe” is only one demonstration of why those main parties have failed us for decades and shows why they are utterly undeserving of your votes.

 It is time for a new way of doing things.  It is time for Animals Count.

Another successful campaigning weekend!

We had a really successful weekend campaigning, starting off with a speech that I gave at the World Day for Animals in Laboratories march and rally in central London.  We were very pleased to have the opportunity to address the crowd on the important issue of animal experimentation, as we recognise that the science shows us so very clearly that vivisection is of no value in the investigation of human illness and is an appalling and unjustifiable abuse of sentient, pain-sensitive beings.

The speech was very well received by the crowd, and I’ll add a link to the video once we’ve uploaded this onto YouTube.

We know that we can make great advances in our determination to see the elimination of animal experimentation by effectively communicating the evidence of science, showing how ineffective these animal studies are in helping to understand human illnesses, what a shocking waste of money these experiments represent when our Universities are desperately short of funds and, of course, on the moral level there is no justification for the deliberate infliction of sheer psychological and physical agony on these sentient beings.

I attended the social event in the evening after the march and we had some really positive support and comments from the attendees there.

People are really pleased that finally there is a political party that has a primary focus on animal protection issues with a credible, positive and achievable manifesto.

On the Sunday we held our free vet consultation event in Barnard Park, Islingon (pictures to follow!), and this was a really succesful event – despite the best intentions of the English weather to put a (literal!) dampener on proceedings!  We had two vets on site, Andrew Knight and Lucy Fish providing free external check-ups for dogs and offering general animal companion advice.  They were kept very busy throughout and I was able to talk to a good number of constituents about our policies and received lots of encouragement for what we are trying to do, and guaranteed votes for us too!

Debate with no direction

As we know, it’s the second of the Party’s leaders’ television debates this evening, and whilst every possible detail of what was said and how it was said and what they wore and how they stood will be scrutinised in infinitesimal detail, and instant polls will be analysed for every minute trend, we can already predict the outcome – none of them will say anything new, and none of them will offer real hope to people in this country.

They all essentially agree with one another and struggle to find even one degree of separation between their policies.  They are fundamentally determined to maintain the present system that has served them (but not us) so well…

We know that the only response is to cause them to take more notice of us, and the very best way to achieve that is to use our vote not to vote for them, but to vote for someone else, someone who represents positive change for our society, and whose manifesto embraces everyone in the community.  And that, of course, is Animals Count.

And at Animals Count, rather than fuss and worry about every syllable uttered by the leaders of those so-called “big three” we are focused on our next positive actions – firstly, we will be attending the World Day for Animals in Laboratories march and rally in London on Saturday 24 April, and I will be making a speech before the march sets off across Central London, and then on Sunday between 11:00-11:00 we will be holding a free “Dog consultation” at Barnard Park in Islington, which will be attended by two vets offering free care advice for animal companions and external check-ups for dogs…  this is the practical manifestation of one of our manifesto commitments, to ensure the very best healthcare for our animal companions.  There will also be fun activities for kids as well, and so it promises to be a fun day out – and the weather’s looking good too!

I hope to see and meet with lots of you this weekend!

Ask a Climate Question hustings event

We held a really positive “Hustings” event yesterday (Monday 19 April 2010) at the “Ask a Climate Change Question” event organised by Greenpeace at City University, Islington, London EC1.  I was able to take part as one of the panellists along with the current MP for the constituency, Emily Thornberry (Labour), and Bridget Fox (Lib Dem), Antonia Cox (Con) and James Humphreys (Green Party).

It was really well attended and a fine thing to see so many young people giving up their evening to actively engage in political debate and discuss the critical issues surrounding climate change and the environment.

There was, inevitably, a bit of mud-slinging between some of the candidates from the so-called “bigger parties” because unfortunately that seems to be the only way that some know how to “debate”, rather than focusing on the real issues.  I was lucky that I didn’t have to (and didn’t want to!) get involved in any of that negative politics.

As you know, I’m only a “part-time” politician, and so it’s a daunting challenge to be up against “professionals”, but I think we held our own very well.  We were, of course, the only party to make the connection between livestock and fisheries farming and climate change and environmental damage, and the feedback I got was that the audience really appreciated the fact that we mentioned those facts about animal farming!

It was certainly clear too from the answers given by the other candidates that animal welfare really is only an “afterthought” at best for them, as they struggled to articulate their party’s policy on this crucial issue, and that is very disappointing.  So many of the ills that currently plague our society – not only climate change, but also diseases of “diet and affluence” such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease (and the knock-on effect on the NHS), and also domestic abuse in the home – can be seen to have a foundation in the way that we treat animals.

Yesterday was a good day for Animals Count, with that really positive evening event following on from the high-profile coverage of my video interview with The Daily Telegraph which they featured on the main page of their election coverage – during the morning it was right at the top, next to a picture of Prime Minister Gordon Brown!

We’re definitely getting there!

– Richard J Deboo