please log in to view this image Viral Animal Sentience Fake News Story Seen By 2 Million People please log in to view this image This week a number of stories claiming the Tories had voted that animals are not sentient beings went mega-viral. An article on the Independent website – shared thousands of times on social media – reported “The Tories have rejected all scientists and voted that animals don’t feel pain”. The Evening Standard claimed they “just voted that animals cannot feel pain or emotions”. The Indy, which has truly become one of the most downmarket trash clickbait websites around, even named and shamed the Tory MPs “who voted legislation on animals feeling pain and emotion”. These attacks were tweeted out by celebrities like Ben Fogle and Sue Perkins, politicians including Caroline Lucas and failed LibDem MP Sarah Olney, and petitions were signed by hundreds of thousands of unwitting animal lovers. The stats are huge: Analysis shows 2 million people have seen articles and tweets about the Tories voting against animal sentience 155,157 signed a Change.org petition repeating the claim 263,476 signed another petition on 38 Degrees 43,081 signed a third petition on ThePetitionSite Nearly 30,000 have signed smaller petitions (that’s almost 500,000 overall) Sue Perkins shared it with her 1 million followers Rachel Riley shared it with her 510,000 followers Ben Fogle shared it with his 336,000 followers Caroline Lucas shared it with her 276,000 followers The RSPCA tweeted it out to their 248,000 followers Just one problem. It is fake news… During last Wednesday’s debate, Tory MPs repeatedly explained that the government already recognised animal sentience and that the amendment was flawed. Read it here in Hansard – Tory MP after Tory MP stood up and agreed that animals are sentient. No MPs argued against animal sentience. It is just not true to say, as the Indy did, that “The Tories have rejected all scientists and voted that animals don’t feel pain”. Anyone who has seen the Environment Secretary with his Bichon Frise Snowy, or indeed the hedgehog above, knows these viral articles are fake news. This made up story, circulated by the Tories’ opponents for solely cynical reasons, is cutting through to animal lovers who think they can trust things they believe on the Independent website. This morning Michael Gove categorically committed the government to animal sentience once and for all. He couldn’t be clearer: “This government will ensure that any necessary changes required to UK law are made in a rigorous and comprehensive way to ensure animal sentience is recognised after we leave the EU.” Will that go as viral as the fake news BS that hoodwinked thousands in the last week?
Thanks for your answer, something to think about but of course you’re coming from the ‘stay’ camp...I’m sure there are others from the ‘leave’ camp who will say different (not saying which side is right or wrong). No it wasn’t on that alone BUT probably one of the main reasons.....
Police say they have not located "any trace of any suspects, evidence of shots fired or causalities" in a statement. Hopefully that remains the case
You can take it from me that I’m right mate. Right at the beginning of this thread (I think) I said that I think that the EU needs big reform, Juncker is the worst possible advert for it, and though my preference would be for the U.K. to stay in and drive the reform we have always been a poor participant and it might be best if we just left them to it, rather than holding the whole thing back. I don’t think I really understood the consequences then, and no one could have foreseen the rolling fiasco that is the Tory implementation.
None of us cared or knew before the vote that has to be said since then money figures were introduced to whip up a frenzy of protest imo. No doubt the EU system and most countries in the west could do with reform. The simple question of money in money out I would never believe was that simple before or now ... no one knows I am guessing but someone push a figure on the side of a bus and pointed that to the NHS and the rest is history. I accept it of course but I have never been able to understand the post vote events and I think both sides of the vote are still guessing I honestly still think the real plan for all of this has not revealed itself but we ave a divided nation
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-42121442 Read about this issue some time ago. Apparently something that the UK and EU have already agreed on (though how exactly is hard to understand when they formally have not discussed trade as yet), but other countries are not happy about it. WTO rules aren't going to be problem free with Brexit.
I saw this. The Aussies and Kiwis pissed off because of the way we propose to allocate quotas, which means NZ won’t be able to send us limitless amounts of cheap lamb (which would destroy the British sheep farming industry, as a Tory MP has pointed out) and Australia won’t be able to send of loads of Ugg boots (can’t think of anything else they export). Comments from the British judge on the ECJ have been leaked. Only one of the British ministers involved in Brexit actually understands how complicated it is, according to this bloke. And it’s not David Davies, who flew to Paris to talk to the foreign minister of France, and forgot to mention Brexit during the meeting.
I say ban the unnecessary and increasing infiltration of Americanisms into our language. It’s about time somebody stepped up to the plate and said so!
