You can measure the moral standards of a society based on what it makes illegal. What like Homosexuality, drinking in Saudi Arabia etc I would say the moral standards in that Country is questionable to say the least.
I'm not sure it is a good thing to legalise something only because it being illegal has not stopped it from going on. If something isn’t working you change it. Banning Smoking weed is not working. People are smoking it everywhere. Including smoking it openly on the streets.
True. They are elected to represent the people who voted for them. Something which they don't do much anymore, which is why confidence and trust in politicians in the UK is at an all-time low. In my opinion banning greyhound racing in Wales is a very small and pathetically easy win for the Welsh Government. The sport is practically dead anyway in Wales. Only a handful of voices would try to defend it. We both know Wales faces vastly bigger and more serious social problems that their politicians are doing nothing to solve. People on the streets, living real lives and facing real hardships, don't care anymore about democratic niceties. Those only matter now to some of the politicians who inhabit the political bubbles around their respective Parliaments. I mean, listen to the stuff they say on the LK show on a Sunday morning, or on QT. It's wall-to-wall irrelevant garbage. People want order. They want safe streets. They want their kids to be safe from crime and lawlessness and exploitation. They want safe schools and affordable homes and proper healthcare, and no-nonsense policing. They want strong leadership. And they are getting none of those things in this Country.
The best way to lose a few Pounds quickly was to invest in Charlton shares when Richard Murray was Chairman.
There are fantastic dog owners, and then there are appalling dog owners. Should we simply ban anyone from owning a dog because of the bad apples? Most greyhound trainers care deeply for their dogs and ensure they are well- fed, well-groomed and have a home for when they retire. Sure, there are unscrupulous bastards out there, but thankfully they are in the minority.
As with everything in life there are people who are good with the animals they make a living from, and there are people who are bad. By the nature of the news media, good animal owners / trainers don't make for sensational stories. Bad ones do. Personally I've never really been comfortable with sports that involve animals, but I would not go as far as to call for any of them to be banned. Equestrian sports, greyhound racing and fishing are the highest profile ones in the modern era. Of those, the only one I have ever been involved with was fishing. That was only as a kid with my father occasionally, and neither of us ever killed a fish that we had caught. There are some very cruel and nasty people who abuse animals bred for the pet industry, as well as some abusive pet owners. But though I am all in favour of clamping down hard on abusive individuals - as I would be on individuals who hurt horses or greyhounds - I would not want to see everyone banned from owning a pet, or from breeding pets as a living. The same principle applies to farming as well, in my view. Intensive factory farming is cruel, and I think we should not support it by buying it's products. But I would not want to outlaw all forms of farming that involves animals. To be frank, I was even in two minds about the ban on fox hunting. On balance it was probably the right decision. But the case was not black and white in my view. We all draw the line in different places when it comes to animal welfare. Foxes and badgers must be controlled in some rural areas, but how is that most humanely done? Then there is the whole issue of game birds. It's a complex and emotive subject. And those never have simple solutions which are fair to everyone concerned.
This is spot on @Ponders Revisited Racing greyhounds are extremely well cared for while they are in training - why wouldn’t they be, they are trying to win races ? Greyhounds also have the double safe lock of not just a professional, accredited trainer, but also a loving owner. A trainer would very quickly have his licence revoked if found guilty of bad treatment. I’m not aware of any such incident having taken place in Wales ? Once they retire from racing, the vast majority of greyhounds are kept by their owners as pets. Many still have 10 years plus to live. For those that do not, tracks are closely linked to greyhound welfare homes, who re-house them. The late, lamented Crayford had one. I am friends with a Charlton fan who did this, so I have learned a bit about it. We are on a very, very slippery slope if we start banning this sort of thing. I have looked into the political background to this decision, and it’s been sponsored and driven by a silly vegan Lib Dem woman, who I can guarantee has never set foot on a greyhound track in her life. It’s part of a wider, shoddy deal and political horse trading. It’s a complete dog’s dinner of a decision.
Did any of you older guys ever go to New Cross Stadium, otherwise known as the Frying Pan? I believe it was adjacent to the Den. It was before my time.
No never been there. But I have been to the Old Den many times. Not always when Charlton played. I really liked the players they had. Kitchener, Possee. Bridges, King, Dunphy, Cripps, etc The atmosphere at the Old Den was the most intimidating I have ever known in my 63 years of being a Football fan.
It’s an enormous shame that London has lost so many dog tracks in the past 30 years - Hackney, Wembley, White City, Walthamstow, Haringey, Catford ….a huge slice of London’s sporting heritage gone.
Not only Greyhound tracks. We are losing 34 Pubs in London every month. Shops are being closed all the time. In a few years time every high Street will look the same.
