PLEASE EMAIL THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES REGARDING ANTI-FREEZE ARTICLE

Re: PLEASE EMAIL THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES REGARDING ANTI-FREEZE ARTICLE

tanya crawley — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:57:33 GMT

Dear all,

I have the misfortune of living near him and I have a gorgeous moggy (!!!).

I have cut and pasted the article below for anyone that is interested.

It seems to me that his articles are intended to shock rather than to provide anyone with any insight or knowledge on a subject.

hmmmph!

Tanya

"Antifreeze – cool for cats

Never do anyone a favour — it will surely be misunderstood. With the nights drawing in and the weather turning much colder, Katherine Hall came up with the thoughtful notion that maybe her neighbour’s two cats would appreciate some antifreeze. So she mixed it up with tinned tuna and left it by the hedge. The cats — Mr Baz and Nush, who were both abyssinians and therefore almost certainly asylum seekers — sadly died as a consequence. Bizarrely, Mrs Hall was fined £1,500 rather than given the freedom of her borough, despite the fact that the cats were in her garden doing their usual stuff of defecating on the lawn and urinating on her strawberries. When will cat owners take responsibility for their foul and destructive pets. "

Re: PLEASE EMAIL THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES REGARDING ANTI-FREEZE ARTICLE

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:46:55 GMT

Dear Mr. Wray

[quote user="Jonathan Wray"]Just to help you here,[/quote]

So kind. How would I manage without you?

[quote user="Jonathan Wray"]

do you really think protesting about a ludicrous piece that he has written will affect him or his editor? He may well see a bulging mailbag as a badge of honour, a succesful stirring of the apathetic, so why gratify it on a one-to-one level?

The piece is feeble and inept. Leave it to faceless organisations to protest.

[/quote]

I do as it happens agree entirely.

[quote user="Jonathan Wray"]PS Welsh adulterersare well represented even in the highest office e.g. LIoyd George. Does this explain your tolerance of Mr Liddle?[/quote]

Hmm. At what point precisely did I express tolerance?

Lloyd George was indeed an adulterer, and also a crook. He invented the sale of peerages. While we are on notorious Welsh figures, Dylan Thomas was a drunk and a thief and a general dollop of faeces. I don't think there's anything intrinsically Welsh about those character traits though. And the relevance of this is?

Re: PLEASE EMAIL THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES REGARDING ANTI-FREEZE ARTICLE

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:10:53 GMT

[quote user="Sally Burnell"]I imagine the editor will be less than pleased with Rod Liddle[/quote]

But isn't this the failing of the editor to edit Mr Liddle, rather than Mr Liddle himself (in the same way that the BBC failed to edit Jonathan Woss and that other bloke, Bland, or whatever his name is).

Re: PLEASE EMAIL THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES REGARDING ANTI-FREEZE ARTICLE

Sally Burnell — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:33:55 GMT

Further to my earlier post, a letter from the Presidents of BVA and BSAVA (Bill Reilly and Richard Dixon) has now gone to the editor of the Sunday Times (not for publication). In the letter we express our dismay at the article and make an explicit request for the joint RSPCA/BVA AWF/FAB/Blue Cross letter to be published.

For your information - a line from the original article has now been removed from the website ("Apparently, cats - like Russians - are very partial to antifreeze; can't resist it...."). I assume this is in direct response to complaints.

From the bits and bobs I've heard I imagine the editor will be less than pleased with Rod Liddle.

Re: PLEASE EMAIL THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES REGARDING ANTI-FREEZE ARTICLE

Mike Martin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:20:38 GMT

[quote user="Sally Burnell"]

I'm coordinating the BVA's response to this article.

[/quote]

Yes, well done Sally. And thanks.

Re: PLEASE EMAIL THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES REGARDING ANTI-FREEZE ARTICLE

Hannah Wynne Richards — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:20:26 GMT

Jonathan Does this historic example mean we have all been perfectly behaved for over 60 years this side of the border ?????

Wynne

Re: PLEASE EMAIL THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES REGARDING ANTI-FREEZE ARTICLE

J G Wray — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:36:15 GMT

Dear Mr Barbour-Hill

Just to help you here, his history is forever with him and is a reflection on his character and judgement. He is a figure to pity not hate.

It's a journalistic in joke that you cannot criticise pets without upsetting "disgusted of Tunbridge Wells" and if he is capable of adultery and assault do you really think protesting about a ludicrous piece that he has written will affect him or his editor? He may well see a bulging mailbag as a badge of honour, a succesful stirring of the apathetic, so why gratify it on a one-to-one level?

The piece is feeble and inept. Leave it to faceless organisations to protest.

JGW

PS Welsh adulterersare well represented even in the highest office e.g. LIoyd George. Does this explain your tolerance of Mr Liddle?

Re: PLEASE EMAIL THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES REGARDING ANTI-FREEZE ARTICLE

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:05:38 GMT

[quote user="Jonathan Wray"]Rod Liddle is an adulterer, who received a police caution for common assault on his girlfriend Alicia Monckton. This is all in the public domain.[/quote]

Is that relevant to anything?

Re: PLEASE EMAIL THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES REGARDING ANTI-FREEZE ARTICLE

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:05:49 GMT

Well done BVA-AWF

Wynne

Re: PLEASE EMAIL THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES REGARDING ANTI-FREEZE ARTICLE

Sally Burnell — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:59:56 GMT

I'm coordinating the BVA's response to this article.

The BVA Animal Welfare Foundation Chair of Trustees has co-signed a letter for publication with the RSPCA, Feline Advisory Bureau and Blue Cross. The letter states very clearly that poisoning a cat is a criminal offence, that antifreeze causes enormous distress to cats and that Rod Liddle's comments are irresponsible and inappropriate. BVA AWF has a leaflet entitled "Pets and poisons" which sets out a number of poisons found within the home, including antifreeze.

The BVA and BSAVA have been discussing the best way to make our complaint. I understand from the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) that many people have complained but I would point out that (a) one complaint is as valid as 10,000 complaints (ie there is no strength in numbers when it comes to the PCC) and (b) it is very difficult to frame a complaint to the PCC based on the code of practice. There is no specific section of the Code that our complaints would refer to and the person at the PCC told me that people are referring to many different parts of the Code (including the section on discriminating against individuals). I will be discussing this further with the Presidents of BVA and BSAVA but my advice is likely to be a complaint to the editor of the Sunday Times rather than to the PCC.

Thanks,

Sally Burnell

Re: PLEASE EMAIL THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES REGARDING ANTI-FREEZE ARTICLE

Andrew Hamill-Stewart — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:30:42 GMT

There is also no mention of the extreme cruelty of such actions. I have written and encourage others to do the same.

Re: PLEASE EMAIL THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES REGARDING ANTI-FREEZE ARTICLE

Mike Martin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:52:23 GMT

[quote user="Jonathan Wray"]

Ask BVA or RCVS to write to the editor of the Sunday Times instead. It will be more relevant to us to see if they have the required backbone.

[/quote]

I agree with this. Or even the BSAVA. Probably a joint statement or letter to the Sunday Times would be most appropriate. If our Associations fail to do this for us (the members) then maybe this is leaving the door open for the new BV Union to get more involved

Re: PLEASE EMAIL THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES REGARDING ANTI-FREEZE ARTICLE

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:44:53 GMT

I can't decide which of you I agree with. It would be nice if RCVS took out a private prosecution against both Liddle and the editor for inciting others to break the law-and if the magistrates had the sense to impose custodial sentences, though that is probably wishful thinking (on both counts )

Wynne

Re: PLEASE EMAIL THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES REGARDING ANTI-FREEZE ARTICLE

J G Wray — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:31:00 GMT

Dear Ms Taylor,

Rod Liddle is an adulterer, who received a police caution for common assault on his girlfriend Alicia Monckton. This is all in the public domain.

He used to be an astute editor of the Today programme. He is in decline. Don't gratify him or the chatterati.

Ask BVA or RCVS to write to the editor of the Sunday Times instead. It will be more relevant to us to see if they have the required backbone.

Regs

JGW