Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Horsing about
Yesterday we finally debated the heated issue of horse passports, so naturally the jokes and the puns flew around like confetti. David Cornock has already got in before me in asking how we are going to get the horse in the photo-booth so we will trot gracefully on to report the contributions of others.
The questions that were on my mind revolved around the impact of these proposals on the price of catfood and how some classic films might have had to be re-made if passports were in place at the time. Police would have been able to trace the owner of the horse's head in 'The Godfather' for example, 'National Velvet' might have become the story of one girl's struggle against European bureaucrats, and who could predict how D.H. Lawrence might have had to re-write 'The Rocking Horse Winner'?
It took Mick Bates, however to really enter into the spirit of things:
On the consultation, you stand there and tell us that work is ongoing to address our amendment 1. However, the consultation started in 2000, and the statutory six-week consultation on this regulation was undertaken at that time. The concerns raised during that consultation included additional bureaucracy, cross-border issues, welfare on commons, and the cost burden placed on owners. You did nothing until 17 January 2005, which is when you held a workshop—one month before the legislation is to be enacted. If that is not complacency, tell me what is. I once described you as Dr Dolittle, but you are now becoming Dr Do Nothing.
It seems that we were all talking to the animals yesterday.
The questions that were on my mind revolved around the impact of these proposals on the price of catfood and how some classic films might have had to be re-made if passports were in place at the time. Police would have been able to trace the owner of the horse's head in 'The Godfather' for example, 'National Velvet' might have become the story of one girl's struggle against European bureaucrats, and who could predict how D.H. Lawrence might have had to re-write 'The Rocking Horse Winner'?
It took Mick Bates, however to really enter into the spirit of things:
On the consultation, you stand there and tell us that work is ongoing to address our amendment 1. However, the consultation started in 2000, and the statutory six-week consultation on this regulation was undertaken at that time. The concerns raised during that consultation included additional bureaucracy, cross-border issues, welfare on commons, and the cost burden placed on owners. You did nothing until 17 January 2005, which is when you held a workshop—one month before the legislation is to be enacted. If that is not complacency, tell me what is. I once described you as Dr Dolittle, but you are now becoming Dr Do Nothing.
It seems that we were all talking to the animals yesterday.
