Saturday, 17th May 2008
SINGLE ISSUERS
I suppose it's not a bad thing to have an interest in life, but when it becomes an obsession, then you really should consider taking up stamp-collecting or something.
Single-issue enthusiasts, such as the pro-hunting lobby (see, I'm not so obsessive that I call them "bird-killers" every time) are particularly prone to being susceptible to this. A small episode that took place today is evidence of this.
On Saturday afternoon (Saturday being the day my pseudonymic column sees the light of day) I received the following email, signed by one Mark Mifsud Bonnici, a gentleman who has made his opinion about hunting, and about me, known quite often and, insofar as concerns me, in less than glowing terms.
He wrote: "Andrew - I see my comment re your wife's chicken and avocado has not been published. Is this the sort of democracy and equality you believe in. Or is this a fine example of the freedom of the press?"
He was referring to a comment he presumably had emailed in response to the bit in my column where I described a meal we had forced down the Saturday before. For the record, I have no control over what the good folk at the Times allow through their editorial net, which I would have thought was self-evident. Perhaps it is not as self-evident as all that, especially if you're feeling all hard done by at having your pastime curtailed.
Mifsud Bonnici went on to let me know the terms of what was presumably the comment that had not, at least up to 5:45pm on Saturday, been electronically published. I assume that the timesofmalta.com people thought it was libellous or too vulgar or something - I don't have such finally tuned sensibilities, so I'm putting into the ether for your delectation.
Mifsud Bonnici wrote: "Dear Andrew - You[r] comment in NOW magazine states that you are opposed to all hunting for this reason: ?I don?t think that the killing animals is an activity that should be accepted any longer in a civilized society? Yet in your article you mention the avocado and CHICKEN your missus ordered. I guess the chicken she ordered must have died of natural causes. HYPOCRITE!!" and there endeth the gospel according to Mifsud Bonnici.
He's right, of course. I left out a phrase after "killing animals" in the comment that sent the dear fellow into such a high dudgeon. I should have added the qualifier "for atavistic pleasure". As to whether or not I am a hypocrite, I make no claim to not being human, so he may or may not be right.
The thing is, I've written about eating steaks, fish and fowl before and Mifsud Bonnici has never felt moved to expound on any perceived inconsistency before. Oh well, better late than never. As I was writing this, Mifsud Bonnici's comment appeared as a comment to this blog (the one before this, if you follow me) with a slightly modified reference to hypocrisy. I guess his aim was a bit off, he meant to shoot it at the I M Beck column, because lying where it is it makes no sense at all. Perhaps this edition of the blog might help anyone who read his comment make sense of it, which is more than I can make of some of the comments I get, both to this blog and to the column.
SORRRRY
A couple of quick apologies - the Eurovision semi-final wasn't last Wednesday, but next (I think) Good luck to Morena and I hope she enjoys herself thoroughly, though please, please, pretty please, can we not have interminable discussions about neighbourly voting and such-like, if and when the Malta entry bombs?
I was upbraided by email for calling West Ham United just West Ham. I grovel, I prostrate myself in utter shame, I wail and I lament at my insensitivity. OK? Forgiven?
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Comments
The relationship between FKNK and KSU stems from their common goal of eradicating illegal shooting.
Whilst our Prime Minister seems to find the time to pose for photographs with the Ramblers in the most inaccessible parts of Bahrija, he seems to have no time to meet FKNK or KSU.
KSU have prepared a set of proposals which they mean to discuss with Dr. Gonzi, if and when he decides to meet.
We recognize the need for change. But firmly believe that change should not only come from the hunter but also from a sector of our population that opposes hunting and a Government that is not willing to dialogue.
If you consider illegal shooting as being detrimental to Malta's image surely you must agree that the anti-hunting lobby is in no way contributing to an acceptable solution to the problem.
Their efforts have done more damage to Malta's international image than all the shooting illegalities put together.
Government knows this yet it seems to prefer the international embarrassment rather than to discuss a feasible solution.
The relationship between KSU and the FKNK is unclear, but I’m sure that FKNK had at some time, claimed that, its members were not shooting protected birds.
It is encouraging if hunters breaking the law were reported by those respecting the law, who witnessing their acts, could identify the persons involved or their vehicles. Maybe you can indicate how many were reported, and then prosecuted and whether their license was withdrawn?
It is good that you made specific constructive proposals, which partly contribute towards self regulation (and more), has KSU’s strategy been published?
Incidentally I have made a couple of reports about dangerous motorists, which the police (not ALE), tried their best to dismiss. Shall we redirect our Traffic Wardens' zeal towards avian traffic areas?
For your information in August last year, during a meeting with Mr, George Pullicino I had suggested, as secretary of KACCATURI SAN UBERTU, that all monies collected from hunting licenses be used to set up an Environment Warden unit for the sole purpose of monitoring hunting and environmental illegalities. His reply was that these monies were budgeted for other purposes!
My suggestion also included appointing a number of hunters spread all over Malta in order to monitor and report any illegalities related to illegal hunting, dumping, environmental damage etc.
The results of these suggestion speak for themselves - UN BEL ZERO -
Unfortunately the only suggestion we got from Mr. Pullicino was that hunters have to self regulate. Our reply was why not ask motorists, owners of speed boats, thieves, etc. to do the same.
Incidentally presuming you are a motorist. Have you ever reported to the police other drivers for their reckless driving? or do you expect the police to do their job.
When protected birds were shot down, there must have been some other hunters around waiting for an unprotected bird to pass by.
Strangely enough, no hunter was ever reported to the police by another hunter.
YOU STATE:
"One day I was with a close relative of mine who in a panic frenzy on a hawk (illEgal of course) pumped 5 shots in quick succession, reloaded and pumped 5 more. That was my last time and fully realized that these people do not hold any limits to their frenzy. It is not a sport they practice but some sort of vengeance."
CAN YOU DO ALL RESPONSIBLE HUNTERS A VERY BIG FAVOR AND REPORT YOUR CLOSE RELATIVE TO THE POLICE. OR WOULD YOU RATHER GIVE US YOUR DETAILS IN ORDER TO SAVE YOU THE HASSLE AND WE CAN THEN SEND THE POLICE TO YOU.
I'M NOT SURPRISED YOU CONDEMN HUNTING WITH A VENGENCE IT SEEMS TO RUN IN THE FAMILY.
The day I turned of age I had the old side by side which I took up with honourable and traditional gusto
The side by side, has a barrel that narrows to a cone more acute than the other. Apparantly, according to sporting traditions, this is so that one can have a second shot at the second bird (partridge or quail) that may come out. Technically a gentleman should not be shooting twice at a bird. One day I was with a close relative of mine who in a panic frency on a hawk (illigal of course) pumped 5 shots in quick succesion, reloaded and pumped 5 more. That was my last time and fully realised that these people do not hold any limits to their frenzy. It is not a sport they practice but some sort of vengeance.
My impression is that even if a large number of hunters voted 'no', the 'yes' votes would still have been the majority. The same majority (larger now) still condemns indiscriminate hunting especially during the breeding season.
The MEPs and the government cannot intervene at this stage because the ECJ still has to deliver judgement and as to the agreement itself, its contents were available to the public before the Referendum, so if the clause in question was ambiguous, it was ambiguous to the government and to the hunters alike. It was in the hunters' interest more so than the government's to register their apprehension. Why was it not questioned then? Had it something to do with the other large political party refusing to take part in the negotiations with the EU ?
If Mr. Spagnol is putting the slaughter of birds ahead of the national interest of Malta being a member of the European Union, then there must be something wrong with his priorities.
Last year we were promised again that despite the "massacre" on birds of prey, spring hunting season 08 was going to be re-opened as promised during the period of the negotiations.
But now that the government has no other excuse for his failure with hunters, he opt to blame illegalities for the abolition. This year's spring season should in reality serve as a reflection of the credibility of the Maltese government, popular for the never-ending unkept promises.
After all it was the government's duty to perform a serious study in 2003 to bring it in front of the ECJ in 2008. Instead he chose to send certain anti-hunting figureheads to negotiate Malta's hunting and trapping!!!
The hunting ban issue has been politicized for one reason and one reason only: The part of the Accession treaty which addresses the subject, if I am not mistaken, reads something like this; " Malta can apply for a Spring hunting derogation if an alternate season is proved to be unsuitable". These are my words from memory and I stand to be corrected. It seems to me that the operative word is 'MAY' and indeed Malta did apply but the EU interim decision rejected our request.
Of course the MLP had no alternative but to agree to abide by the ruling especially since it refrained from joining the government in the negotiations leading to the accession. Maybe their involvement would have produced a better result? Maybe not but the hunters' position would have been clearer from day one!
Whether one agrees or disagrees with limitless hunting, legal or otherwise is definitely not a political issue. I am willing to bet a beer that amongst the hunters there are many Nazzjonalisti so, in order to get to the bottom of this, Mr. Spagnol, why not poll the hunters and make it easier for ABC to decide on which side of the fence he is willing to sit?
I have no idea which areas you were in, but I for one have enjoyed some walks with my kids in the Northern part of the islands on Saturdays and also during the week – especially as the days grew longer – and met both tourists and Maltese, although obviously the latter in far less number than Sundays.
I was also pleased to come across some pals with their dogs, around their hide-outs, and I did not notice any shotguns and neither heard any shots. I’m sure they were spending more quality time with their dogs and/or family members, safely relaxing and appreciating the surroundings rather than straining themselves starring for a potential feathered target.
Rest assured that as the general public becomes convinced that the countryside is practically accessible the number of people who enjoy Springtime also on Sunday mornings and Saturdays with their kids will continue to increase. Moreover on weekdays pensioners and carers of toddlers, together with those who decide to have days off on refreshing Spring days, ought to have ample opportunities to enjoy the peaceful and energising countryside. Again I must harp that quality tourists are attracted by the close interaction of our countryside with the sea background, and none of them is remotely amused by occasional shotgun blasts, lead showers or verbal bashing – let alone seeing a bird killed.
When one considers that the above extended factual rewarding opportunities, are available and that they have or are being deprived or restricted just because, say a thousand blokes, claim that they cannot stroll the countryside without carrying their shotguns presumably only to shoot a handful of birds to quench their taste buds – then sincerely, I cannot fathom why we are still prolonging this discussion and the authorities spending taxpayers funds to defend such a disservice.
In one of his replies the same ABC mixed the hunting hobbies with politics and I must admit that I enjoyed it. This is since Andrew has never shown his true feelings why he hates hunters. Unfortunately, his party considers all hunters and trappers as labourites and maybe that will be the reason after all this abolishing campaign. The only reason why hunters may want to be mlp supporters would be the fact that they never would accept being some sort of foreign interference or dictatorship. Hunters love their country and thay surely may not accept a discriminatory government. On the whole, one may imagine what will Andrew Borg Cardona's opinion would have been if the hunters in Malta were to be considered as nationalists!!!
Rather than commenting on other much more serious scandals in our country, people opt to disillusion themselves with hunting. In fact, we do not have to depart from the natural environment's issues. But it becomes a great pity that nobody against hunting mentions the speculation projects in ODZs like that of the Nadur cemetery!!
For the Maltese and those "dictating" their ideology, hunting will lead us to the apocalypse.............but what about the lack of democracy and the freedom of destroying a nation's morality???
Sorry ABC just couldn't resist it.
Changing my vote from NP to MLP will do you no good since the MLP, even before the election, declared openly that should they govern, they would respect the ruling by the ECJ.
Then again, maybe DBC may knows more about the MLP than I do. In their usual fashion they may have told the electorate one thing while they really intended the opposite?
Still you could not answer why countryside places which are free from hunters during weekdays and are available for picnickers are not crowded on weekdays which will prove your point in demanding more space than available.
Joe Martinelli,
Our common friend Dion is expecting hunters to give up their hobby in order to allow tourists and picnickers to enjoy the countryside 365 days a year.
In simple English : If public places which can be declared as countryside which are already hunter free are practically empty on weekdays and Saturdays why is there the need for more space to an extent that you want to eradicate the traditional pastime of part of the population ?
Sunday afternoons are already Hunter Free and that is the time when common people take their break even during days when the hunting season is closed.
David, thanks for the support but this is no political game. This is just a matter of who is right and who is wrong. If Joe is a PN supporter and wanted EU membership it pleases me more as in the common position papers Spring Hunting was set to stay in the EU but reality showed us differently.
ABC, I can hit even though I am a bit out of practice so I trust the first wild rabbit I see will make it to my pot come 1st June. If you wish to join in for a Spaghettata with rabbit sauce you can come as you are not against a good plate when this comes along even though the ingredients once breathed fresh air ;-)
Dion stated that, 'Whilst some hunters may have purchased parcels of land, their combined shooting activity precludes the general public from peacefully enjoying the otherwise public countryside and paths'. This raises the question: If these hunters purchased parcels of land, does this land not become private?
On the other hand, Fabian questioned the validity of the assumption that the general public is suffering by limitations of hunter free space since public parks and gardens are practically empty on Sunday afternoons. Fabian neglects a very small detail. Parks and gardens are not classified as 'the countryside'. Take Argotti Gardens, since Fabian used it as an example himself, does he expect the Floriana residents to go and picnic at the Argotti, Sunday afternoons? No, if inclined to go picnicking they would prefer to spend a day in the country and breathe some fresh(er) air rather than diesel fumes emitted by hundreds of buses plying along Argotti Gardens daily on their way to the bus terminus. Why stress Sunday afternoons? How about days of the week including Saturdays?
I would not dare get into the issue of shooting birds - that, to some, is only a minor detail!
The present situation has been developing over many years and now we come to realize that with our space limitations, going about occupying open spaces in the country, legitimately or otherwise, is no longer tolerable or indeed practical. The purchase of countryside parcels for hunting purposes should cease.
Hunting, by its very nature, is a lose-lose proposition. Birds lose. The countryside loses through lead contamination. People lose because it is downright dangerous to unexpectedly encounter a person with a loaded shotgun in the middle of nowhere, and the hunters lose because of public opinion, perception and ecological pressures.
Time to reorganize the hunting hobby into an activity where nobody gets hurt - not the hunters and not the defenceless birds.
Trade guns for good digital cameras with long tele lenses and enjoy!
Till now it has been most of the countryside ruled by hunters, whilst the rest of the population and tourists had to satisfy themselves with a few places or await the benevolent overcrowded Sunday time-out.
The public had become accustomed to being precluded from the countryside for years on end, let alone the quality tourists that Malta spends some much funds to attract for the shoulder months.
This is illogical, when considering that as you stated in a previous blog, each hunter kills on average ‘just’ a handful of birds to eat.
Everyone can enjoy the countryside peacefully, and when you think altruistically and appreciate the additional longer-term benefits forthcoming, if you ‘forfeit’ the ‘thrill’ of shooting these handful of birds, you’ll surely end up commenting differently.
This Spring I was out in the countryside during the times I would normally go out hunting and more. The amount of persons visiting the countryside only started to appear on Sunday afternoons. These are the times previoulsy stipulated as close seasons specifically for the reason that common people go out to enjoy themselves in the countryside on Sunday afternoons as they are busy working the rest of the time. Other famous places like public gardens, sanctuaries and protected zones(Ta`Qali National Park, Buskett, Argotti Gardens, Public Gardens) are free for all 365/24x7 and these are practically empty during weekdays. Had the general public be suffering, as described in you constant allegations, this lack of space, such places would be crowded everyday and not just on Sunday afternoons where there is always the option of the hunter`s countryside, as you call it, which would be also free for all at the time. Please stop trying to obtain general approval on a point which just makes us laugh. Probably you could have been one of the minds behind the notorious Birdlife 80% brochure which surely did not give the monetary benefits BLM were expecting.....
hunting in these islands also involves the practical expropriation of the extremely limited countryside during the best seasons of Autumn and until this year Spring.
Whilst some hunters may have purchased parcels of land, their combined shooting activity precludes the general public from peacefully enjoying the otherwise public countryside and paths.
If some have such a craving for turtle doves and quails, a possible alternative might be setting up reserves where they can breed such birds in captivity, and thus avoid having the countryside when it is at its best, hived off by the few, just because they persist on using their shotguns.
One suggestion if I may, you should tell the son and heir to go and snap a few photos of these animals being killed and maybe we could replace them with the usual repetitive photos Birdlife ( whom you so gleefully support ) try to impress our gullible public.
Ooppsss.. sorry bad suggestion... Just in case he might get involved in any type of scuffle in which obviously he is never to blame.
Incidentally, forgive the punctuation bloopers 'ere above - attribute them to Saturday night gremlins.