Animal Welfare Party Gains First UK Political Representation
The Animal Welfare Party (AWP) got its first political representative in the UK last week after a town councillor defected from the Green Party. Jane Smith, who is on Alsager Town Council, in Cheshire, made history last week after announcing her decision to switch political parties. Smith has served on the council since 2015.
The new AWP representative said in a statement: “I have made this decision because I believe it is important that we begin to acknowledge and address the inherent unfairness of our human-centric decision making bodies. Although the step I take today may appear small, I believe it is of huge symbolic significance. We share our world and our natural resources with so many other species, and it is only right and fair that those other animals and their habitats are properly represented and considered in our decision making.”
Jane Smith and AWP party leader Vanessa Hudson
The party, established 10 years ago, contested three London constituencies in this year’s General Election. The party also contested the Scottish Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly elections for the first time in the same year.
Vanessa Hudson, AWP party leader, said: “The UK has a proud history of thought leadership in animal welfare. It is high time animals had dedicated representatives in our decision making bodies. Only that way can their needs and interests begin to be properly protected. With Jane’s step, AWP takes its first steps to joining our sister parties in the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal and Australia who have already achieved that for animals.”
The AWP is based on the Dutch ‘Party for the Animals’ Partij voor de Dieren (PvdD), which holds five seats in the Dutch House of Representatives, two in the Dutch Senate and one in the European Parliament.
(Source: Huffington Post UK)