Worldlog Week 15 – 2010

The election battle can begin! Last week we presented our draft election programme "Recipe for compassion and sustainability' for the Lower House elections. Our members established our definitive programme at the party conference on 25 April. Whereas other parties return to 'business as usual' when combating a crisis with a 'humancentric' approach, the Party for the Animals argues for the animals. We are the only party with a planet-wide approach because the choices made in the coming cabinet term will be crucial for future generations. On 9 June, we will find out what the Dutch voters think of our plans. It's exciting, this is the first time that we will participate in elections for a new Lower House with this position in parliament.

In 7 years, 70% of the global population will have insufficient access to clean drinking water. According to Professor Daniel Pauly, in 38 years the seas and oceans will be irreversibly fished out and within 20 years, according to the WWF, we will need a second earth to provide us with our raw material needs. 'Recipes for compassion and sustainability' offers opportunities for a radical turnaround, in which the citizen will have the maximum freedom of choice but will also be confronted with the personal responsibility connected to making these choices.

Last week I finally got every text out the door for the new English-language book Meat the Truth, Essays on Livestock Production, Sustainability and Climate Change that will hit the shelves in May. It was a painful birthing process, but it will be a fantastic book that includes an English-language DVD. I love the fact that numerous authors and scientists such as Mark Bittman from The New York Times wanted to work with us on it! My question here is if there is any interest in your country to have the book translated. If so, let me know by sending a mail to info@ngpf.nl.

As a sequel to the successful film Meat the Truth, we are soon to release Sea the Truth that covers the situation around our seas and oceans, overfishing, bycatch and the large amount of poison found in fish. The Dutch premiere of this film, made by Nicolaas G. Pierson Foundation (The Party for the Animal's scientific office), will take place on 19 May. I'm very curious to see what everyone will make of it. I hope the film will receive just as much attention and will make as much commotion as Meat the Truth! This very first edition will be in the English language so that we can be ready for global distribution from mid-May onward!

Included here is a neat cartoon clip about the way in which cattle farming is organised.

See you next week,
Marianne.