Worldlog week 28 – 2013

Last week, the entire parliament voted in favour of my motion to end the EU agricultural subsidies for bullfighting. Now, the Dutch government has to advocate for ending this subsidy in Europe. Subsidies should not be granted for animal unfriendly pleasure. EU agricultural subsidies are granted for breeding bulls for bullfighting among other things. Each year, more than 250,000 bulls and cows are tortured and killed all over the world because of bullfighting. We will continue our efforts to end this horrifying entertainment.

And our motion for extra inspections of stables in animal husbandry on hot days was adopted too!

I went to visit our new King in a great electric Volkswagen bus. I chose to go by this recycled Volkswagen bus from Rebbl to generate attention for greenhouse gas emissions and scarcity of raw materials. By driving a fully electric car I try to contribute to a liveable world and a stable climate!

Last week, I asked parliamentary questions about the cruelty of ponies. There are several short films on the internet in which women ride ponies that are too small for them and where they abuse them. The films are more than likely produced by a Dutch production house and are also offered by Dutch people. The animal suffering in these films is really unacceptable and the producers of these films must be severely punished. The fine that an animal abuser is to pay is about 230 euro on average, and they are sentenced to a punishment order of 57 hours on average. We believe that more severe punishment should be imposed on animal abusers! Also, the control of cruelty to animals should be tightened so that people involved in such films can be brought in sooner.

The Growing Resentment is working, also in Istanbul. The Court has confirmed the demonstrators’ wish: the Gezi Park will not be re-developed. Great work!

Bizarre news from Vietnam. In Vietnam 4,000 cats were kidnapped, killed, and sold for their meat to produce snacks. Brr! What a horrific idea. And the gruesome killing of seals in Namibia has started again. Only because there are new rich people that want to buy seal fur coats. Sigh…

I was interviewed by the Europpblog of the London School of Economics. Read it here.

Summer recess has started. The Lower House won’t have any meetings for two months, but we will keep busy over the coming months. Here are a few beautiful photos from the Boston Globe to start the summer with.

And see here how the meat lobby will change your summers.

A beautiful statement by Alice Walker to end my blog with: “Animals were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men.”

Next week will be my last blog. Until next week! Marianne