The notes below are about a meeting, in 2013, with Nick Clegg who was at that time Deputy Prime Minister. There is reference to an elephant in the room.

Now three years later, we still have an elephant in the room.

Published on 08 June 2016, this new scientific paper by Dr Chris Cheeseman talks about the remarkable failure of the Government to address the fundamental problem, namely the badger/cattle TB issue.

Please click the image to take you to the page where you can read and/or download this crucial read.

I don’t agree with Nick…………..

Notes on a meeting with our Deputy Prime Minister
and a nod to the Elephant in the room

Like it or not, the ultimate fate of our badgers rests with our politicians. So when Norma and I had an invitation to meet with Nick Clegg on his recent visit to Cornwall we felt it churlish not to accept and went along determined to ask at least one question.

The room was fairly full, though quite a few attendees were obviously planted members of the Liberal Democrats who had brought along their obviously planted (and house-trained) questions. I mention this obvious fact merely to stabilise my personal cynicism quotient!

One or two non-planted questions did get through however; one of them was my question as to why, in the face of public, backbench MP and scientific opinion, the government was going ahead with a badger cull in 2013.

I didn’t really get much of an answer; it was because the pilot culls had only been cancelled due to lack of deliverability (is there such a word?), because the pilot culls were needed to establish a proper scientific base and (I kid you not) because we had to lessen the chance of people catching bovine TB (I’ve always known politicians think of voters as cattle!).

Sadly however, Mr Clegg seemed totally unaware of the fact that badger vaccinations are already taking place in various parts of the UK. He maintained that vaccine was only at a laboratory stage – which conjures up a lovely picture of badgers being sent appointment cards for their vaccinations at the lab!

So, all in all, not much of a result – but at least a few more people know of our concerns. And we had a lovely fish-and-chip supper on our way back home.

But what about the elephant in the room?

It was my second question to Mr Clegg; “Will Cornwall be one of the sites of a cull in 2013”. He didn’t answer that one at all – just ignored it!

George H Kearton, January 2013

From the Cornish Guardian - 18 January 2013