Canadian Cuties
According to the Observer today, "Canada" has attacked Britain's 'moral' decision to support a boycott of all seal products, made from the imminent culling of 300,000 baby seals. The Canadian High Commissioner in London, James Wright, is apparently speaking for every Canadian by objecting to this "unfounded and unhelpful" decision to boycott an industry that annually clubs in £22m worth of seal skins. (Ok, they've maintained the ban on 'whitecoats' – seals under 12 days old – but everything else they consider fair game). Well Mr Wright, if you can speak for your country, I can speak for mine, so listen up buddy: we are all totally shocked by the fact that this government appears to have made a decision based on morality. We are flobbergasted, overwhelmed and reeling in gushing waves of penitent gratitude. So please allow us to indulge and savour this wondrous moment, and for once be proud of this government. Just when we thought that they were morally bankrupt and ethically exhausted, it appears someone somewhere in the depths of Whitehall has actually made a decision not based on price, taxation or revenue but on good old fashioned ethics, morality and common sense. Please allow us to wallow in this collective righteousness.
So, it would take a cynic to suggest that it was a deliberate PR ploy that has calculated that £22m is not going to do too much damage to the economy of the world's 2nd largest country, not to mention that Brits tend to baulk at the idea of killing of anything cute. I bet they don't take a similar stance towards Japan.