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PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2011Cruelty Versus Compassion: The Views of the Candidates Revealed

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"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged

by the way its animals are treated" ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Please choose compassionate candidates on October 27th

Dear Voter,

Thank you for taking the time to read our special Presidential Election 2011 booklet.

Ifyoucareaboutanimalsandareopposedtothecrueltyofactivitiessuchasfoxhuntingandhare

coursing,youareinthemajorityoftheelectorate.

HowyouandyourfamilyandfriendscastyourvotesonelectiondaywillhelpdetermineifIreland's

nextpresidentisacompassionateindividualorsomeonewhoisindifferenttocrueltyorinfavourof

itcontinuing.

WebelievethatIrelandwillonlyeverachievetruegreatness,whenhunting,coursingandallforms

ofcrueltyarepermanentlyabolished.

BeforeyouvoteforIreland'snextpresidentonOctober27th,pleaseconsidertheviewsofeachof

thecandidatesandmakethedecisiontochoosecompassionnowandforthefuture.

Thankyou.

Irish Council Against Blood Sports

www.banbloodsports.com

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SENATOR DAVID NORRIS

"The spectacle of fox hunting is most attractive, althoughnot for the fox.

"We must do something to root out the horrible practice of live

hare coursing. There is simply no justification for it if we areconcerned about the welfare of small animals.

"I believe it is bad for the moral welfare of the people whowatch the 'sport'. No decent person should take pleasure fromthe hunting to death of a small, frightened animal. I agree with

Senator Mooney about education - it is an important element inencouraging people to respect wildlife." (16 November 2000)

"I heard a Member on the Government side attempt to defendthe obscenity of coursing, which is indefensible."(Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Second Stage, 26

January 2010)

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MICHAEL D HIGGINS

Michael D Higgins is a former vice-chairperson of the IrishCouncil Against Blood Sports.

"I must say it is absolutely outrageous to suggest that I and

any Member of the Labour Party are in favour of cruelty toanimals or bloodsports." Comment made during a debate onthe Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2010 which banned the WardUnion staghunt, 24 June 2010.

While Labour Party TDs (with the exception of Tommy

Broughan) voted against the ban, Michael D Higgins, absentedhimself from the vote on medical grounds.

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DANA ROSEMARY SCALLON

Anti-cruelty campaigners sang the praises of Dana RosemaryScallon after she revealed her efforts to highlight the cruelty ofbullfighting.

In a letter to an ICABS supporter in 2003, the then Connacht-Ulster

MEP stated that she "has difficulty with this so-called sport" andthat she had voiced her views to colleagues in the EuropeanParliament. "Because of subsidiarity, i.e. the right of citizens in eachmember state to decide on what is lawful, or morally acceptablewithin their own country, it is not an easy matter to deal with thisissue on a European level." she said. "However, I will continue to

highlight your concerns and the fact that many people share them,including myself." (From Animal Watch newsletter, 2003)

In 2004, Dana was one of a majority of Irish MEPs who respondedpositively to an ICABS appeal to sign a Written Declaration callingon the European Commission to introduce an EU wide ban on thetrade in domestic dog and cat fur.

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GAY MITCHELL

In 2005, Gay Mitchell was one of 50 TDs who voted infavour of the Fur Farming (Prohibition) Bill which wouldhave outlawed fur farming in Ireland.

However, the Bill was defeated when 62 Fianna Fail TDs, threeProgressive Democrats and two Independents voted against it.

His personal views on blood sports are unknown.

The Fine Gael party he represents are pro-bloodsports and

have been heavily criticised for threatening to reverse a widelywelcomed ban on cruel carted deer hunting. A spokespersonfor the party is also on record as saying that "Fine Gael sup-ports country sports [i.e. blood sports]"

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MARTIN MCGUINNESS

In the Northern Ireland Assembly, Martin McGuinness andother Sinn Fein MLAs voted en bloc in favour of coursing andagainst protection for hares. They thankfully failed to overturna decision by the Assembly to ban coursing. Sinn Fein has

been strongly criticised for its pro-blood sports stance.A statement from Martin McGuinness's National Campaign Officeon 12th October 2011 outlined that "Martin McGuinness is notopposed to hunting...or coursing generally, but believes that thesepractices are of value to local rural economies and communitiesand therefore must be regulated in the interests of wildlife sustain-

ability and to prevent unnecessary cruelty...Martin is opposed toblood sports such as dog fighting, badger baiting, and cock fighting[Note: these are already illegal in Ireland], and believes there is adistinct difference between these cruel practices and those tradi-tional occupations enjoyed by thousands of people on the island."

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Please visit www.banbloodsports.com for updates.

Find us on Facebook - www.tinyurl.com/facebookicabs

Follow us on Twitter - www.twitter.com/banbloodsportsWatch campaign videos - www.youtube.com/icabs

Published by the Irish Council Against Blood SportsPO Box 88, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Ireland.