Talking points NEWS 2317 July 2021 THE WEEKLobsters: an end to “culinary barbarism”?“Wehaveahooliganclass
ofpoliticians–anda
nationalfootballteam
composedofgentlemen.”
Matthewd’Ancona
onTortoise
“Peoplechange,andforget
totelleachother.”
LillianHellman,quoted
onTheBrowser“Future statues might be
generic, and preferably
androgynous. They could
have replaceable heads.
That way, if the person
commemorated should fall
out of fashion, the head
could simply be screwed off
and replaced by another.”
Alexander McCall Smith in
TheiPaper“In football everything is
complicated by the presence
of the opposite team.”
Jean-Paul Sartre, quoted
in The Times
“The secret pleasure of a
generous act is the great
mind’s bribe.”
John Dryden, quoted
in Forbes
“Political questions are
far too serious to be left
to the politicians.”
Hannah Arendt, quoted in
The Press and Journal
“If it doesn’t matter in five
years, it doesn’t matter.”
Cher, quoted in the
Miami Herald“I am afraid we must make
the world honest before we
can honestly say to our
children that honesty is
the best policy.”
George Bernard Shaw,
quoted in Forbes“Everyoneinpolicingfeels
betrayed,”saidMetropolitan
PoliceCommissionerCressida
Dicklastweek,afterthepolice
officerWayneCouzenshad
pleadedguiltytothekidnap,
rapeandmurderofSarah
EverardinMarchthisyear.
“I’msuretheydo,”said
SuzanneMooreinTheDaily
Telegraph,butthepolicealso
oweussomeexplanations.
Why,inthecaseofCouzens,
amemberoftheMet’selite
ParliamentaryandDiplomatic
ProtectionSquad,didthey
ignoresomany“redflags”?It
seemshehadbeenreportedfor
indecentexposuretwiceina
McDonald’scarpark,justthreedaysbeforethe
murder.Ifanyonehadbotheredtocheckhis
numberplate,theywouldhaveseenitwasa
policecar.Healsofacedanindecentexposure
allegation sixyearsearlier.Yethewasallowed
to stay inhisjob,withappallingconsequences:it
seemsCouzensmayhaveusedhispolice warrant
card topersuade Everardintohiscar asshe
walkedhome. Menwho commitso-called
“minorsexualoffences” likeflashingorstalking
oftenescalatetheirbehaviour torape,sexual
assault and murder. Yet theseoffencesare
trivialised byourcriminaljusticesystem.
It’sareliefthatCouzens pleadedguilty,sparing
Everard’sfamilyalongtrial,said Rachel
Cunliffeinthe NewStatesman.Butit doesn’t
“tidyawaytherealityof
sexualviolence”thather
murder“forcedusto
confront”.Sooftenwomen
aretoldbadthingshappen
becausetheydidsomething
wrong,suchaswearinga
shortskirtorbeingtoodrunk.
Thatnarrativehelpsexcuse
“abusivemen”,butitalso
giveswomenthecomforting
“illusion”thattheycanavoid
danger.ButEverarddid
“everythingright”,andstill
endedupdeadinawoodin
Kent.Couzens’sjobsignalled
“hewassomeonetobe
trusted”.That’swhythis
casestrucksuchanerve:it
shatteredwomen’slast“semblanceofsecurity”.Suchcrimesareoftendismissedas“isolated”
cases,saidLucyBannermaninTheTimes.Yet
sinceEverardwentmissing,morethan5 0
womenhavebeenmurderedinthe UK,with
aman asthemainsuspect.Everard’scasewas
soappallingthat everyonesatup.“Shehadn’t
madetheerrorofbeingmurderedindoors.Or
ofknowingherkiller.Or tryingtobreakoff a
relationship withaviolentman.” Butwealso
oughttoacceptthe“subtlesexism”that
condemns theother dead womentoobscurity.
Thepublicoutrage followingEverard’smurder
has“forcedanationalconversationabout
femicide”. It’satragedythat ithad tohappen
inthesecircumstances.But“it ’sastart”.The Everard murder: anational reckoning?“Bignewsin theworldof
crustaceansand molluscs,”said
Lizzie Thomson inMetro: itmay
soon beillegalto boillobsters alive.
TheGovernment’sAnimal Welfare
(Sentience)Bill,whichwilllegally
recognisevertebrates assentient
beingsand ensurethat this istaken
intoaccount inpolicy-making,is
making itswaythrough theHouse
of Lords. Now ministers havegiven
theirblessing to an amendment
givingprotections to invertebrates
such as lobsters,octopusesand
crabs. That wouldbring us in line
with Switzerland, Norway and New
Zealand,where boiling live lobsters is already
forbidden.About timetoo, said The Times.
Westerners are quick to condemnthe“culinary
barbarism” of othercultures,yetturnablind
eyetoour own “needlessbrutality”. Top
restaurants these days mostly prefer to freeze
or stunlobsters,with no “discernible impact on
taste”.Asarule, governmentsshouldn’t meddle
with whathappensinprivate kitchens.But this
is an “exceptionworthcelebrating”.
If only it were so simple,saidTim Hayward
in theFT. Lobsters aretricky creatures to kill.
True,they canbe electrocuted, but stunning
devices, costingsome £2,500,
are beyondthebudgetofmost
restaurants,letalone homes.As for
freezingthem todeath,lobsters are
designed tosurvive intheiciest
Arctic waters,so wehave toassume
they“remain viable” formuch of
the chillingprocess.Somecooks
favourstickingaskewerintothe
head,butthe lobsterdoesn’thave
asingle brain conveniently located
behindtheeyes. In short, I’mnot
surethere’samorehumaneway of
despatchingalobsterthandropping
it into “fiercely boilingwater”.Theveryidea of legal rightsforlobsters should
be “laughed toscorn”,saidBruce Andersonin
TheSpectator.Thisisone more exampleof the
absurdsentimentality the Britishlavish on
animals: surelyatthis timeof national crisisour
leg islators have better things to do.The whole
AnimalWelfare (Sentience)Billisridiculous,
saidDaniel HannaninThe Sunday Telegraph.
We arealready well aware that animalsare
sentient; and Britain alreadyhassomeof the
“oldestandstrongest animal welfare legislation
in theworld”.Thisisone of those“declamatory
laws”–passedjust“to sendamessage”–thatis
bound tohave“unintended consequences”.Stun, freeze or boil?Statisticsofthe week
The average UK house price
rose by over 20% between
the Brexit referendum in June
2016 and March 2021, from
£212,887 to £256,405.
ONS/FTEach bishop costs the Church
of England over £120,000 per
year in residential and other
expenses, on top of their
stipends of £46,000.
General Synod/The TimesSarahEverard:betrayedWit &Wisdom