London

The European Parliament elections are coming up in 2014 and vegans the world over have the extremely rare opportunity to help London get animal activists elected.

The Animal Welfare Party has been formed to bring the issues vegans care about to the European Parliament. The party predicts it needs approximately 140 000 votes in London to gain a seat. Before I tell you how you can help, let’s find out a little bit more about the elections.

Some details from APCOForum:

In each Member State of the EU, everybody can vote to elect their Member of European Parliament (MEP).  In some countries they’ll vote for an MEP in their region or city, in others they’ll vote on a national list meaning their MEPs represent the whole country, rather than a specific area.  Potential MEPs will come from a wide range of political parties, from right to left, and will also include some independent candidates.

Whether you think the EU is a good or a bad thing, or somewhere in between, this is your chance to have a say.  Despite what people say about ‘unelected bureaucrats’ making all the rules in Brussels, those people really just put a proposal on the table.  It is then MEPs (who you elect directly) and representatives of all 28 Governments (who you also elect) that make the final decision on most issues.  Your Government might like to ‘blame it on Brussels’ when things don’t go to plan, but they are part of Brussels too, so why not hold them accountable!

So, we kinda know what the elections are about but maybe we are not sure what the Animal Welfare Party are hoping to take to the table. What policies do they plan to influence? Take a look at these few talking points from their manifesto.

Some of the key policies of the party include:

• Redirect subsidies from livestock and fisheries farming to plant-based agriculture
• Phase out the failed practice of animal experimentation with binding targets for reduction and funding and support for alternatives
• Increased penalties for those convicted of animal cruelty
• Extend the current ban on hunting with greater enforcement and stronger penalties for abuse
• A ban on ‘puppy farms’ and a ban on the sale of animals in all retail stores
• Educate children about the importance of compassion and respect towards all living beings

The election takes place on May 22nd, 2014 and the Animal Welfare Needs your help in the following ways:

• Make a donation to their fundraising appeal (urgently as it ends on December 31st, 2013)
• Share the link for the fundraising appeal everywhere: http://igg.me/at/animalwelfareparty/x/4544
• Follow AWP on Twitter
• Like AWP on Facebook
• If you are in London, vote on May 22nd!
• If you are outside London raise money, spread the link and do whatever you can to help the Animal Welfare Party put the animal agenda front in centre in Europe.

I know it is a bit confusing but if every vegan or animal-concerned person reading this was to share, donate and vote (if eligible), we can get the Animal Welfare Party across the line.