NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE There was a report in the Manx media recently about a mindless attack on Arctic Terns in the habitat they use for nesting at the Ayres on the Isle of Man. It reminded me that one of the incidents our military monitoring drew attention to in the 1980s was the damage done to those same nesting grounds by vehicles used in British Army exercises (to be fair once attention was drawn to the issue the local Army liaison Officer took action and the exercises were kept well away from the area). Another species of the avian family found around our coast (perhaps not as popular as the Tern!) is the Seagull. Now Seagulls may be a problem from time to time (we won?t go into detail!) but they are an essential part of our rich ornithological mix, therefore we were surprised when Cornish colleagues alerted us to the fact that they were on David Cameron?s hit listbriefly. The Celtic League Kernow Branch explain below: ?Seagulls, sandwiches and spending cuts There has been much hilarity in Cornwall over the Westminster Government?s latest U-turn or should we say display of aerial acrobatics? The Prime Minister himself, the Rt. Hon. David Cameron MP announced a war on Cornish sea gulls after he was involved in a nasty incident when a gull attempted to steal his sandwich during one of his much publicised holidays to a wealthier part of the Duchy. Subsequently he announced with much aplomb that he intended to tackle this enormous problem and would allocate a cool quarter of a million pounds to initiate a programme of sea gull genocide. However, like all promises made by Westminster politicians, his words have come to nothing as the funding for this latest folly has been subject of cutback in one of an ongoing series of Government spending culls. Many Cornish folk have expressed a like for the various type of gull which has inhabited our lands since around 30 million years ago, long before people were around. Unlike tourists, local inhabitants recognise that it is human behaviour which has drawn these birds inland and to take food from people?s hands. The Treasurer of the Kernow Branch of the Celtic League, Tony Leamon, discussed the issue on local radio this morning remarking that, ?there are many similarities between the gulls and many London politicians, both make a lot of noise, leave a lot of mess and then fly off, but at least the gulls aren?t followed by publicists and vanity camera men nor do they make promises which aren?t kept. That Mr. Cameron ever saw this as an issue worthy of expending taxpayers? money on in the first place is a true indication of his priorities when he honours us with his visits. Perhaps he would care to donate a few of his expensive deli style sandwiches claimed on expenses no doubt, to one of our many thriving food banks. We so await Mr. Cameron?s next visit as do many seagulls without doubt.? Link to newspaper article.? J B Moffatt (Mr) Director of Information Celtic League 08/06/15 (Please note that replies to correspondence received by the League and posted on CL News are usually scanned hard copies. Obviously every effort is made to ensure the scanning process is accurate but sometimes errors do occur.) ISSUED BY THE CELTIC LEAGUE INFORMATION SERVICE. The Celtic League was established in 1961 and has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It works to promote cooperation between these countries and campaigns on a broad range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights human rights abuse, monitors all military activity and focuses on socio-economic issues Download our News App for Android here. Internet site at: (voir le site) (voir le site) Share this!
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