Cruelty Free Living
Issue 3: October-December 1998

Calling All ‘Animal’ Groups!

You only need to look at the contacts list of this newsletter to see just how many groups and individuals in the Edinburgh area are involved in promoting animal welfare/rights issues. Although raising money and awareness for different projects our aims are primarily the same. Even if specialising in one animal cruelty issue, we all have to deal with difficult questions from the public on every area imaginable and in effect - know everything about everything!

Although this is humanly impossible, we have all felt for a long time that we can benefit from each others experiences. If we are standing up for something, we have to be able to justify why and be capable of putting forward an intelligent and logical argument. If we can’t do that - whose going to listen? We can’t expect everyone to feel the same as we do and there is little point in preaching to the converted, but if we can send even the most sceptical of people away with a convincing argument that gives them something to think about, then perhaps it will go some way towards changing the attitudes of the people who perpetuate animal suffering.

We would like to organise an informal meeting to share our ‘difficult’ experiences, to exchange possible responses to those awkward questions that arise time after time and also the ones that have us completely stumped! We can all swap ideas to enable us to have such good arguments, that people would find it very hard not to agree with us or at the least - sympathise with our cause.

The aim is to have this meeting at the end of October or early November. If you are interested in coming along or would like more information please call Lesley Winton (01875) 614610 or Jacqueline Walsh (0131) 441 1665.