June 01, 2006

Icons of England's curious compromise

Branding England is not something that should be left to the government, especially as the country is run by Scotsmen. And yet a government department has tried, with its curious Icons of England site and is failing miserably. Naturally enough, opening the issue to the public has left the project vulnerable to hijacking, as is the case with the pro-foxhunting Countryside Alliance which successfully bombarded the poll with votes for this peculiar past-time, itself a long-time target of animal welfare protestors.
What’s even odder is the attempt by the Icons project at a messy compromise: it has decided to include foxhunting and the foxhunting ban as a joint icon.
Why so much time and effort is being expended upon these manky creatures totally escapes me, when English toffs could be more productive by taking out the real mass murderers of the countryside: moggies and squirrels. At least you can eat squirrels.

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