Is it high time we gave a bit of credit to the truly old-school vegan?
An employment tribunal has ruled that ethical veganism is a philosophical belief to be protected by law against discrimination. Jordi Casamitjana claims he was unfairly sacked by animal charity the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) for complaining that its pension fund invested in companies involved in animal testing. The ruling is the first stage of the case, which will now determine the lawfulness of the dismissal. (LACS argues that Casamitjana was sacked for misconduct.)
But what, exactly, is “ethical veganism”? I thought this mindset (rejecting all animal products and animal exploitation, in all aspects of life) was just veganism 101. Is “unethical veganism” a thing now? Or, like myself (a dairy-dabbling vegetarian), are some vegans just not ethical enough?
These days, ethical veganism could prove useful as a cultural clarifier, especially at this time of year when temporary vegans are out in force. Veganuary (people going vegan for January) is great, as is the movement’s growing popularity. However, increasingly, there appears to be a huge philosophical gulf between lifestyle vegans and what I’d term True Vegans. Lifelong vegetarians like myself may even feel that we have more in common with True Vegans, in that, for us, it was never about looks, health, dietary fashions or even laudable environmental concerns, however interlinked – it was always just about the animals.
For its part, veganism could be getting a bit too slack and undiscerning about who it lets into the fold. I mean, who isn’t vegan in some way these days? There are people who are vegan for a month. People who go vegan to lose weight or to improve fitness. Last week, there were probably people feeling “extremely vegan” in the time it took them to eat the new Greggs’ vegan steak bake. That’s the essence of mainstream vegan success – it took “dull and worthy” out of the ethical equation for people who weren’t terribly interested, which is fantastic. Mostly. Just sometimes, it feels gratingly lightweight.
Maybe that’s why I got a kick out of seeing someone take their veganism all the way to court. Go, ethical vegan! Mock these people all you like, roll your eyes at them for being cranks and bores. But there’s no denying that they’re the real vegan deal – a breed apart in terms of commitment, application and integrity.
True Vegans are where it all started. It was their ethical purity (if you like) that made the vegan revolution happen – their persistence that eventually led to jackfruit dals in supermarkets. And they’ll still be there, grimly soaking their lentils, when all the faddists and part-timers have gone and the steak bakes are left going cold on Greggs’ counter. If vegans are finally getting legal recognition and protection, then they’ve earned it. Sometimes, it should be about the ethics.
£4m to tackle rogue landlords is a fig leaf, not a realistic policy
The government has announced a £4m fund to pursue rogue private landlords. Is this some kind of joke?
There are 4.5m privately rented households in the UK and 1.2m in England and Wales are deemed “non-decent”. With these numbers, how could a one-off splash of £4m even start to resolve the issues? Among the local authorities to benefit from the fund, Northampton plans to set up a special unit to deal with bad landlords, while councils in Yorkshire and the Humber are training enforcement officers to vet properties.
I’m sure these councils are grateful to receive the funding, but what about the help and support needed for all the other struggling private renters around the UK?
It’s highly probable that there are even more of these “non-decent” abodes, not least because many tenants are too frightened to complain about poor conditions, rent rises or appalling behaviour by landlords. To do so risks eviction.
Labour has called the fund “puny” and “a drop in the ocean” compared to council cuts since 2010. These cuts limit their power to act, allow landlords to do as they like and have long been cited as a major reason why the private rental sector has morphed into a housing wild west. Even private landlords think£4m is too little to tackle the rogues who give them a bad name.
The government knows all this. It knows occasional cash splurges can’t begin to solve the problems of exploitative rental tenancies. So, why send out the housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, to announce this shredded fig leaf right at the start of the year – were they hoping that people would still be too hazy from the festivities to realise that their intelligence is being insulted?
Come on, Leavers – you won so please stop gloating
What is it about Tory Leaver types that make them such bad winners?
I wondered whether to bother reacting to Boris Johnson’s “let’s be friends” New Year’s Day message. Such brazen trolling of Remainer/non-Tory voters requires scant translation, but here goes:
“Dark Overlord II here (we all know that the Domster is Dark Overlord I). Sure, I caused most of the Brexit aggro, but now let the country come together (to forgive me). As friends and equals (well, sort of – there is a limit). Let’s forget the unpleasantness (caused by me) and let me (ME!) proceed unhindered, without your loser carping ruining the optics for my World King gig. PS: oops, almost forgot – Get Brexit Done.”
This is what I mean about bad winners. It’s not enough for them to win, they must gloat, preen, gush with smirking faux-magnanimity, use an olive branch to poke and goad, return to the scene of the crime to give the body another kick.
As I so often think, regarding Johnson and Cummings, what would a good, responsible parent do? Perhaps it’s best to stop rewarding bad behaviour with attention – don’t get angry, which is just playing straight into their hands. We must pity them, poor things, for their lack of grace, their evident inability to cope with getting everything they ever wanted.
• Barbara Ellen is an Observer columnist
