Latest news with #GuernseyVotes
ITV News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- ITV News
International animal rights group calls on Sark to cancel Sheep Racing Festival
An international animal rights group has called on Sark to end its traditional Sheep Racing Festival. The Sark Sheep Racing Festival is an annual event where sheep race down a grass track with teddy bear jockeys strapped to their backs. The event takes place in the summer, with proceeds going to the Professor Charles Saint Sark Medical Trust. However, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has written a letter to the Sark Carnival Committee to urge them to race "willing human participants" instead. The Committee met to discuss the letter, and say they will consult with the States of Guernsey vet before making a decision on the best course of action to take. The letter reads: "Sheep are many things, but they are not clowns for human entertainment or professional athletes on whom to wager. "They are gentle, good-natured, playful, and loving animals with complex emotions, [and] are also protective parents and resourceful problem-solvers. Above all, they're individuals who feel pain and fear. "Holding sheep races sends a dangerous message to young people that it is acceptable to objectify animals and use them as little more than living props. "The sheep do not consent to participating in this confusing and stressful event and should be left in peace." PETA is an animal rights group against the use of animals in laboratories, the food industry, the clothing trade, and the entertainment business. They have historically called for bans and changes in the UK to protect animals, from phasing out police dogs to changing the name of The Sly Old Fox pub in Birmingham, calling it "derogatory". Dawn Carr, PETA Vice President of Vegan Corporate Projects, says: "Sheep do not consent to participating in this confusing and stressful event and should be left in peace. "There are plenty of fun and family-friendly rural activities without animals that can be celebrated. "How about a 'potato' and spoon race, a hobby horse jump competition, or a tractor tug of war?" The next Sark Sheep Racing events will begin on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 July 2025. Want the inside track on the issues that will shape Guernsey's Election this June? Listen to Guernsey Votes, an ITV Channel podcast packed with expert guests, local insight and analysis you can trust...
ITV News
29-04-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Follow the issues that matter through the Guernsey Votes election podcast
Want the inside track on the issues that will shape Guernsey's Election this June? Listen to Guernsey Votes, an ITV Channel podcast packed with expert guests, local insight and analysis you can trust... When I first arrived in Guernsey just shy of ten months ago, I was instantly struck by the unique little quirks this island has. Think filter in turns, hedge veg, blue postboxes and of course, the ever familiar pleasantry - 'cheerie!' It's fair to say I quickly realised politics was certainly amongst that list of quirks, albeit in a slightly less charming way, and for a political animal like myself, I couldn't wait to work out why! It's partly to do with the political system itself (which I'll come onto!), but also the unique challenges and issues on this small yet beautiful rock in the middle of the English Channel. Questions that dominate discussion tend to revolve around reducing the huge price of getting on and off our islands, building more housing and lowering costs, improving accessibility for people who may have a disability, filling the huge skills gap in a lot of our key industries and how the island finds the money to fund itself. These help guide the mantras of politicians throughout political terms but with a range of candidates standing in the upcoming election, there's a risk of an information overload for the general public. Key election dates: Guernsey's political process has undergone a lot of change over the years, especially around how elections work. The introduction of an 'island-wide' system at the last election has led to outsiders describing it as the 'strangest' election in the world. That might be to do with the fact that each voter has up to 38 votes to cast. Yes, 38! As a journalist covering the UK General Election last year, when many found it hard to place their confidence in just one candidate, the prospect of marking your ballot that many times is unfathomable and for many can be laborious and extremely difficult. In their bid to win votes, each candidate puts together two pages worth of a manifesto, which is assembled together in a booklet distributed to each household ahead of the poll. At the last election in 2020, the booklet was 222 pages long! The 38 candidates with the most votes are elected to the States and as the margin between all candidates is likely to be comparatively narrow, you can understand why there were recounts last time around. It's then a waiting game for the public as the elected politicians decide amongst themselves who will take the top jobs. Martin Search has been a businessman in Guernsey for more than 50 years and wants Amazon to be charged for what it delivers to the island. Listen to the full interview on the first episode of Guernsey Votes, an election podcast by ITV News, as we discuss tax and the economy It became clear going into this election cycle, there was a need for a deep, analytical dive into the crucial political issues that affect the island now and going forward. We hope our podcast, 'Guernsey Votes', gets to the crux of these issues and helps voters to stay informed alongside lighter moments. We will be speaking to islanders, none of whom are candidates, about why these issues affect them and what they want to see out of their politicians in the next political term. We've got experts in their field such as business people, those who have worked in the education system, younger voters and even a former deputy. But given the short time I've been on the island, coupled with my limited background knowledge, I hope to go on the journey with you, learning more about the issues that matter. You can listen to episodes as they are published at the top of this article or wherever you get your podcasts - there is a link to many of those popular platforms here.
