Drawing The Line

‘TODAY, on the 365th day of remembrance of Nine Eleven, the badger community will also be mourning the death of one of its own. As with human beings, it is illegal to kill a badger in this country unless you have official permission, so the Mail’s picture of a prostrate furry corpse is particularly disturbing for those of us who believe in the rule of law.

”And this was after they’d pulled the eyes from cats and stuck them in the road”

But the reason for publishing this upsetting picture is not simply to upset animal loving Mail readers as they nibble their toast and marmalade in their Airwick-freshened breakfast nooks. It is to point out once again the incompetence and callousness of the lower orders.

”Workmen painting road couldn’t be bothered to budge a dead badger” complains the headline, and sure enough, there, across the dead creature’s stomach, is a white line, perfectly aligned with the road markings on either side. ”I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” said salesman Chris Crabtree, the father of four from Congresbury, North Somerset who photographed the scene.

The Mail itself is less surprised. ”It is not the first time that council workmen have decided to cut corners to get the job done quickly,” they remind us. And it won’t be the last, just you mark our words.

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Posted: 11th, September 2002 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink