Animals, Politics and Morality

Animals, Politics and Morality. Robert Garner. Manchester University Press. [pounds sterling]14.99 p.b. x + 285 pages. ISBN 0-7190-6621-2. This is a second edition of a title first published in 1993 and, as the author says, there have been 'significant developments' since then: debates over the export of live animals to fit in with European desires, genetic engineering, the BSE crisis and the government's mishandling of it, vivisection with homicidal lunatics persecuting researchers and the Labour government's ban on fox-hunting brought in to pay off the support from 'animal rights' groups and to attack 'the toffs'. Not surprisingly, 'animal ethics' has become more important and with it, criticisms of Mr Garner's first edition. This volume is in part a response to those criticisms. While the chapter structure is the same there has been considerable revision to cover new developments such as the unending expansion of EU control. The chapter on wild animals has been 'comprehensively rewritten' and more attention has been paid to activities in the U.S. Mr Garner claims his book is 'not a polemic' but sometimes it is hard to believe him. Had the book been co-written by a medical researcher one might have had a different emphasis. (G.F.B.)