Ca Ira, by Roger Waters, will be finally performed live!

This comes from REG - The International Roger Waters Fan Club

Roger Waters at the Royal Albert Hall In Aid of the Countryside Alliance

On October 16, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will give the premier performance of the Overture from Roger Waters' opera, Ca Ira. In addition, Roger will play 2 songs with his band and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Roger Waters describes his support for the Countryside Alliance:

"I was recently contacted by someone who runs one of the many Pink Floyd/Roger Waters websites. He wanted me to be aware that something of a debate was in progress relating to my forthcoming concert performance at the Royal Albert Hall in support of The Countryside Alliance.

For anyone who doesn't know, the Countryside Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the British Countryside in all its diversity with a special brief to encourage conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitats and to defend the traditions of country life and the livelihoods of those connected with those traditions. One of those traditions is hunting with dogs.

One of my most treasured possessions is a diary which my father kept, in his 16th year, from Christmas 1930 until the autumn of 1931. This is the entry for 1st Jan 1931:

"The New Years Eve Dance finished at 3am and Ken and I went into their house for some coffee. Verna and I went to the hunt at Romaldkirk. Lovely day. Hounds put on railway line, set up a hare and ran it west"

My father's subsequent story is well documented. He was a man of high principal, who gave his life fighting the tyranny of Nazi Germany. Ironically, Hitler banned foxhunting in 1939.

As a child, I was forever rescuing sick or wounded animals and nursing them back to health and freedom. I was determined that when I grew up I was going to become a vet. I mention this ambition only because my position illustrates the general point that the pro-hunting fraternity is informed by a love of animals not the reverse.

The anti-hunting lobby claims its desire to criminalize is motivated by a belief that hunting with dogs is cruel. If cruelty to animals was the real motivation why not first address the transport of live animals to slaughter, the tethering of sows, experiments in the cosmetics industry, the factory farming of poultry and the caging of veal calves? I believe the real motivation is based on old grudges conceived in the alienation of our class-ridden society carried via the anthropomorphism of "The Bambi Syndrome", and given birth to in an ill-educated urban society disaffected from the traditional British values of personal liberty on moral issues. What we see is a "Lets get the bloody toffs" attitude. My view is that hunting with dogs is not only morally correct but also a natural expression of mans' nature as an omnivore. I understand that others hold an opposing view and I respect their right to do so. It may be that I am part of a minority. If that is the case I would expect my government to protect my rights, as it should any minority. It would be a grave mistake for the government to impose legislation on the rural community, which would create a bitter divide between town and country in a society already battling with a sense of loss. Loss of empire, loss of self respect, loss of purpose, loss of national identity, loss of the traditional British virtues of fair play and fair-mindedness.

I see the current attack on hunting as part of a general move towards an Orwellian future where our children and grandchildren could inherit a life of dull grey uniformity in a land dumbed down and neutered by the twin blades of a crass tabloid press and government motivated by the political expediency of clinging to power at all costs.

There is some deep part of the Englishness in me that compels me to stand and be counted.

PS: There is a very good book "The Hunting Gene", which I would recommend to anyone, on either side of the argument, who is interested in the hunting issue in England. It is written by Robin Page and distributed by Merlin Unwin Books, 7 Corve St, Ludlow, Shropshire."

Thanks to APFFN member Botley for the heads up on this, on this post!!