Don't forget the elephants

Last Modified: 15 Jul 2008
By: Channel 4 News

Inside the morning meeting.

Elephants feature on the news-list today - as China bids to grab a bigger share of the ivory trade.

"There was a ban on the trade of ivory until 1998, when Robert Mugabe - as part of a group of four nations - lobbied to try and allow its sale, provided it was sourced from legal culling and elephants that had died naturally.

"It was agreed; yet at the time Japan was the only country with strict enough import laws to makes sure this was 'legal' ivory - but now China wants a piece of the action.

"There's a fair amount of diplomacy in this; with people wanting to bring China into the fold, but there is also concern from animal welfare people that this will help mask an illegal trade.

"There is of course the counter argument, that by making it legal you can help soften the demand for an illegal trade."

"Are elephants still endangered?"

"In South Africa they are actually on the verge of passing a new law to allow legal culling again, because the numbers have increased so much.

"But in India - where the numbers are not so good and there is a raft of reasons why they protect elephants - they are lobbying hard for China not to be allowed in.

"Britain has its vote on the body that can decide this, as well as the EU's vote, so it will come under pressure."

Retail sales going down, inflation going up - it is the double whammy, as the economic gloom seemingly worsens.

"It is both sides of the coin really, and we have got people out all over the place on this one today.

"Faisal [our economics correspondent] is at Asda, while we'll also got someone at ALDI store."

Who said journalism wasn't a glamorous business...

"Apparently it is the discount stores such as ALDI - the food equivalent of Primark - which are doing really well now, as finances get tighter."

Gary Gibbon, our political editor, was down for further home affairs announcements today, but we are not sure what's going to come out.

"We don't know if they [government] are going to come out with anything new today, whether anything is left...

"We think Brown might be coming out with the number of people that are going to be hit with these parenting orders; but he actually said that yesterday so there's nothing new there.

"Maybe there's some mileage in the media strategy that went wrong, but that's been done pretty hard already."

Cameron is giving a speech today - we are not sure what about yet - but it might be a good day to look at the Tories' policies."

"There is stuff to say about David Cameron and the economy. Six months ago you could have got a raft of Tory MPs to come forward and say he's wrong, but now they are all loyal now, except for Edward Leigh."

"The pledge that they will stick to Labour's spending plans is still fascinating - how can they be Tories and stick to spending 40 per cent of GDP, or whatever it is?

"They are not going to back-track - because cutting public spending has been their main stumbling block in the past two elections - but it's interesting.

"Perhaps we could get four or five city analysts to but their ten top questions to the Tories over economic policy?