Peter Singer recently told me that he only received three percent of the vote as a Green Party candidate for the Australian senate. But Angela Smith, who until recently was the lobbyist for the London-based League Against Cruel Sports, has been selected as the Labor candidate for a safe parliamentary seat in the House of Commons. There is a very strong possibility that Angela, a long-standing animal rights advocate, will join the small but growing number of vegetarian M.P.s. We must work toward eroding the barriers between our organizations and eliminating the squandering of finite resources on duplicative activities. This includes friend and fund raising, organizational management, publications, and program expenses.
Organizations can no longer afford to exist in splendid isolation.
There may be strength in diversity but there is also waste in duplication. From my conversations with foundations and individual contributors, I believe this will have a positive impact on fund raising. We should consider merging or establishing formal alliances with kindred organizations within our movement. We should also consider investing more in those organizations and activities which cross over the boundaries of individual organizations. For example, I am very encouraged by the wide spread support for the forthcoming World Congress and the March for the Animals.