Last year the animal rights campaign group SPEAK was becoming increasingly frustrated that the debate was not going its way. Typical of postings on its websites from those times was the article pleading IS ANYONE OUT THERE LISTENING?

Well it seems that SPEAK now has some unlikely listeners. On its ‘Site Demo Report’ website posting of 12 April, SPEAK claims that ’the builders of the Oxford torture centre were clearly seen to be stopping their work and listening to SPEAK supporters talking on the megaphone on today’s demo. They listened as the true horrors of what happens inside laboratories was described‘.

So there we have it. After years of campaigning, SPEAK have finally found someone to listen to them. That is progress. We hope they are happy.