youlikewelike.com:

Laurie Pycroft originally hit the headlines in his teens. During January 2006, the then 16-year-old Pycroft formed campaign group Pro-Test to “counter the irrational arguments of anti-vivisectionists”. Pycroft and Pro-Test then waded into the fractious animal rights debate, and fought particularly hard for the construction of a new Biomedical Research Facility at the University of Oxford. Controversial. Today Pycroft continues to actively campaign for his chosen cause.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO STAND UP FOR ANIMAL TESTING?

On evaluation of the evidence I had available to me, it was clear that animal research has helped and will continue to help hugely in the advancement of biomedical science. I saw that a significant proportion of the population believed erroneously that animal research is in some way ‘bad science’. It seemed only natural to attempt to do something to rectify that.

WHAT DID YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY THINK WHEN YOU STARTED PRO-TEST?

Initially, many of them were quite worried due to the perceived threat from violent ‘animal rights’ activists. But when they saw this is a cause I believe in strongly, they were extremely supportive and have been ever since.

HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED INTIMIDATION FROM ANIMAL RIGHTS CAMPAIGNERS?

As I had expected, my campaign drew a few unpleasant email messages but, apart from that, we've had no serious threats. The only time anyone has come close to attacking me was when a drunken man threw a kebab at me, which missed fortunately, whilst shouting "animal murderer".

IS SCIENCE ALWAYS RIGHT?

In terms of the scientific establishment, certainly not. Scientists are human and capable of making mistakes or wrongly interpreting evidence. The scientific method itself, however, is very sound. We need empirical evidence in order to make any real evaluation of the world.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR PROUDEST MOMENT SINCE FORMING PRO-TEST?

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Professors John Stein, Colin Blakemore and Robert Winston in a debate at the Oxford Union. Even better was the fact that each one thanked me for starting Pro-Test.

WHAT WAS THE LAST GIG YOU ATTENDED?

I don't go to that many gigs as they're generally a bit loud for my taste. But I did see my favourite band, The Decemberists, when they played at the Oxford Zodiac last year.

AND LAST ALBUM BOUGHT?
I download almost all of my music these days, so the last full album I bought was Without You I'm Nothing by Placebo back in 2002.

WHO DO YOU ADMIRE IN POLITICS?

I'm fairly disillusioned with the current state of politics. But people I do admire include Boris Johnson, a national treasure who I once had the pleasure to meet, Milton Friedman, a Libertarian economist; and Pete Stark, the first U.S. senator to openly admit to being non-religious.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOUR SPARE TIME?

A lot of my time is spent on my computer browsing the Internet. I spend many hours at a time on Wikipedia, or gaming and watching films. Other than that, I hang out with friends, play various war games and read.

WHAT WORRIES YOU MOST ABOUT THE FUTURE?

Quite possibly the recent rise in radical religious extremism and the resulting restriction of civil liberties our government has imposed. I'm not just referring to deranged Muslims, but also the new breed of logic-defying fundamentalist Christians who unashamedly lie about scientific facts.

IS THE COUNTRY ON THE RIGHT OR WRONG TRACK?

We're going down a very wrong track on many issues. Freedom of speech has been taking hits and many of our basic legal rights are being eroded thanks to the ever expanding surveillance society and new police powers. I don't believe the government is conspiring against the people, but they are leaving the system wide open for abuse. Having said that, scientific research funding is on the rise, and the government has become more aware of the importance of animal-based research in recent years.

words: Andrew Laughlin

pro-test.org.uk