Despite their ignorance of the ­details of animal experiments, at least their suspicion was based on some sort of principle. Post-war antivivisectionism is irrational and based on envy. The ALF grew out of the hunt-saboteur movement founded in 1962. Most members are unemployed and under-­educated. Their hatred of the establishment, government and big pharma is obvious; their concern for animals less so. They join a depressing catalogue of movements that betray the principles of the Enlightenment; indeed, they are anti-­intellectual. Like supporters of alternative medicine, they seem not to value or understand the scientific method. They embrace pagan or medieval conceptions of the structure and the function of the ­human body, and they do not appear to recognise the need for objective evidence, asserting that intuition and personal belief are all that is needed to validate their views.

It is depressing how attractive these attitudes are to many people. It is even more ­depressing how effective they have been. The new Oxford animal house may never open properly. The security costs and the likely harassment of employees will make it uneconomic. The irony is that the work will take place anyway — abroad, where attention to animal welfare is often negligible. If the ALF were concerned about the treatment of animals, it would have supported, not campaigned against, Oxford’s state-of-the-art facility.