Fox Hunting
Posted by Kerry McCarthy, MP for Bristol East, at 14:29, Thu 5 November 2009:
The Conservatives have confirmed that if they win the next election, they will to try to make fox hunting legal again. David Cameron, who has hunted foxes and is a enthusiastic deer-stalker, has given his personal backing to this pledge, as has his Shadow Foreign Secretary, William Hague.
"A Conservative government will give Parliament the opportunity to repeal the Hunting Act on a free vote and in government time. This has been our position and it will remain our position.... The passage of the Hunting Act revealed that Labour MPs' respect for the views of minorities only extended to those minorities whose views they could readily agree with. The result was a piece of legislation so deeply prejudiced and so ridiculously unworkable that its existence weakens and discredits the laws of the land. This is a bad law and bad laws should be repealed, not ignored."
William Hague, Conservative Party, Yorkshire Post (report of speech to Masters of Foxhounds Association), 9 July 2009,
As you can see, the main argument that is made is that the law is not working; however, since the ban came in there have been 56 prosecutions. As a result I believe it is actually making a difference. I also believe that if the law is being flouted, we should tighten up enforcement so that those who persist in breaking the law are brought to justice.
What do you think? If you agree, please visit http://www.backtheban.com to sign the petition against the Conservatives' plans and if you have friends or family who may be interested, please let them know.
Comments
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Posted by David Murphy, 14:46, Thu 5 November 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
Given that the British state is bankrupt, given that we are involved in a pointless war in a far-off land that is killing and maiming our badly equipped troops in ever increasing numbers, and given that Brown has surrendered our national sovereignty to a undemocratic, authoritarian EU superstate, I really don't care very much about the fate of a few verminous foxes.
Posted by Paul Nash, 15:15, Thu 5 November 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
You must be joking, gripped in a labour led recession (by Gordon 'no more boom and bust' Brown). The country is massively in debt whilst we are handing tax payers money to Gordons mates in the banking industry, gripped in a very expensive war overseas (remember the war that Tony Blair lied to the world about so he could paly up with a mad right wing relegious nutter) and you want to waste time on fox hunting???? Labour only banned it to try and convince us that they weren't posh boys and it looked good on the front cover of the Daily Mirror for a couple of days.
Posted by Jack Whittaker, 18:19, Thu 5 November 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
Let's worry about more important things before we worry about repealing the Hunting With Dogs Act. I would not support repeal, but equally I would not man the barricades to fight off the hunters.
Posted by Liz Read, 21:53, Thu 5 November 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
There really is no place for bloodsports in the 21st century, but I have to agree with other posters there are far more important items on the agenda. Namely the constant flow of dead soldiers into RAF Lyneham, some as young as 18 years old. Next weekend we'll remember the heroic dead of past conflicts, but how to remember young men pointlessly killed for the self-glorification of Tony Blair? The parents of the dead soldiers are sickened and I think we probably all are.
Posted by Rob Telford, 16:08, Fri 6 November 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
There are about 9 million issues that are more important than this one.
Can you ask us a question about one of those next time, please?
Like, say, the future of the planet? Copenhagen's less than a month away now, and Britain needs to take the lead in getting a binding deal.
Is it likely to happen with this Labour government, Kerry?
Posted by Owen Williams, 20:11, Fri 6 November 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
I don't have a problem with fox hunting.
Posted by Peter Brown, 09:55, Sat 7 November 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
Whereas I feel uncomfortable with blood sports, Labour's banning law I feel was petty and vindictive and to invoke the Parliament Act to push it through after wasting so much Parliamentary time was beyond the pale. Your Party has done it's very best to marginalize the authority of the democratic process and turned a once great institution into a 'Family friendly' club with more regard to the personal feelings of MPs rather than the Electorate whom you claim to represent.
As you are my constituency MP, I would have been more impressed if you had bothered to answer or even acknowledge my email of 3 weeks ago rather than devoting your time to fringe activities.
I agree with virtually everyone above except that I believe that we should remain in Afghanistan and having met many of the soldiers out there in Helmand, I know that they believe they need to 'get the job done'. It is inaccurate to state that Blair lied about this war. He did so about Iraq but not Afghanistan. However, the majority of deaths in both campaigns are due to the lack of necessary equipment exacerbated by a series of Political Pygmies who have never served in the military and have no idea at all about what is necessary to be in conflict.
Peter Brown