With all the threads relating to american politics that are about at the moment I thought it’d be nice to get people’s views on the hot topic in Britiish politics at the moment .
Namely, the ban on hunting with dogs (for you americans, what you call hunting we in Britain call stalking. Hunting in this instance refers to the act of chasing and killing your chosen quarry, usually foxes. But also hares and deer with dogs ). For those of you who don’t follow the antics of Mr Blair and his New labour buddies(New Labour…Neo Conservatism, anyone spot the connection? That’s right, those belonging to each group are all lying fucks.) The labour government is currently in the process of getting a law passed to stop hunting with dogs, mostly on animal cruelty grounds, but also to try and redeem their (pfft) socialist credentials. As hunting is seen as being for the upper classes.
The pro hunt lobby has been getting more and more pissed off the further along the law goes to becoming enacted. And they have been taking stronger and stroger action…Even resorting to breaking the law in many of their direct actions. Many pro hunt supporters have been giving direct threats to some of the politicians who have been the biggest suporters of the anti hunt bill, and many have also been damaging property of said politicians.
Five Pro hunt supporters even managed to gain access to the floor of the house of commons during the vote on the hunting bill. It was pretty damned amusing watchiing the commons security chaps, armed with nothing more than a sword and a fetching pair of tights trying to get them out of the house of commons.
My own personal opinion, having seen both sides of the hunt debate first hand. (My grandpa took me on hunts when I was a kiddy wink. And I’m now a fairly dedicated hippy being involved with Greenpeace and other such organisations) is that they should leave the hunters to it. Since with modern farming the way it is foxes are going to continue to be killed even if/when the bill becomes law. And having seen hunts first hand I can testify to the fact that being killed with dogs is no less cruel or distressing to the fox than being shot, poisoned or trapped. Poisoning is a long and slow death, as is trapping. And shooting them, if you don’t kill the fox with your first bullet and it’s wounded, it can run quite a distance and it will again die a long painful death.
So I say leave the hunters to it. If they want to have a get together at silly times in the morning and get cold whilst the better dressed ones gad about on horseback chasing a fox through the british countryside then leave them to it. However what I certainly am NOT happy about is the methods the pro hunt lobby are using to protest against the bill.
They are using violent direct action to defend the rights of a minority of the population to continue hunting. When they are the first to complain about peaceful direct actions by groups such as Greenpeace who are taking action to help not a minority to continue to be able to take part in their preferred pastime. But who are taking direct action in order to benefit EVERY bugger on the planet and prevent more damage being done to our planet. Oh, and also the countryside alliance can go and stick their heads in a bucket of lard…numpties
Anyhoo…anyone else got opinions on the issue. If you have, here’s the place for them.
Kit
