Hunting the priority
I’ve lived in Hove and Portslade for ten years. There are a lot of foxes around and about the place. I like them very much. I was once woken in the night by five of the cheeky so-and-sos having a Mexican stand-off in the street. It was ace.
In the time before the fox-hunting ban I don’t once recall seeing a contingent of red-jacketed horse-riders galloping across Hove and Portslade’s urban parks in pursuit of a foxy quarry. So I’m a little puzzled as to why the local MP Celia Barlow, who has a hyper-marginal majority of just 420 votes, is taking the time in the middle of a recession to remind her constituents that it’s the 5th anniversary of the less than incredibly successful fox hunting ban.
(I’m less puzzled as to why she copy’n'pasted her template press release like other New Labour lobby fodder automatons such as Clive Betts, Wayne David, Gillian Merron, Vera Baird, Jacqui Smith, Nick Ainger. The unreachable in pursuit of the immaterial.)
Posted on November 21st, 2009 at 11:03am under New Labour
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Call me cynical, Justin, call me a politician if you wish, but… I suspect it is because fox hunting is perceived as a cruel and horrible thing to do by urban folk, and because the Tories want to reintroduce legislation to make blood sports legal again, it might just attract some voters who associate animal cruelty with Tories. It’s what we do, I’m afraid.
Anyway, I think you would look dandy dolled out in your gear…. the Master of the Hove and Portslade hunt.
Killing foxes BAD. Killing Iraqis/Afghans GOOD. The moral compass of New Labour.
We British led the way in banning the slave trade and in banning slavery in the Empire, we led the way in banning bear baiting and cock fighting, and we led the way in banning hunting and hare coursing. My preference is not to ban anything more for a while but my intention is to do all in my power to stop Conservatives and others ‘un-banning’ hunting and hare coursing. We must continue to make progress and not let our civilisation take a backward step.
I just wish these Stepford chumps would copy’n'paste a press release saying bombing brown people is ‘a cruel and horrible thing to do’. I bet there’s more votes in it than worthless pronunciations on fox hunting. Still, a nation of animal lovers and all that.
I agree with Geoffrey completely. There are voters and politicians from all parties including many from the country making a stand to prevent a repeal of the hunting ban. This is not about humane control but simply extreme cruelty in the prolonged suffering of animals carried out in these bloodsports. No decent human being would even consider taking part in this type of thing.
Please. Don’t let them repeal the hunting ban! Get your name on the R.O.A.R. (Register Online Against Repeal), an ‘all party’ register at: http://www.campaignfordecency.org.uk
Jeez, you’ll find more animal cruelty (and cruelty to humans, come to that) on the sink estates of Britain (places hardly stuffed with Tory supporters) than in the stirrup-cupped, foxhunting shires. . “Still, a nation of animal lovers and all that.”
Where’s the hand-wringing over so-called humane poisoning, shooting and snaring, all of which can lead to foxes suffering slow and painful deaths?
Anyway, at least the ban had the intended effect, eh? The message was really sent that we won’t stand for this kind of thing…
Since the ban, horses and hounds have had to trail hunt – follow an artificial scent laid about 20 minutes or so in front of them. But many, either deliberately or accidently, flush out live foxes. It is then, the hunts claim, that the hounds’ natural instinct to follow the live quarry takes over. The numbers of foxes being killed by dogs has not noticeably decreased since the ban.
Oh, the humanity.
yep, had some bell-end giving me a leaflet about tories legalising
fox-shagging this morning.
filton, bristol.
I live in Hove so I probably not very far from Justin.
Like Justin I’ve been here for 10 years. Foxes used to visit my garden a lot out the back and I always liked to see them but oddly enough they stopped coming around the time of the introduction of the hunting ban.
I’m glad that the hunting ban was introduced but personally I think it is more about power than foxes. I know I am writing nothing new however.
It used to be that the UK was run by the aristocracy. However the new elite is these massive corporate capitalists of course. The Conservative party is the club in which the old elite of the aristocracy meet the new elite of the corporate capitalists.
The old elite need to be seen to have power, it makes them feel better, so the Conservative party repeals the fox hunting ban. That’s what they get out of the deal. The corporate capitalists on the other hand get a country that is much more compliant to their wishes.
I think the corporate capitalist have benefited from a nicely compliant regime over the last 12 years or so with the heads of plenty of Labour ministers shoved firmly up their arses
Killing animals in when you don’t need to, just because you like chasing them: BAD.
Killing animals when you don’t need to, just because you like eating them: GOOD.
Killing animals when you don’t need to – but they aren’t cuddly and furry, and they live in water and don’t scream – just because you like the fun of it: GOOD.
Protect the animal – don’t eat them
))
In the time before the fox-hunting ban I don’t once recall seeing a contingent of red-jacketed horse-riders galloping across Hove and Portslade’s urban parks in pursuit of a foxy quarry. So I’m a little puzzled as to why the local MP Celia Barlow, who has a hyper-marginal majority of just 420 votes, is taking the time in the middle of a recession to remind her constituents that it’s the 5th anniversary of the less than incredibly successful fox hunting ban
I know how you feel. I’ve lived in my current constituency for five years, and not once have I seen a squad of heavily armed soldiers smashing into a local Iraqi’s house and dragging him off to be imprisoned in brutal conditions. So I’m really puzzled why my local Lib Dem candidate is taking the time to remind me about his opposition to the invasion of Iraq.
The law was badly written and written for the wrong reasons but is fundamentally pointing us in the right direction. Celia Barlow knows the way her electorate lean on this issue and is right to mention it politically.
I similarly don’t expect the Liberal candidate to openly criticise the law in the next five months!
I used to live in Hove too! (Aldrington actually)
Try buying a cheapo bag of chilli powder from either the World food aisle of Tesco, or your local Asian-cooking-supplies corner bargain shop. Smother the chicken bones in the hot stuff before you bag it and the foxes will only ever rummage in your bin one more time.