The hunting ban was introduced by Tony Blair and Hilary Armstrong, neither of whom voted for it, in order to buy off Labour MPs over the invasion of Iraq. If that sounds disgraceful, then that is because it was.
But its almost total non-enforcement has become the most egregious example in many a long year of the different application of the law to certain classes and political persuasions rather than to others.
Indeed, the Police effectively act as escorts to many hunts.
That is why I am disinclined to support repeal of the ban. Such repeal would declare that laws would simply be altered if the right sort of people refused to abide by them.
Moreover, the flat refusal of the Police to enforce the hunting ban would deprive of any case those who might complain that the Police were also, as they would be, flatly refusing to enforce any further legislation against trade unions or industrial action.
Laws do fall into obsoletion and get ignored, then sometimes repealed. I think having a prominent law on the books that is never enforced is worse than changing it due to it's failure.
ReplyDeleteThis law was obsolete when it was made - a petty and vindictive last stand in a mostly forgotten class war.