The hunting ban was introduced by Tony Blair and by Hilary Armstrong, on whose Constituency Executive I had the dubious pleasure of serving at the time.
But neither of them voted for it. Its purpose was to buy off Labour MPs over the invasion of Iraq.
Blair bet Prince Charles a tenner that hunting would be continuing unimpeded 10 years after the ban had come into force. He won his bet.
If that sounds disgraceful, then that is because it was.
Yet the ban's 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.
"Opposition to fox hunting has reached a new all-time high, according to the latest polling on the subject.
ReplyDelete"The increased opposition to the practice comes despite a manifesto pledge by David Cameron to give his own MPs a free vote on legalising it.
"83 per cent of the public say fox hunting should not be made legal again, up from 72 per cent when the question was asked in 2008.
"Crucially, opposition to the animal killings was just as strong in rural areas as urban areas – with 84 per cent and 82 per cent opposed respectively.
"Conservative voters were also overwhelmingly against legalisation, spittling 70 per cent to 27 per cent in favour of keeping the fox hunting ban.
"Pollsters Ipsos MORI have asked the public the same question each year for around a decade and found very strong opposition each time.
"This year’s figures represent a new all-time high, however.
"In July the Government appeared to quietly drop a bid to legalise the practice after the SNP confirmed it would vote with Labour to block any weakening of the ban.
"Whips and ministers had gone as far as to set aside parliamentary time for the vote, with 90 minutes earmarked to debate a motion. It was ultimately never called, however.
"The Conservative party has significant opposition to fox hunting on its own benches and the Government’s narrow majority in Parliament means that the dozens of Tories who want to keep the ban hold the deciding vote on the matter.
"An analysis by the League Against Cruel Sports found that a growing minority of Tory MPs are against fox hunting, despite them having stood on a manifesto that could see the ban relaxed.
"At least 50 Conservative MPs have apparently clearly stated that they would oppose a repeal of the hunting ban, according to the campaign group – compared to just six MPs who supported the hunting ban when it was first brought in.
"The parliamentary arithmetic means that even if SNP MPs were not allowed to vote on the matter the Government would likely face defeat anyway."
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/opposition-to-fox-hunting-hits-all-time-high-with-even-most-tory-voters-opposed-a6786411.html