There is little support for repeal of hunt law
THE repeal of the Hunting Act will be an act of pure ignorance.
It took hours of parliamentary debate and consultation and the Burns inquiry and much more to bring about the Hunting Act.
First, the hunters are in a terrible position. Starting with the passage of the Act, their core activity is now a crime. To hunt and to chase and to kill for sport is a crime. The public support the Act and are against repeal.
Over 80 per cent oppose coursing and deer hunting, and over 75 per cent are against fox hunting.
On the basis of the opinion polls there isn't a parliamentary constituency in the country where a majority of voters are in favour of repeal and favour a return to the cruelty and barbarism of hunting as was before the ban.
The hunters claim to be the voice of the countryside but again the facts are against them. Over 70 per cent of rural voters are against hunting and support the ban. There are only five constituencies in the country where more than 25 per cent of the voters live in the countryside and even there the polls suggest that the majority of voters will be for the ban and against repeal.
The fact that the hunters want to believe that repeal is going to happen does not mean that it is in fact going to happen.
The hunters recognise that they are in the last chance saloon and that if repeal does not happen soon there will be no way back. They lost the real war the day the Act was passed.
The hunting field is now clear that following convictions for allowing and/or facilitating illegal events, single farm payments can be reviewed and reduced as has already happened in Scotland.
Who has the right to decide which of our wildlife has the right to live or which should die? The hunters certainly shouldn't be the deciders.
Kathy Moyle
East Budleigh
2 Comments
by JKendall, UK
Monday, November 09 2009, 5:18PM
“The hunting ban was a long time coming and must be retained and even strengthened in order to protect the wildlife of this country. The repeal of this law would be a tragedy.”
by mhayworth, UK
Monday, November 09 2009, 1:12PM
“If hunt membership is up since the ban (as the CA claims) then the only reason for repeal is to bring back the prolonged suffering of an animal leading to a horribly painful death. What kind of people would want to do that?
There is an 'all party' register that just started, called the R.O.A.R. (Register Online Against Repeal) where you can add your name to a list so we can finally prove that this is not a Labour vs. Tory or City vs. Country issue. Please sign up at :
www.campaignfordecency.org.uk
Let's make our voices heard !”