We need to reassess this unworkable Act
IT is interesting to see that hunting opponent Helen Weeks now appears to accept that the Hunting Act is flawed, Police must continue to enforce hunt laws, Echo, June 18.
When the law was being debated it was constantly argued that it was not going to be enforceable. Now five years later the CPS, the police and the anti-hunt movement all accept that this is the case.
Now Ms Weeks is calling for accidental hunting to be made illegal.
However, according to the Government: "Hunting is an intentional activity, and there can be no such thing as accidental hunting."
Ms Week's proposal would mean that people could be prosecuted and found guilty of something that is logically impossible! She says she wants to "strengthen the Act", but making it even more absurd than it is now will not strengthen it.
It is clear that the Hunting Act is unworkable and needs to be looked at again. It is also clear that this will not happen under this Labour Government. The more obvious it is that it has got something wrong, the less likely it is to admit it.
We need a free vote on the Hunting Act. The options are reform, repeal and/or replacement. The only chance of this happening is under a Conservative Government.
If Ms Weeks wants this issue to be democratically discussed again then she should consider voting Tory.
I would favour replacing the Hunting Act with one that makes all deliberate cruelty to wild animals, howsoever caused, illegal.
Giles Bradshaw
Rose Ash, South Molton
(by email)
Comments
by FWK, Crediton
Monday, June 22 2009, 4:35PM
“Giles - what you propose is also full of pitfalls - who defines what is and isn't cruelty? Many people say fishing is cruel, other disagree entirely. Some say just the activity of chasing a fox is cruel, others say the fox enjoys it! - I think they misinterpret the 'grin' on the fox's face.
The act needs tidying up, or repealing. Everyone knows that hunting in the form disapproved of by those who voted for the act is continuing, due to loopholes as well as deception - the latter not being able to be proved or at least the police being unwilling to enforce the law. It's a mess, but that doesn't mean that hunting should not be banned if that's what most people want and parliament have passed a law whose intention is to stop hunting wild animals with hounds. The issue is really very simple, isn't ut, despite the continuing dreary correspondence to and fro on the subject (that I suspect most people have stopped reading long a go).”