Friday 11 March 2011

Opposition to fox-hunting hardens

As it’s cruel, nasty and often involves trampling all over someone else’s land then perhaps it’s not surprising to find public opinion appears to be hardening against any plans to repeal the Hunting Act.
Worrying news therefore for the Countryside Alliance and hunters, whose claims that the police are not enforcing the act has rather been damaged by the release of figures showing a record number of 57 people were convicted of breaking it last year.
As it’s five years since foxhunting was banned the League against Cruel Sports [LACS] felt it was time to test public opinion and commissioned YouGov to carry out enquiries. 3,400 people were interviewed, and 59% were opposed to the ban being overturned, 63% disagreeing it was an infringement of civil liberties and a whopping 77% wanting the ban properly enforced.
Meanwhile with the coalition government already facing significant unrest over its cuts package it seems that now they are in power many Tories are rowing back on their support for repeal, LACS research showing only a minority of MPs - 253 from 650 - being committed to return parts of the countryside to the dark ages.
All of which rather begs the question. If the Countryside Alliance can’t manage to muster the powder to see the Hunting Bill scrapped then isn’t it time it gave up the ghost and any workers involved in its offshoot the Union of Country Sports Workers joined a proper union in Unite and began fighting for decent wages and conditions?


Office of the Countryside Alliance  

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