Hunting Ban

I have never ridden to hounds, but followed a few hunts in my time. It didn't impact on my lifestyle at all. But I was really sad to see it go. I love to hear hounds work. I would like to think that the stupid laws we have now would be repealed, but I have a nasty feeling that the new law will be better drafted and be even more draconian.

Even though that awfully nice Mr Foster did lose his seat at the last election ;)

ft
 
I read in todays paper that the conservative coalition is in the process of repealing the hunting act imposed by the out going labour government but may be into next year before it gets a reading.
They have appointed a specific minister to deal with country pursuits inc shooting

http://www.countryside-alliance.org...ting-events/hunting-act-repeal.-when,-not-if/

I Will Have to reserve judgement on that one

No it isn't, what it is actually going to do is have a free vote on repeal which is a different thing altogether .... don't hold your breath!!!!!
 
Jim Paice is a keen shooter, a long term member of BASC and a board member of the GCWT. During the last parliament he was Chairman of the All-Party Group on Shooting and Conservation, for which BASC provided the secretariat, and a regular speaker at the Game Fair and at BASC receptions at the Conservative party conference. He will take responsibility for rural affairs and animal welfare. His colleagues at DEFRA are Richard Benyon - who shoots and is Vice Chairman of the Standing Conference on Country Sports - and Lord Henley, another shooter who's been a BASC member for more than two decades. In other words three out of four DEFRA Ministers (the sponsoring department for shooting) are shooters. The Secretary of State, Caroline Spelman has a background in farming.

BASC negotiated the exemption for using a terrier underground to protect game birds at the time of the Hunting Act. It allows anyone to use the terrier as long as it is for the stated purpose and written permission is possessed from the landowner. There is a DEFRA approved code of practice which must be observed and you can find it on the BASC website. This was a notable amendment to the Hunting Act at the time because securing it meant persuading a group of Labour MPs to vote for terrierwork even though they opposed it in principle and were advised against it by the RSPCA and LACS. It was to Alun Michael's credit - he was the Labour Minister for the Hunting Bill - that he went out of his way to keep his promise that shooting would not be damaged by the Hunting Act.

The new coalition agreement carries within it a pledge not to "repeal" the Hunting Act but to hold a free vote on a motion "enabling the House of Commons to express its view on the repeal of the Hunting Act." This is a retreat from the previous formula of a vote on repeal within a government Bill. There must be some doubt that there exists a majority in the Commons for repeal at present. The LIb Dems tend to split 50/50 on the issue.

But a step in the right direction many would rightly say

David
 
I would suggest that the new government has rather more important things to worry about than hunting with hounds???

Andrew
 
There must be some doubt that there exists a majority in the Commons for repeal at present.

David

Thank you for posting your comments.

I think you are spot on with the quote above. I believe a vote to repeal the ban is a "one-time only" offer - if one vote is lost then there is little realistic chance of getting another. It is going to take some time to establish the sympathies on the 233 new MP's and until this exercise is completed a hastily organised vote to repeal the ban is in nobody's interest.

The other factor is that, as Andrew notes, for the population in general any parliamentary time spent on hunting will attract little sympathy when the economy is in such a dire mess.

As you say, a step in the right direction but it's a long road to be travelled.

willie_gunn
 
Perhaps the new gov't will spend some of its time discussing the shamefull waste of £40m on the olympic shooting complex that will then be destroyed leaving no legacy for the sport of shooting if hunting with hounds review is considered a frivolous waste of gov't time. And don't get me started on the legality of holding the olympics in a country with a pistol prohibition. Perhaps they better just stick to sorting hunting and proving they have the danglies to repeal bad law.
 
Even if the vote is won i cannot see hunting going back to the way it was, i reckon there will be conditions attached. I believe the lib dems are anti hunting anyway so that`s the worst possible start.
You know how much you can trust a politician, has Cameron used the repeal thing as a vote getter? Only time will tell.
basil.
 
Back
Top