Police are seeking greater access to hunts to prevent the four-year-old ban being flouted amid a surge of interest in the pursuit.
Since the ban came into force on 18 February 2005, the number of hunt members has increased by about 5,000, with about 50,000 regular riders, while the number of people watching the hunts has grown to 120,000. Total turnover of the hunts has grown from £155 million a year before the ban to at least £170 million.
The hounds are baying, the horses are stamping their hooves and the port is being passed around at Puckeridge Hunt. How's that, you ask?
Personally, I wouldn't waste the time or money on these so-called legal challenges. Indeed, just imagine the satisfaction (sorry, the very deep upset) when some of these hunt protesters are "accidentally" crushed under the hooves when the ban is overturned in a few years time. It will be almost as satisfying as watching all those Welsh nationalists fall under the hooves in 1969, or perhaps as thrilling as watching those Poll Tax protestors being beaten and trampled over in 1990. Surely, having hunt protesters around merely adds to the thrill and the excitement of the chase. Just vote Conservative at the next Election - "Dave" has pledged to overturn the ban.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the RSPCA has its work cut out for them. Well maybe, as long as the fox is not an endangered animal, is killed humanly and is killed for food then, who knows:)
ReplyDeleteI remember watching a show on the ABC once about the English aristocracy and they seemed a little retarded or something. The show had a segment on the Fox Hunt and with all the silly traditions that when with it, very strange. There was some odd woman with that exaggerated upper-class accent, that sounded like a speech impediment, ordering people about from her car (though I can not remember if this was part of the hunt or some other part of the show).
I think if people dressed up like they do on these “Fox Hunts”, they have in England, in Australia they would be just laughed out of town.
Who know if such traditions will continue into the future? I suppose it depends on the country and their views on cruelty to animals.
Actually Mr Byers, there are a dozen or so traditional fox hunting groups accross the state of Victoria alone, at least some of which get dressed up in the full panoply of the hunt.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lord Best for the info. I thought there may have been some in Tasmania. Would not fly in the part of NSW that I come from.
ReplyDeleteI would imagine it would be too hot in most of NSW, no point arranging a fox hunt with the full regalia if the hunt passes out from heatstroke.
ReplyDeleteMy thing is I just HATE cruelty to animals (don’t worry I’m not some fanatical vegetarian). For example today saw news of someone’s much loved cat being torched to death in Queensland, if I caught the bastards who did this I would have them stripped naked and put in a cage with the angriest Leopard I could find – see how they go with that pussy cat!
ReplyDeleteSorry I made a mistake in my above post and it should read "TORTURED TO DEAT"
ReplyDeleteMy thing is I just HATE cruelty to animals (don’t worry I’m not some fanatical vegetarian). For example today saw news of someone’s much loved cat being tortured to death in Queensland, if I caught the bastards who did this I would have them stripped naked and put in a cage with the angriest Leopard I could find – see how they go with that pussy cat!
I'd love to be on horseback whilst pursuing a naked David Byers across the English countryside. Hopefully the hounds would get to him first. Well, one can dream.
ReplyDeleteYes Neil, we all know of your LOVE of naked men.
ReplyDelete:-)
ReplyDeleteTo return to the issue in question, is the fox a problem in the UK? I only ask as they are seen as being a great problem in Australia but then again they are not native here.
ReplyDeleteCan you inform me Neil?