Fox hunting

Just been to the No10 website and it looks fairly straightforward - does anyone have any suggestion as to wording? Of course, if it ends up being a 'new government' thing it might be a bit pre-emptive as as far as I know there is nothing on the books to be changed at the moment (if you see what I mean!)

Unknown said:

 

Fox hunting still continues (legally) it’s just the rules which have changed.

Hi WF

Im aware it still went ahead but I thought they were not allowed to actually run down foxes anymore.

I also know there are those who are just conveniently sitting on a horse in full hunting colours while, just so happens, drinking sherry when lo and behold a fox appears and No, unfortunately, they can't stop the dogs (who happen to be out at the same) once they've got the scent and oh blow it best go after the dogs and bring em back, perhaps a "tallyho" call might do the trick!!!

I tell you what I wouldn't mind doing a tallyho on these individuals!

Cartimandua said:

Just been to the No10 website and it looks fairly straightforward - does anyone have any suggestion as to wording? Of course, if it ends up being a 'new government' thing it might be a bit pre-emptive as as far as I know there is nothing on the books to be changed at the moment (if you see what I mean!)

Hi Cartimandua

Good call - I'm not really sure what the protocol is.  As you say do we have to wait to see if it appears in the manifests before we can raise a petition?

I suppose we could do one at any time but may need to do another if the government changes! What do people think? It probably wouldn't do any harm to let our feelings on the subject be known 'officially'....

Its a really annoying subject for me, for so many reasons I really feel that we need a change of government and I was actually planning on voting for the Tories this time, just to bring about this change. However once I heard their plans for fox-hunting there was no way I could vote for them, I would just feel so wrong and hypocritical voting in a government with that plan. I can't not vote, as not voting is just a vote for whoever wins and if the Tories win then my no-vote might as well have been a vote for them.

So now I almost feel forced to vote Labour just to stop fox-hunting returning and there are so many issues that I really should be basing my votes on.

Damned if you do and damned if you don't....

I’d vote for a party who listened to both sides and came up with a solution that worked for everyone (including the fox).

I am also against fox hunting but as far as I can see the fox hunting law has not worked. It is too difficult to police and as always, the penalties are not hard enough. If culling is needed then it must be carried out humanely.  As for voting, there are so many issues to consider.....

That the law against fox-hunting has not worked is largely a fine piece of propaganda from the fox-hunting lobby, remember they have a lot of money, power and influence. If you speak to most people actually either directly involved in preventing fox-hunting, or involved in general conservation they are very pleased with the ban and have legal procedings proving that it is working.

Could it be better, of course, could there be more money and police time put in to prevention, without a doubt, but then that is exactly the same issue facing all wildlife crime, that does in no way indicate that the law is incorrect. Simply because a crime is difficult to police does not mean that we should make the practice legal (see fraud, drug trafficking etc).

There is also no scientific evidence that foxes in this country have ever needed culling. Why should they? Like all animals their numbers are kept in check by their food sources, if there is lots for them to eat, then there will be more foxes, if there is not much around their numbers will reduce. Can you really imagine a countryside overrun with foxes?? There are far more foxes in our cities than in the countryside (based on studies looking at fox abundance) yet no group is ever suggesting that we should have fox hunts in our cities.

Additionally, the European fox species is found naturally throughout Europe, Asia, North America and parts of North Africa, yet in none of these other places do they require culling with mounted horses and dogs.

Every argument put forward for a return to fox-hunting is filled with inaccuracies and lies, with nothing based in scientific study, apart from the one argument that admits they want to do it because they enjoy it, but that is the one argument they never admit too.