Foxhunting repeal put on hold
Tuesday 25th May 2010, 8:00PM BST.
Proposals to reintroduce fox hunting have today been kicked into the long grass.
A Conservative promise for an early vote to abolish the ban on fox hunting had become a promise “to bring forward a motion on a free vote enabling the House of Commons to express its view on the repeal of the Hunting Act”. However it now seems that the move has been shelved.
A timetable for such a vote failed to materialise in the Queen’s Speech, effectively indicating that it was no longer a priority and had been shelved.
It is understood the issue had threatened to become a sticking point between the two parties in the coalition government.
The Conservatives’ rural manifesto had vowed to give MPs a free vote on whether the ban should be lifted based on their personal views rather than an official party line. But with the Liberal Democrats having previously opposed plans to repeal the ban, Mr Cameron was forced to renege slightly following the talks.
Promised
There were few surprises in the widely-leaked programme of Britain’s first coalition administration since 1945.
Measures were promised to inject new private capital into the Royal Mail, put an annual cap on non-EU migrants, allow for elected sheriff-style police bosses, and create a dedicated Border Police Force.
The sale of alcohol below cost price would be banned under a Social Responsibility Bill, and councils and police would be given greater powers to close down trouble-making clubs and bars.
Other pledges include moves to slash the number of quangos and cut bureaucracy to save £1 billion a year.
But House of Lords reform – a potential flashpoint – has been sidelined to a committee reporting back by the end of the year.
All eyes will now be on how far Tory and Liberal Democrat backbenchers may want to flex their muscles, with Mr Cameron and his Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg hoping they have already defused the most contentious issues.The Liberal Democrat leader told BBC Breakfast: “We want to give people more control over their schools, over their hospitals, over their police, over their politicians.”
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Whatever next: reintroduce bear baiting or cock fighting? Great news, we are in the 21st century after all not the dark ages.
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well that shows how little you understand about the countryside. baiting is cruelty for fun. fox hunting is pest controll where other methods do not succeed and are indescriminate.
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Hunting and fighting or baiting are not the same. The classification of these together shows the lack of knowledge involved in the quest to ban hunting. It has never been proven that hunting results in pain and suffering for the quarry. One poorly conducted study does not constitute proof.
Also the wording of the Bill is evidence of prejudice against one class of people despite the fact that I am sure that more low and middle class people participate in hunting than is perceived.
I am a foxhunter from the US and used to visit the UK to hunt but have not done so since the ban. I am from the lower middle class, have worked in order to be able to hunt and can no longer afford to visit your wonderful countryside.
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I hope this is right. Repealing the Hunting Act should never be allowed anyway – OK it’s not very good legislation so surely that means it should be tightened up, not repealed. And anyway, a repeal should be the last thing this Government is thinking about, the economy should be their first priority.
Let’s hope the Con-Lib Government don’t hold a vote on a repeal and risk becoming a Government known for voting /in/ animal cruelty.
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The issue is that of personal liberty – a Liberal and Conservative principle, I should have thought. You may not like hunting but that does not give you the right to stop some one else going hunting. The hunting community will win this – we have stuck together keeping our hounds and horses fit and well exercised. As a trail layer for a local fox hunt I am even now training hard for the next season. I never trusted Cameron and I never will. My political freedom is still out there in the woods and hills as elusive as the quarry we once pursued.
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“You may not like hunting but that does not give you the right to stop some one else going hunting.”
No, but it gives people the right to request the law to change to make it illegal and thus stop you. You see then a lengthy process of drafting a bill, voting on a bill etc takes places which may result in the law changing if enough MPs and Lords agree with it.
It’s no more a matter of personal liberty & political freedom than, say, the use of narcotics or congress w/ animals – it’s simply against the law.
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totally agree with you N, freedom is not the right to do what you like, that is anarchy
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Trail Layer – There can be no ‘liberty’ in causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. That is just sick. The hunts breed foxes by creating artificial earths all over this country (as I’m sure you know very well). You can’t breed an animal and then pretend they need to be controlled. When control is necessary, lamping is the most humane method as so many farmers attest to.
Getting together in gangs to pit animal against animal (which is exactly what the hunts are really doing) is just another form of illegal dog fighting. You can dress it up all you like but the behaviour and the outcome are the same.
Drag hunting is legal and popular. Time to move on and stop getting your kicks from frightening and killing animals.
M.Hayworth
Campaign For Decency
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So much for Cams big promise’s he’s broken a fair few already, although i like this one, the others. Cancer Drugs for all, announced this morning that patients having Liver Cancer are to be denied the Drugs they require.
The other lie, Hartlepool and another local hospital to be knocked down and a new one build in its place a pledge by this Tory Goverment ripped up after 6 days in office, i am guessing the list will be endless.
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It was only a sop you know. The Conservatives never really had any intention of bringing back foxhunting.
They said they would bring forward a free vote on the subject knowing a) the law would stand and b) it would placate pro-hunters in the run up to the election – Having a vote on something doesn’t mean it’s going to get passed (or has a remote chance of getting passed even) you know.
Now, suggesting that it’s the Lib-Dems what have stopped it, blaming them…now that’s the real sign of a coalition rift!
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thank god for that this brutal so called sport is staying banned.gone are the day’s of the prats on horseback blocking our country lanes and causing chaos.
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i think they are wise to the fact that this would be v unpopular most are still against the sport
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A repeal would have meant not only fox hunting but other so called sports where dogs are used, stag hunting, hare coursing, mink hunting and badger baiting, all vile countryside pastimes with no place in modern society.
The ban needs to be tightened not repealed, a step forward not backwards.
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good
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The United Kingdom’s current ban on cruel field “sports” reflects a high standard of animal welfare legislation that must be maintained. The savaging and killing of defenceless animals for the entertainment of a minority group has no place in a civilised society. Hunting of foxes should never return. If it does then those who bring it back should hang their heads in shame!
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What utter rubbish that some readers have put down here, do they lack so much intelligence to say that one Foxhunting comes back so will all things including Badger Baiting, how stupid can one get to think yet alone say that, The Ban was brought about by a bunch of Bigots in Parliment, it was forced through Government with the misuse of the Parliment Act, it is a bad law and there is no place on the statute book for this. It badly needs repeal and this must happen.
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#11 How can you even say that a law that stops setting dogs on to foxes is a bad law, what planet are you on? and you question my intelligence.
Why not replace my comment on badger baiting with ‘cubbing’ or ‘autumn hunting’ as you call it, because you dare not tell the public what you do to fox cubs or the young hounds that don’t make the grade.
How can a law designed to stop suffering be anything but right, this is the 21st century where cruelty has no place.
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As ever lots of replies from people who believe that the hunting act was meant to benefit foxes, even Labour MP’s admitted once it was passed that it had nothing to do with foxes. Foxes don’t have old aged foxes homes, or hospitals, so when they are old and toothless, or injured by a car, or injured by a rifle, or a shotgun, and die a long suffering death. That must be ok because no one see that suffering. In nature thats what predators are for, as actually hunting was the only natural form of control, all others are indiscriminate, and to atually compare hunting to baiting where the animal is cornered and restrained is beyond belief.
For the foxes sake the act should be repealed the act.
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I suppose that hares released into a wired off compound along with 2 greyhounds are not cornered or restrained then. Perhaps you should tell it like it really is. Badger baiting still goes on all over the country along with all kinds of illegal cruelty. Perhaps you should hunt each other. At least you have the right to not participate.
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Well, I dare say a lot of old time chimney sweeps weren’t too happy when they weren’t allowed to push small boys up chimneys any more, and I guess a lot of people were annoyed at having to do their own hard work when slavery was abolished but they didn’t cry “Human rights!” Those things were abolished because they were affronts to decency just the same as fox hunting, stag hunting and hare coursing are affronts to decency, killing wild animals with packs of specially trained dogs is not a human right it is a cruel atrocity enjoyed by a sick minority, unfortunately our self-elected PM who now has his jack-boots under the table at no 10 is one of that minority. I sincerely hope that Clegg has kept his word that he is against a repeal and brought some sort of pressure to bear on Cameron so that this disgraceful threat of a repeal stays “in ther long grass”
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“Self-elected PM”? WTF?
He was voted in by the largest percentage of voters! The country had a say in who sits in No.10. No-one had any choice when that slack-jawed Scot decided to rise above his level of incompetence and become PM.
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i think if you check the dictonary for “sport” you see its something about two equal opposing sides competeing, but for the fox its got no chance, its not equal and its not a sport therefore, just sick
i dont mind controlling vermin, but dressing it up as a game is just backwards and disgusting and cruel
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also – an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
That looks remarkably like the hunts i’ve followed.
Tally Ho!
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May fox hunting, deer hunting and hare coursing remain consigned to history, where it belongs.
I have to feel sorry for the ‘vote ok’ crew, they were well and truly sucked in!
Oh no actually, I don’t.
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i dont know where the countrysdie alliance gets their stats from (remember the 53% back hunting poster) as all polls and surveys and just chat in the pub etc shows the vast vast amjority of people even in a rurual place like shropshrie abhor this ancient cruel activity
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Good. Hunting with hounds should be left behind. Didn’t they always say the economy was more important anyway and not to waste any more hours debating it?
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#12 Ian [ so when they are old and toothless]
Foxes like all wild animale do not get old and toothless.
60% of foxes get the mange which they die of and there is no need for them to be culled or hunted for pleasure.
Their main diet is earthworms and fortunately for us rats and other vermin and unfortunately for us, sometimes our chickens.
Hunting is not a necessary form of control and a healthy fox is the only one likely to provide ‘sport’ if that’s what you want to call it as a cunning fox will be protecting it’s young.
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this is a good example of the libdems actually improvign tory policy and making them more popular centrist and electable, scary for the non tories like me, but this coalition looks like it really is more represnetative and grown up that if the tories were left to govern alone and let their loony right run things
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Humans are the real pests. they take more than they should and that will be their downfall. insects will inherit the earth!!!
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good its a cruel disgusting habit dressed up as tradition, i think we need to find more of a balance with nature, predetor prey relationships are healthy and of course it means some livestock will get predated but that is nature, doesnt mean you try to kill the predetor every time, if we dont learn to live with other big carnivors there will be no lions, sharks or anything left on this planet which would be sad, the fox can be a problem for farmers but we should learn to live with it
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Killing an animal for food is OK, killing a pest is ok, but killing anything for fun is perverse, often animal cruelty people end up being physco killers too, it shows a weird sort of behaviour to get pleasure from the suffering of anything, its not a sport its not nice, you dont see the rat catcher chasing the rat round for fun do you, you dont see the army getting off on bombing missions, you dont see undertakers chucking the coffins round like rugby balls, do you no! thats what seperates us from cats, we dont torture our prey and thats why im against fox hunting because im in favour of humans showing our compassion and not enjoying killing anything
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im glad the tories have backed down on this, i suspect DC is wise enough to realise this is not a vote winning issue and the economy is more of a priority now, how much the lib dems had to do with this is interesting though i reckon DC will use them as a shield for his rural backbenchers but in reality he is probably glad to not have to fight this unpopular and unwinnable vote
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let’s get the facts right, there is and never was a hunting ban. Hunting has continued ever since the act was passed. It’s the killing of wild animals with dogs which the act outlawed. Hunts everywhere claim that there are more people going hunting than ever before and the number of meets has increased. The blood-thirsty, archaic, hunting fraternity will never be happy though until their dogs are allowed to rip the worn-out, terrified fox to pieces while it is still alive – just.
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Fox hunting with dogs is cruel, it is bad for the dogs to as you’d just as well have a pack of pit bulls running amock. I guess you would like to allow badger baiting as well?. I see little if any difference. Foxes are artful and do kill chickens and ducks etc if not fenced in well. They are blamed for lamb kills but wonder whether they take many fit lambs or just mop up sickly dying or even dead lambs.
There are other predators out there like the mystery big cats and even stray dogs some of which have turned out to be farm dogs gone awol. It is just that the old fox gets all the blame like the poor man whilst the rich gets the pleasure, you have heard the song? The blame on the fox is mostly circumstantial and would not stand up in court. Long may the fox roam free as God intended it to and may all those who suffer cruelty upon any animal intentionally die the same agonising death.
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haha cameron “bottled” it
he’s a lightweight
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its ok for you people that say ban it good for it not being re opened but its people like you that have no idea what it has done to people that have lost there jobs and homes from people that cant keep the grap about stop hunting to them selves. what i say is if ya dont like it dont look at it and keep ya big nose out… convo closed in my eyes
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There is a real buisiness opportunity out there for hunts if they bothered to look into it.Instead of looking backward,look forward.Why not have horse and hound time trials,using an artificial scent of course,and pit the best hounds and riders against each other?Big land owners could hold trials with varying degrees of difficulty on already cross country venues.To make it enjoyabe to more people perhaps,in time,TV coverage. Worth considering?I think so.Popular?Decidedly so.
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