Fox hunting ban looks inevitable

dublin | animal rights | other press

Wednesday November 17, 2004 20:53

by Ciaran Long - Association For Hunt Saboteurs

pagan_animal_liberation_front at hotmail dot com

A ban on fox hunting in England and Wales now looks inevitable after MPs rejected a last-ditch compromise.

As the fox hunting ban looks like it's going to go ahead in England and Wales, how much longer will it take before Ireland follows suit? With more and more hunt sabs groups developing around the country and the Farmers Against Fox Hunting (FAF) being in action for the past couple of years, the hunters in Ireland are now panicing. So much so that they've even brought an America investigater over to try and get information on the groups opposed to hunting. Red coats queing at our dole offices will be an interesting and satisfactory sight.

A ban on fox hunting in England and Wales now looks inevitable after MPs rejected a last-ditch compromise.

The Commons voted by 321 to 204 to reject a deal that could have allowed regulated hunting of foxes to continue.

MPs had already rejected a Lords amendment to allow licensed hunting of foxes, stags and hares.

The vote means that the Hunting Bill returns to peers and if they reject it again the government looks set to force it through using the Parliament Act.

Manifesto commitment

In the often heated Commons debate that preceded the vote, Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael had urged people to respect the will of the Commons.

"It is time to fulfil what is a manifesto commitment to enable Parliament to reach a conclusion on this issue," he said.

Tony Blair had favoured Ogmore member Huw Irranca-Davies's compromise amendment to allow licensed hunting of foxes to continue.

Mr Blair has once before voted for a total ban and his spokesman denied the prime minister was just seeking cover from pro-hunt anger.

The Tories also backed Mr Irranca-Davies' amendment if only "through gritted teeth", in the words of party spokesman James Gray.

He warned if hunting was banned "the people of the countryside will neither forget it or forgive it".

The Hunting Bill returns to the House of Lords on Wednesday and if there is no agreement before this session of Parliament ends on Thursday, the Commons speaker is expected to say the conditions needed for the Parliament Act to be used have been met.

The BBC has learned the pro-hunting Countryside Alliance has already written to Attorney General Lord Goldsmith giving notice it will challenge the legality of the 1949 Parliament Act if it is invoked.

MPs have suggested a ban be delayed until July 2006 to allow hunts to adapt.

That proposal has not yet been put to the House of Lords where some pro-hunt peers preferred a "kamikaze" option of rejecting any delay so a ban would come into force within three months.

They believed the anticipated civil disobedience among hunt supporters would then embarrass the government just before the general election.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk_politics/4015075.stm

Published: 2004/11/16 22:58:05 GMT