Tally ho! A hunting we will go... if we get the chance

By PRSD, on Monday, April 12, 2010

What’s convinced us (if we needed convincing) that the hunting crew have no credibility is that they point to the increasing popularity of horsey events since the ban of hunting as a reason to repeal the anti-hunting law. Seems a little backward to us. So you’ve got to question the decision-making abilities of those who want to do away with the law and return the whole growing equestrian industry back into a minority interest pastime.

The BBC surveyed all the South West wannabe MPs to come up with some not very surprising results.

We were disappointed with Conservative Neil Parish’s position, who’s standing in Tiverton and Honiton. He fought so hard for the pony passport when he was an MEP that we thought he’d have be bit less keen to have animals killed for a bit of a giggle.

Torbay’s Tory wannabe Marcus Wood would follow the courage of his convictions and abstain.

All the Labour candidates will keep the law, a few lilly-livered Lib Dems are ‘undecided’. And Julien Parrot, the UKIP candidate in Torbay is the only UKIPer who wants to retain the hunting ban.

Here’s part of the BBC list, just covering Devon, and those who want to repeal the hunting law.

Devon Central
Mel Stride (Conservative) repeal
Bob Edwards (UKIP) repeal

Devon East
Hugo Swire (Conservative) repeal
Mike Amor (UKIP) repeal

Devon South West
Gary Streeter (Conservative) repeal
Hugh Williams (UKIP) repeal

Devon West and Torridge
Geoffrey Cox (Conservative) repeal

Exeter
Hannah Foster (Conservative) repeal

Newton Abbot
Anne Marie Morris (Conservative) repeal

Plymouth Moor View
Matthew Groves (Conservative) repeal
Bill Wakeham (UKIP) repeal

Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
Andrew Leigh (UKIP) repeal

Tiverton and Honiton
Neil Parish (Conservative) repeal

Check out the full BBC list of South West candidates and the hunting law

Come and enjoy Devon – book a hotel and get away!

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moira macdonald

Anyone who didn’t watch the BBC 1 South West Politics Show last Sunday won’t know that not one single Conservative Candidate was prepared to represent their Party alongside the Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates.

Yet it was the key Conservative issue of repealing the Hunting Act which was the topic of discussion. The idea of bringing back the cruelty of hounds killing foxes and hares for sport is too much for most voters to stomach. The total Tory failure to pitch up and stick up for their Party’s cruel proposal shows the Conservative Candidates know what a vote-loser their Party’s Policy is.

I’ve already put in loads of doorstep canvassing this election. Occasionally a voter tells me they’re thinking of voting Tory. Yet the minute I ask whether they know of the Conservative vow to hold a free vote on repealing the Hunting Act they are horrified.

Older voters can remember how dreadfully this country suffered under the last Conservative rule. Younger voters don’t have that Tory-deterrent. But those young voters who find out about the Hunting Act repeal vote proposal are disgusted by it.

Labour’s consistent progress towards a fairer society has changed the way we all think. Britain is a better country today than ever it was under the Tories. No-one now wants to go back to the less equal, less tolerant, more cruel days of the past.

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Pedro

All Green Party candidates are in favour of keeping the fox hunting ban in place, including Sam Moss in Torbay who wasn't asked for his view by the BBC.

James Bartlett

One thing to remember here is that we should also know the reason they want to repeal it. Some may want the return of fox hunting but I'm willing to bet most just want to repeal it because it's a badly-drafted, difficult-to-enforce piece of legislation. I'm entirely against fox-hunting, and I wouldn't like to see the end of the ban, but if the Conservatives have solid proposals for a better regulatory system then I would be a bit more likely to vote for them.

Paul Gibbons

As a conservative voter (in the main), I am against fox hunting. This article will make me think twice about voting for Anne Marie Morris. I'm not sure that the Tories good economic ideas should be on the proviso that we allow the pointless and cuel killing of foxes as the trade-off.