Supporters of hunting across the country are being sent to help in the marginal seats the Conservatives need to win to form the next government, in the expectation of a free vote on hunting with dogs early in a Cameron government.
From The Independent:
The hunt chairman [of the Avon Vale Hunt], Tim Page, wrote: “I would like us all to reflect on what is at stake if we do not succeed in helping get a Conservative government elected at the forthcoming general election, and, importantly with a sufficient majority to give the time to a free vote on the repeal of the Hunting Act 2004.”
He went on: “Quite honestly, it is not long-term sustainable to carry on as we are … Many of us have kept the show on the road, living for the day of repeal. The Committee of the Hunt, supporting the position of the MFHA [Masters of Fox Hounds Association] expects everyone who hunts, whether mounted, by vehicle or on foot, to spend a minimum of two days leafleting ahead of the election being called.”
The Independent draws attention to the help being given to Richard Graham, a full-time Conservative candidate in Gloucester, where Labour’s Parmjit Dhanda is defending a 4,271 majority. The article includes some interesting quotes from Mr Graham, including:
“My opponent loves talking about the Cotswold cavalry, cantering into town in pink chinos and Barbours, while his ‘door knockers’ are Gloucester born and bred. It’s not true and it shouldn’t matter where door knockers are from anyway, but it’s probably best not to give the prejudice more chance to resonate.”
and
“The Muslims will tell every candidate they will vote for them insha’allah, and put all three party stickers on their shop windows,”
Whilst a free vote on hunting will be welcomed by many of the Conservatives’ core voters, is this really one of the priorities for the early years of a Conservative government?
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12 Comments
It was a big enough priority for the current lot to spend a vast amount of parliamentary time on it. So why not? It was politically motivated class bile anyway, so best redress it when the other class gets in.
“expects everyone who hunts, whether mounted, by vehicle or on foot, to spend a minimum of two days leafleting ahead of the election being called”
Leafleting on horseback. That would be great!
This rather blows apart the pretence that the Committee for the Protection of the Interests of the Aristocracy (sorry, the “Countryside Alliance”) is non-partisan. I doubt there are many people in Gloucester who worship the upper-class and are not reliable Tory voters already, but we shall see. If all else fails, the hunting lobby can always enlist the support of the so-called “libertarians”, who can add the upper-class to the tobacco industry on their list of favoured oppressed minorities (and tug their forelocks appropriately). And here was I thinking it was tenant farmers who were oppressed, and their landlords who were lording it on EC subsidy.
Bring it on. The redcoats will lose votes for the Tories, not gain them.
I am reminded of:
I’d rather be a stag at bay
Daubed in colours bright and gory
Than any creature, any day
Than be a bloody Tory.
Adrian Mitchell
. I’ve just had the Libdem leaflet through my door and the local canditate looks fantastic. The more I here from the Libdems the more I like them. The right to hunt is very important to me
It seems from what I have read in today`s newspapers that the Lib/Dems have given ground on this issue and a free vote will now happen.I hope that all Lib/Dem MP`s will do all they can to see that hunting with dogs is not re-introduced in this country.
This vicious, cruel practice was always a stain on our country`s reputation and I hope that we will never again see it in this country.if we are to build a more gentle, humane, less violent country than we have at present we must make sure that the sort of barabaric, obscene practices that hunting by dogs represents never again sees the light of day.
The Conservative party should hang there head in shame that they want to see this practice re-introduced.
Jack Stone, hunting was “a stain on this country’s reputation” with whom, where?
Liberals of the world unite (with the Tories)! You have nothing to loose except your Foxhunting Bill!
Do you see the rioters outside Westminster?
From the Compact Oxford English Dictionary –
coalition
/kolish’n/
• noun a temporary alliance, especially of political parties forming a government.
— DERIVATIVES coalitionist noun.
— ORIGIN Latin, from coalescere ‘coalesce’.
unite
• verb 1 come or bring together for a common purpose or to form a whole. 2 archaic join in marriage.
— DERIVATIVES united adjective unitive adjective.
— ORIGIN Latin unire ‘join together’, from unus ‘one’
Kehaar can you see the difference?
I’m not sure what your point is, RCM.
Mine is that the current Coalition could well be like that time the scientist priests so attempted a hybrid of docile but low-honey bees with angry but high-honey bees hoping for docile and high-honey bees but resulting in… angry and low-honey bees.
@Jack Stone
It will be voted down if it comes before the House. There is no parliamentary majority in favour of fox-hunting: 1 Labour (Hoey), no Lib Dem, certainly not every Conservative.
Kehaar, my point is that the Lib Dems are in a “temporary alliance” with the Conservatives, we have not “become one” with them.