to think Brian May could be anti foxhunting without......

[fortyfide]

telling an hunting geezer "you are all f+cking liars" (Newsnight TV thurs)
I am anti foxhunting too and Cameron should not try to sneak it back

Debate in Parliament on Tuesday

[Lurkedforever1]

Because hunting is stereotyped as upperclass, same reason lamping ( 'chav' sport) was never bothered with by Tony blair. They haven't legalised bear baiting etc cos it won't win them votes. And they won't legalise hunting either. Because frankly none of them give a monkeys its all publicity, and the rspca as an organisation aren't any better.

[Kardamyli]

Lurked, you're wasting your energies. All the vegans and strict vegetarians you noticed congregating on this thread don't want to listen to anything anyone pro or neutral to fox hunting has to say. Despite their protestations, to them it is all about "Tory toffs". The fact that several people who hunt or are involved in hunts have explained that the majority of people who go hunting are far from being rich will not change their entrenched views.

[TheRavenChides]

Another argument that frustrates me.

It has nothing to do with "Tory toffs" and everything to do with basic decency. Terrifying and torturing animals for fun is not cool.

[Butkin]

Emily, there always has been drag hunting however it's a very different type of sport to hunting in that it's usually designed to be faster and over a set course of jumps. It appeals to a different sort of rider. Many of the hunting people I know (especially the older or novice ones or those with unsuitable horses/ponies) don't like jumping. It's also quite difficult to arrange in many areas if the farmers/land owners only allow people to ride across their land if they are keeping the fox population down. Not many land owners will allow people to gallop across their precious land just for fun.

There is now line hunting which has replaced the previously legal hunting in many areas - it's supposed to mimic the pace of a real hunt with less jumping.

Digging out certainly used to occur when hunting was legal but usually only when that particular land owner had requested that foxes be cleared off that part of their land. I don' t think it happens now but I'm not sure of the current view on this within the current law as I've not been hunting since the ban (although attended many meets).

[crustsaway]

I also don't agree with fox hunting, I know we need to cull but to do this as a sport the way they do is beyond barbaric - bunch of uppercrust twats.

So what if Brian May swore over such a fucking emotive subject, I'd have applauded him if I had have seen the whole interview.

I do think though that he and his partner (can't remember her name) are morphing into one looks wise though

[Lurkedforever1]

Yes raven the animal welfare concern, rather than it being a class war explains why there is a a large amount of parliamentary interest in banning all cheap non vegan food. Oh no wait there isn't.
I used to piss myself at the double standards of all the twats that felt strongly enough to be wearing all the pro ban crap, cheerfully loading up on supermarket milk and meat. might as well have got badges saying 'I know fuck all'

[horseygeorgie]

Butkin would just disagree with the difference between drag and traditional hunting (nicely of course! )
I live in a prestigious hunt country famed for 6 foot hedges and galloping turf and yawning big dykes on the other side. You need a serious set of cahoonies to hunt properly around here. Obviously every hunt is different though and a lot of other packs are a bit kinder.
Drag hunting is fast, furious and with little let up due to the lines laid. Fences are usually very well kept, you always know they are 100% safe to jump and are very often optional. it is a completely different type of sport (very good fun though!)

completely agree on digging out though. rarely happens anymore and used to be mainly at the request of the landowner if they were having a problem with foxes.

[TheRavenChides]

sigh
You're absolutely right Lurked, there is morally no difference between someone who picks up a bottle of milk in a supermarket and someone who gets together a gang of their mates to chase and kill a terrified animal for shits and giggles

(For the record I don't consume supermarket milk or meat, but that's really not the point here. Here we are talking about cruelty for entertainment rather than economy. The two things, whilst both abhorrent, are really not comparable)

[BertrandRussell]

"The fact that several people who hunt or are involved in hunts have explained that the majority of people who go hunting are far from being rich will not change their entrenched views."

I don't care how rich or poor or what social class hunting people are. The issue is that it's an incredibly inefficient way to cull animals that need to be culled. And it's incredibly bad for society to make a ritul out of killing animals.

[Lurkedforever1]

Glad we agree raven, because like you point out giving money to an industry that causes massive animal suffering because you choose to consume cheap animal products is at least equally cruel.