General Chat

don't forget hare coursing as well!!!

I am not a fan of fox hunting but I don't think the ban has ever worked properly and doesnlt seem to have been enforced - one would think that we should have been overrun with foxes by now but as far as I can judge that doesn't seem to be the case

I cannot for the life of me understand why people would see the need to get all dressed up in special outfits to go killing animals

That said, I can understand people who have lost pets and domestic animals to foxes being angry - I asked our local conservative guy for his take on it and he said the subject never comes up!!!

oh happy days for the hunt sabs! what fun we used to have with the anti-mate and assorted other "implements"...

can I ask Helen - without wishing to be confrontational - who exactly doesn't know what they are talking about? everyone is entitled to an opinion

Helen, with respect i have to disagree with your comment
"Robin, you are wrong when you say hunts don't respect people's property"...

it may be isolated incidents, but a pack of hounds and a huntsman in your front garden is certainly NOT respecting private property...

Ann of GG, of course we are all entitled to our own opinions. I was talking about comments from some people who have not been involved in this sport recently, as our family has, and quite frankly, what is wrong wth people dressing up to follow a sport? Footballers do it, rugby players, runners, cricketers, swimmers.....etc etc. The red coats are for those in charge. The rest are in practical, safe clothing. Any sport you can think of has similar and appropriate rules.

I myself don't like the idea of pursuing animals, whether it be foxes or hares or whatever. I do believe anyone has the right to enjoy sports, whatever the clothing. I do know that hunts enjoy the gallop across the fields in the winter. It is a sport. I don't run/swim/mountain climb/play football/or rubgy/or cricket and so on. I don't begrudge those who do.

Rose, you can disagree with my comment, but it doesn't alter the fact that hunts ride with permission across farmers' land.

I could point out that our local village cricket team is beset with complaints from neighbours about cricket balls landing in their gardens or geenhouses or whatever. The complaint against hunting is purely "classist" if there exists such a word, and, trust me, most of the hunters are really ordinary people who earn a pittance but love to ride. PS I don't ride.

I cannot classify hunting to kill as a sport - no way - footballers and other sportsmen and women dress as appropriate for the particular sport - they do not dress up to go and kill

hey daff i really agree with all you said. when my oh was made redundant twice in the last 2 years, what did the job centre give us to live on and feed 2 kids £96.00 per week. yes we had a mortgage and secured loan. what did they say to us. not our problem, you borrowed the money, you pay it back. there are no other benefits to give you. tax credits took away the working tax credit because he was unemployed. so instead of helping us when we neede it most they did the opposite.

we were so thankful to have support from family and good friends, otherwise we would have lost our house and everything and would have been living in a tent in the garden.

what did the government do to help us, absolutely nothing because we worked hard to own our first house. if we had been living in a council house, no doubt the rent etc would have been free.

roll on thursday!

Florence, I agree with you.

Ann of GG, we are not talking about killing foxes as a sport. Fox hunting no longer happens. It is illegal. I am talking about what hunting is now, which is a very energetic, non killing sport. Hence the comparison with the clothing of other sports.

perhaps it's the fact that it's called "hunting" that is misleading - not wishing to get into a major fall out here by the way!!

Oh the very idea,,,,,,,,

Sport= Fox Hunting,,,,,,,,that would be very much strongly denied by the past hunt fraternity as a sport they flatley refuse to admit they get any enjoyment from the end result of a still alive animal ripped to shreds,,,,,

Yes they did leave a mass of destruction in their wake shod riding over and onto private property,,,,even with the cheek of trampling down a front well laid out garden,,,,,frightening the family near to death.....!

Fox if to be kept to be kept down in numbers,then an armed marksman should do the job in one shot,,,,,

Me neither! It's just that we live in a community where people go "hunting" - so they dress up, like all sportsmen and women in every sport you can think of , and they go riding across land that the owners have agreed to!!! There is absolutely nothing morally or legally wrong with this. As you pointed out, the term could be misleading - but that is where the prejudice comes from. I am tired of defending a fun sport, enjoyed by everyday people, against those who don't know the facts.

Kay, as I have said ad infinitum, landowners agree to hunts riding over their fields. Hunts these days just ride. Yes, a marksman is a great idea. As a matter of fact, if you read my first post when I told of my cockerel's death yesterday, I can report that also found the remains not only of him but also of two hens : and my neighbour shot two foxes last night. At the end of my garden. So my hens are safe for a while.

And it is time to go to bed so goodnight everyone - and please think about me the next time you hear anti-hunting comments. :))

No Helen it doesn't "alter the fact that hunts ride with permission across farmers' land" ......but they had no reason to be in the front garden of my bungalow...which was on a main road.The arrogance was unbelievable.

It isn't about 'class'...i don't care whether the huntsmen are from 'the big house' or from 'down't pit'...or from middle class suburbia like my SIL... I have nothing at all against anybody riding across fields...they, of any class or none, can do that to their hearts content.

Helen, just to clarify...I have no objection to 'hunts' which chase and kill nothing, the riders wear suitable attire for riding obviously.

Rose, you are dead right, they shouldn't have been in your garden. I wouldn't have liked it in mine, I would have demanded recompense. Did you?

Unfortunately, our bungalow was rented.... from the same local farmer whose husband was one of the hunt....

add, perhaps needless to say she didn't take our complaint very seriously, and we moved soon after.

I had a Conservative chap knock on the door last week canvassing. I mentioned the Fox Hunting issue as the reason that he couldn't expect my vote on 6th May . I never want to see that awful practice made legal again in this country .

Wow, this certainly stirred up some feeling! I was going to add that this law covers hare coursing as well and possibly badger baiting, I am not sure about that, but it's all a very cruel way to enjoy sport, and it was enjoyed by many, who would daub the fox's blood on a youngster hunting for the first time, which is awful to my way of thinking. Thanks to Ann GG who mentioned the subject already.

I can understant the anger and distress of those who have lost much loved pets by foxes killing them but also have read of hounds tearing pet cats from their owners arms and killing them, on private property, which I think is dreadful.

I have no problem with the hunting of a trail nowadays, and if the huntsmen want to do that, dressing up ,and saving the hounds from redundancy and death then fine.

It's the many things we aren't hearing about from the different politicians that worries me, and it's too complex to go into everything they want to change, so makes it even harder to choose.

I am still plodding through all the stuff that comes through the door and cannot make a final decision.

Charles Clarke is one of our mps who wants to keep his place even tho he has taken on several other jobs over the past years so isn't putting all his efforts into the important job of looking after our local interests. In fairness he has done some good but is so arrogant it puts me off him.

Oh well, it will all be over next week and we can be complaining or rejoicing depending on the results and our way of thinking.

Lizx

badger baiting is sick sick sick and is illegal isn't it? Yes, I'm sure it is

it'll all be over bar the shouting come Friday but we will be hearing about the fall out for weeks to come - whoever wins, in a year's time we will pobably be wondering if we did the right thing after all!!! At least if you use your vote, whch you should, you at least have the right to moan or otherwise

As an OAP I am hoping the interest rate goes up as my savings are dwindling by the week!!

England was full of barbaric sports,bear baiting,dog and cock fighting,all practised by artisans and labourers on the streets before universal enfranchisement.They were all banned by parliament.
Foxhunting,practised by the enfranchised landowner 'in private',lingered for another couple of centuries.
Foxes are one of the few enemies of rats which cause devastation in so many ways,including killing livestock.This would explain the popularity of rat hunting!
Otter,which must have posed extraordinary problems,were controlled to the brink of extinction.