With a repeal of the Hunting Act looking an increasingly remote proposition, the Countryside Alliance is resorting to rather desperate tactics — such as gatecrashing the meetings of anti-hunting groups in parliament.
Blue Foxes, a group of Conservatives against fox hunting, had to turn away five Countryside Alliance activists three times at a meeting last week — but didn’t manage to get the message across to former Alliance Chief Executive and Tory MP Simon Hart (pictured above), who barged his way in anyway.
Coming after a heckling at another recent anti-hunt meeting, Scrapbook wonders whether Hart is making a habit of signing people in with the deliberate intention of disrupting their events.
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.. and if that isn’t Hart then the North West Evening Mail has very misleading picture captions!
http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/barrow/should_the_hunting_act_of_2005_be_repealed_1_538165?referrerPath=home/search_for_a_star
I showed up late to the League Against Cruel Sport reception last month, but I was told that they had some pro-hunting types gatecrash earlier in the evening.
I suppose it’s fine to pop by a reception to check out what the opposition is doing, but you should be polite and discreet about it. Heckling, wearing some provocative badge, or making a scene when they ask you to leave are just not cricket.
When he was Countryside Alliance CEO, Simon Hart played a major role in2004/5 in organising the ‘Declaration’ movement, which incited hunt supporters to pledge to ignore any law banning hunting live animals with hounds. They held ‘pledge’ days at the estates of large, wealthy fox-hunting landowners, such as Lord Astor, the current PM’s stepfather-in-law, and claimed to have collected +50,000 signatures. Despite this act of gross sedition, the Tory Party, whose current heirarchy is infested by pro-bloodsports fanatics [not least Cameron himself] were happy to endorse him as a Parliamentary candidate and he was elected in 2010. He and they continue to try to engineer the repeal of the Hunting Act and to tip the wink to Hunts nationwide who are engaged in widespread flouting of both the spirit and letter of the law, continuing in the cruel and barbaric ‘sport’ of chasing and killing defenceless wild animals for ‘sport’. Hart’s reported behaviour is no cause for surprise – like all hunters he is one of nature’s bullies.
Cameron said that he stopped fox hunting following the ban.
But his riding buddy, Charlie Brookes, admits that he still enjoy to “accidentally” chase foxes.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/my-perfect-weekend/5090291/My-Perfect-Weekend-Charlie-Brooks.html
So did Cameron ever “accidentally” chase and kill foxes??
You should really try to get your facts right.
Firstly, it was not an anti-hunting meeting, it was a gathering to discuss a close season for the Brown hare. Secondly, as an MP, Simon Hart is perfectly entitled to attend such a meeting in the House of Commons. Thirdly,this is an issue that needs to be discussed with all parties involved, otherwise any new law or regulation simply won’t work in practice….bit like the Hunting Act?
What is so frightening about discussing issues with people who may have a different opinion?
Nice the plum-puddings can afford their sadistic hobbies/ wait it’s banned, thankfully the big brave hunters will just have to lump it for once.
Oh Jim I remember meeting you when you were the big chief at the League Against Cruel Sports , a highly successful campaign group, and now you’re a nobody in a little group that doesn’t know what it stands for, but is a useful shield for those who would take us back to the days of fox and otter hunting.
Can someone please explain to me why the fox hunting lot are allowed to flout the law when I and the rest of us plebs are not? Can we all select which laws we want to ignore?
The judge who has encouraged the fox hunting lot (ie lets tear foxes apart lot), is just one of the “gentry”-don’t imagine the judge is on the same planet as the rest of us.
Jim Barrington: “any new law or regulation simply won’t work in practice….bit like the Hunting Act?”
Actually, Mr Barrington, it does work! Heythrop ring any bells today?
“What is so frightening about discussing issues with people who may have a different opinion?”
….Nothing at all….Until the discussion gets gatecrashed by hecklers!