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Reflections

Sir,

Time to pause and ponder and reflect upon the passage of time, since the introduction of the infamous banning of the Hunting with Hounds Act. It is now widely agreed that this ban was promoted by ignorance and stupidity in the main.

There is now a vacuum which has caused pain, disillusionment and economic problems related to rural industries and livelihoods.

Is it not strange that despite the vast quantity of money spent on education that we have buggery across the spectrum? Consider the appalling state of affairs where governments are now stepping in to quell the visas behaviour of individuals at football games, cumulating in the latest idea of providing government money i.e. rate payers money - to assist football clubs from economic disaster.

Yet, on the opposite end of the scale we had hunts supported throughout the ages, financed solely by subscribers and foot followers of the hunt. At no time has any government been approached to assist in the financial running of the numerous hunts. Prior to the ban the media thought fit to interview and broadcast a conversation with a so called academic, i.e. a professor, who made the classic statement to the fact that hunting with Hounds was not economical. This is a further installation of the rubbish which has been expounded and still is regarding the matter of hunting with hounds.

It can only be hoped that strenuous efforts being made by responsible organisation to have this Bill banned.

It is somewhat depressing that so called responsible members of the community have been swept up with the outrageous incorrect statements made by anti-hunting people. Possibly a classic example of this is the statement and I quote "The tare the fox to bits" the implication of this statement suggests that the fox is torn apart whilst still alive.

When the fox is killed the carcass is then given to the hounds as a reward for their endeavours. Another outrageous example is the statement "these people in their red coats, careering across private land, smashing fences regardless. It is questionable whether there is another human activity which has very strict rules of conduct, yet this fact is totally ignored.

Probably the classic tragedy of this saga is the introduction of the Parliamentary Emergency Act which was used to put the ban to the House of Commons.

A further point, showing the sublimed ignorance is the fact that a number of independence surveys were conducted prior to the ban with a command denominator that the most effective and humane method of controlling foxes was by hounds.

It is of great concern that so called responsible people with tremendous power at their finger tips can blythfully ignore all the facts known to man and thereby causing destruction.

One would have thought that under a democracy, such as ours, that knowledge and integrity together with responsibility would prevail and not be destroyed.

One can only hope that a light is appearing at the end of the tunnel and sanity will return.

Douglas Steen.

8.06.2011.

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