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HORSE AND HOUND JANUARY 2005

“So, what do you think is going to happen about Hunting?” Please consider this article to be sub-titled SCREAM!’ because I swore that I would scream if one more person asked me that question. What am I? A prophet already? On my Mother’s life, I DO NOT KNOW. All I do know is that on 19.2.05 Hunting, as we know it and have known it, will be legally illegal. We all know that. But then what? What do we do next? Or do we just meekly bare our throats to the NuLab knife? I think that we should all remember Harold Macmillan’s reply when he was asked, what, in his opinion was the greatest instrument for change in politics? He replied –“Events, Dear Boy, events”. In other words Governments may set up a tastefully arranged apple cart, but careering round the corner comes a No11 bus, whose steering and brakes have been tampered with by Fate and a fruity mess ensues. So how many buses has Fate got tucked up its infinitely wide sleeve to flatten NuLab’s apple cart? Well, that’s the thing with fate – you never know. But there are one or two queuing up that we do know about.

There is the CA’s legal challenge over the Parliament Act. This may work or it may not – every lawyer you speak to will give you a different opinion and, probably, a bill at the same time. This is, quite frankly, a punt, but as it is a major constitutional issue, as well as a legal one, it will almost certainly go all the way to the House of Lords. This gives me a crumb of comfort. Recent events (‘events’ again) have indicated that Their Lordships are in pretty tatty fettle and in no mood to cuddle up to the Government. We shall just have to wait and see.

There is a General Election hull down on the horizon. We all know, or, at least we have been promised, that an incoming Conservative Government would bin the Hunting Ban. But how likely is a Conservative victory? The Noble (Conservative) Lord, with whom I sometimes have the honour of lunching, is most optimistic, but then he is one of nature’s optimists. I am not. I do think that there is a distinct possibility of a ‘hung parliament’. This would mean that we would have to put part of our trust in the support of the Lib Dems and the various Nats from the Celtic Fringe. This seems to me to be yet another Punt and one on which I would not like to offer you odds. NuLabs are past masters at nobbling, but do not tear up your betting slips just yet. We must all ensure that NuLab has the hottest possible ride in the run up to the next election. NuLab is riding high on Hubris. Ask David Blunket about Hubris.

The next Event waiting in the queue is Europe and its proposed Constitution, which we will be asked to vote on. My gut instinct is to vote against it. But consider this – under Article 5a (of the proposed Constitution) – ‘This constitution shall have primacy over the laws of the member states’ and this would include the Hunting Act. How would Europe stand over Hunting? We can be pretty sure that France would be pro-hunting. The right to Hunt is one of the planks of the French Constitution. Spain would almost certainly be pro-hunting. Holland and Belgium have both banned it, so we know where they stand. Germany has banned hunting with hounds (following in the tradition of Corporal Hitler), but still allows hounds to be used to drive game to guns. The Nordic nations would be pro - Sweden (I think it was) won a recent ruling from the European Court that hunting is an ‘historic and cultural right’. The new fringe states are a slightly unknown quantity, but as hunting continues in most of them in one form or another, I think it probable that they would be in favour. I will give you an example. There was one remaining pack of Boarhounds in Belgium, prior to the recent ban. The owner, a man of considerable means, simply bought himself a forest in Poland and moved his whole equipage there, lock, stock and barrel, without (to the best of my knowledge and belief) the slightest let or hindrance. The thought of our Kingdom being subsumed by Europe is one that has always churned my guts, but I am increasingly convinced that the NuLab Nazis are bent on doing away with our Monarchy anyway and turning us into a socialist Republic under President Blair and First ‘Lady’ Cherie – a prospect that churns the aforesaid guts to the point of vomit – the thought of us becoming part of Europe is becoming an increasingly acceptable option. We all know that Europe is irredeemably corrupt, but so is NuLab Britain.

I might even become the Hunting Commissioner.

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