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Tally Ho! as Lords saddle up
19/03/2002 15:39 - (SA)
London - The House of Lords is taking up the contentious issue of hunting with hounds, setting the stage for a possible confrontation with House of Commons lawmakers who voted overwhelmingly to ban the sport.
The upper chamber generally supports fox-hunting - denounced by some as brutal - and blocked a ban passed last year by the commons.
Prime Minister Tony Blair voted for a ban on Monday night, but his official spokesman said the government hoped to find a consensus for legislation. That prospect has alarmed some Labour lawmakers.
"We have made it quite clear in this chamber how we feel," said legislator Tony Banks said as the commons voted 386-175 late on Monday for the ban. "We can only have a conclusion if the will of the House of Commons in its vote is actually respected."
Some Labour lawmakers said a basic principle was at stake: the
supremacy of the House of Commons.
Legislator Gerald Kaufman said he would cease to support the
government in commons votes if it backed down on a total ban. "The whole point about being as sickeningly loyal as I am is that when one does rebel, one does it with a vengeance," said Kaufman.
'No negotiations, no deals'
Supporters of a ban outnumbered the 169 lawmakers who voted for a so-called "middle way" that would see the hunting of foxes, stags and hares with packs of hounds continue with restrictions and the 154 who said it should continue freely under self-regulation.
Neither vote is binding on the government, which has said it
wants to assess legislators' opinion before deciding what to do.
Opening the commons debate, rural affairs minister Alun Michael said there had been "no negotiations, no deals" behind the scenes and added he would make an announcement this month.
Lord Mancroft, a hunt supporter, said he would back the
compromise in hopes of preserving the sport.
"I'm certain that the lords will vote very firmly against a ban and I hope that they can be persuaded to think about the middle way and maybe to support the middle way, because both sides have become ridiculously entrenched," he told BBC radio.
"It's a pathetic and embarrassing shambles and we have got to
try to get out of it and get the government off the hook."
Hunting is a deeply emotional issue for Britain. While the royal family and many others delight in the sight and sound of horsemen galloping after a pack of hounds, opponents are revolted by the idea of wild animals being torn apart by dogs.
According to the Campaign to Protect Hunted Animals, about 200
fox hunts around England and Wales kill a total of 21 000 to 25 000 foxes a year.
300 stage sit-down protest
Three registered stag hunts kill about 160 deer
annually. The campaign says there are about 100 packs that hunt
hares, but provide no figures on how many are killed each year.
Opinion polls have consistently shown a majority of Britons
oppose hunting with hounds.
Campaigners from both sides gathered outside parliament on Monday.
About 300 hunt supporters staged a brief sit-down protest in the
street, prompting police to close the main gates to the commons and erect more crash barriers to contain the crowds.
Some say Blair has refrained from enforcing party discipline and using his big majority to force a ban on to the statute books
because he fears a rural revolt that would cost his Labour Party
precious votes in the traditional rural Tory heartland.
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On the Net:
League Against Cruel Sports: http://www.league.uk.com/
Campaign to Protect Hunted Animals: http://www.banhunting.com
Countryside Alliance: http://www.countryside-alliance.org
Foxman: http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/foxman/
Sapa-AP
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