January 2010

As we begin 2010, some of us may wonder what the next ten years will bring.  Looking back at the last decade there have been some major changes, upheavals and disasters.  It is always easy to focus on the bad or negative things which have happened and for country sports enthusiasts, the Hunting Ban of 2004 was certainly one of them.  However, on a more positive note, the Government might have thought they’d won the ‘war’ and that we’d all go away and do politically correct hobbies, but instead they have sparked the embers of enthusiasm, so that more people than ever want to take part in country sports. Although the sport of hunting is now hound trailing or hound training, for the sake of ease, we will call it hunting here as it is easier to read and write.

As secretary to one of the northern hunts, I meet and greet a lot of subscribers and visitors who want to join us.  The one thing which strikes me is the huge variety of people who all have one thing in common – they want to follow the hounds.  It mystifies (and irritates) me when the media give the blanket description of ‘hunting toffs’ and all the other rubbish that they spout, because if they bothered to come and find out about the people involved, they would be surprised at the mix and variety of followers and the camaraderie that goes with the sport. 

If you ride horses, or indeed quad bikes and follow hounds across country, there is an element of risk and it doesn’t matter who you are (or how you’re bred) anybody can get that lurching feeling of ‘oh ****’ as the earth comes up to meet you and you hit the ground.  On those occasions you hope that a good Samaritan will catch your horse, so that your day may continue.  Unfortunately, there are times when a really serious accident occurs and urgent help is required; hunting folk come into their own and rally round and get the casualty dispatched to A&E – they do it with good humour and compassion.  The fact that the groaning body on the ground was not their responsibility doesn’t mean they turn a ‘blind eye’ or say ‘that’s not my job’ – the whole thing about this sport is that it is a community ‘thing’, we all help each other.  Perhaps the Government could learn a thing or two from all of us, as they seem hell bent on destroying everything to do with rural communities.

Of course, passions run high in a sport like hunting and it would be wrong to pretend that disagreements never take place.  Hunting rows are usually in a class of their own and cause much upset and chaos for the people involved and quite a lot of interest and dare I say, enjoyment for the people observing from the sidelines or adjacent packs. 

Whatever your reason for following hounds – for the thrill of the chase, the enjoyment of watching hounds work, the social side or perhaps a bit of everything - we must remember how lucky and privileged we are that landowners and farmers are so generous with their land and allow us to enjoy this wonderful sport.

We must also never let the Government forget how important the rural vote is and remind them that they interfere with us, at their peril – they might not care about disembowelling communities with their ridiculous red tape rules and regulations that seem to ignore common sense – but instead might I suggest that they have a good look at how life operates in a rural community, particularly under difficult conditions and then they might be able to build a government worthy of the name.

Diana Beaumont

Possible General Election

So the election could be as early as March. At the last poll the Tories were nine points ahead of Labour, which is well down from the 13 point lead a week or so ago. Labour still have a lot of support, I cannot imagine how or why, but there you go. And remember the Tories need a much larger share of the vote than Labour to win a majority of just one seat. Put simply, a nine point lead will not secure a Repeal we so urgently need.

Let’s just imagine that the election was this week. Labour have been re elected with a slimmer majority. David Cameron and co are all finished, and the Tories are back in the wilderness. How do you feel about that? What do you think will happen to the Hunting Act? Do you think things will stay as they are now? Of course not. Labour are not stupid. All the loopholes will be closed up so tight, hunting will cease. That’s it. That’s your lot. Goodnight Vienna!

And what have you done about it? Can you honestly say that you did all you could? Have you in fact done anything to help with the repeal? Some hunting people still don’t seem to get it. They come out hunting once or twice a week, whether on horse or on foot, and then moan that they haven’t the time to help put leaflets through doors, or to stuff envelopes. They are busy people!

Often the car followers have to hunt four or five days a week with different local packs. They have sandwiches to make and flasks to fill with soup and coffee etc. The mounted members have horses to exercise, and tack to clean ready for the next day’s hunting, and they have businesses and families etc. Hello! Wake up call!!  IF LABOUR GET RE ELECTED THERE WILL BE NO MORE HUNTING. I don’t know how to put it any plainer. 

No time to help now? You will have lots of time when the end is forced upon us. 

Everyone who has no time to help now will have lots and lots of time when we are forced to stop. And we will be. But then it will be too late. We will never ever get another chance like this. Labour know the Hunting Act is a joke, but it can be tightened up without any hassle at all. And if Labour remain in power, it will be.

Ah, I hear you say, but we heard all this before the ban came in, and we’re alright. It will be all fine again…won’t it? Anyone who actually thinks that is out of touch with reality.
Speak to your hunt VOTE OK person. Find out who it is - AND DO IT NOW. And if you have to miss a day or two’s hunting so be it. We all went to London and to Brighton. Spending a couple of hours leaflet dropping in your local area is surely less hassle than that was. Think about it. But don’t think for too long or it will be too late.

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all of you. And good hunting for the rest of this season and for many, many more seasons to come.

by Harry Stephenson MFH