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Essentially it was "Look at those weirdo, posh, country cunts! Look at their stupid clothes. They're not like us are they? Let's ban that thing they like doing!"
Lots of people are incredibly passionate about animal welfare. The type who take a sensible and proportionate view to the subject as a whole, which in turn informs how they live and consume.
I totally get those people having strong feelings on the subject. My gut is that for most other people there is a huge amount of class prejudice involved.
My view has always been fairly fixed since we had to debate it at school;
- I don't care that much, and
- Hunt supporters should grow a pair and admit they enjoy it and don't give a fuck - rather than putting forward spurious arguments that a 12yo can poke holes though.
Sort of reminds me of
The ban was political strategy (and the Blair Govt) at its very best. I'm sure will be a lobbyists case study for years to come.
- I don't care that much, and
hugo7-
Lots of people are incredibly passionate about animal welfare. The type who take a sensible and proportionate view to the subject as a whole, which in turn informs how they live and consume
Sure, and I consider myself one of them. But the idea that the majority of Brits have a deep, ideological passion for animal welfare is not really borne out by our shopping habits.
Hunt supporters should grow a pair and admit they enjoy it
I've never worked out how this would affect the debate one way or the other.
ffm
I think the ban was probably, ultimately the right decision, but the whole campaign against it made me really uncomfortable. It seemed to be mostly misdirected class warfare and appeals against animal cruelty by people who are quite happy eating battery-farmed chicken. Essentially it was "Look at those weirdo, posh, country cunts! Look at their stupid clothes. They're not like us are they? Let's ban that thing they like doing!"
I never understood the efficiency argument either. If you accept that foxes numbers need to be controlled and people are doing it at their own expense, why would you care if it's inefficient? If I want to spend my free time on my neighbourhood streets in a stupid hat picking up litter with a toothpick, I'm still contributing to making the place cleaner at no expense to anyone else.
That said, there was too much nasty stuff happening for it to continue. If it was genuinely just an odd form of pest control I wouldn't have a problem with it. But breeding extra foxes to make sure there's something to chase is fucked up.