The argument which you and some other commentators have written are slightly flawed in my opinion. It is not just about the fox-hunting.

I would want to see the next government go through ALL the parlimentary acts that have been forced upon me and to repeal ALL the ones that infringe my liberty unless there is a health issue (such as the HSE Act etc) involved in it. I wish to see multiple acts repealed (including the bail of hay in a taxi!) and they could do it just prior to the quango bonfire!

1) Governments can do more than one thing at once.
2) Repealing the HA would be a no cost, arguably cost saving exercise. You can argue that policemen are best deployed trying to work out whether hunting is legal or not. I’m not going to.
3) Repealing the HA need take only one day in the Commons. The HA was driven through in one day in Sept 2004.
4) Hunting has always been a free vote issue and so will repeal. It will be supported by MPs of every party.

There will be no serious opposition to repeal because only the idiotic and insane (i.e. Kevin Maguire) think it is a law worth keeping. Every paper bar the Mirror thought that passing it was wrong, and mosthave continued to codemn it since. Who is going to criticise the Conservatives for repealing the HA? Simon Jenkins, Polly Toynbee, the Indy, the Observer, the Times? None of them because they all opposed it in the first place.

This is now a matter if trust and trust is a far more potent political force than foxes.

“We have a very clear position on this, there will be a free vote, and if there is a vote to repeal the hunting ban there will be a government Bill in government time.” David Cameron 19th February 2008

Oscar

if the hunting act is repealed, i am quite sure the next labour government, however far that may be in the future, will be forced by its MPs to introduce a rather better written piece of legislation that actually ensures hunting is banned. hunting is the easiest bit of red meat for any labour government to chuck to those on the left: why tackle the bankers in the city when you can bait ‘toffs’ on horseback!

meanwhile, it is time the right wing of the conservative party started concentrating on real issues, rather than charging at windmills and wallowing in ninety eighties nostalgia. don’t be as shortsighted as the left wingers are in the labour party.

@ LFATSejan, yes. Any other questions?

Doug, I take your point but I was referring more to the perception that hunting is undertaken by a few rich country dwellers, which I hope you accept is a long way divorced from the lives that many people live. That is not to say that something should be ignored just because a lot of voters don’t understand it, but my belief that the hunting act should be put to one side for the time being is more to do with electoral strategy than the precise rights and wrongs of the legislation.

Pharbitis, Cameron understood the need to ‘detox’ the Conservative brand from the moment he took over as leader and he has undoubtedly done a stunning job. If he throws in the towel now and goes back to traditionally right-of-centre concerns, all his hard work will go up in smoke.

LFAT – erm….. that was the point I was making….

ID cards, the RIPA powers to Councils, Smoking Ban, Tax Credits, Hunting, Lisbon…. ”

You can add to the list of laws to be repealed: the soon to be introduced curbs on striptease/lapdancing. A badly written, vindictive piece of legislation lobbied by the tax-payer funded anti-anything I don’t like brigade.