Law depends upon people obeying it
TIM Bonner of the Countryside Alliance, informs us that the hunting season is upon us, and there have been just three successful prosecutions in the five years the Hunting Act has been in force.
This is seen as adding weight to the argument for the repeal of the Hunting Act.
All it suggests to me, however, is that most hunts people have found no difficulty in operating within the law, whilst a mere handful have been found to be in breach of the law. Unless, of course, some hunters are blatantly breaking the law in order to prove it is unworkable.
The Hunting Act, as with any law, depends upon people obeying it to make it workable. If people set out deliberately to break a law, then it becomes unworkable.
The problem for the Countryside Alliance is that the great majority of people, who welcomed the Hunting Act as a decent and humane piece of long-overdue legislation, do not see it as "a dreadful piece of legislation".
They are more likely to believe what the Countrywide Alliance has in its sights an all-consuming shameless attempt to resurrect shameful and cruel blood sports as "dreadful".
Pat Wickham, North Street, Caistor.
10 Comments
by The Devil's Advocate, The Sticks
Tuesday, November 17 2009, 2:37PM
“Wrangler - no offence taken. I do agree with you when you say our priorities are not right. We, as humans do seem to behave with such inhumanity to our own kind, as well as to animals. What is wrong with us? I wish I knew.
We have enough laws to protect our most vulnerable, but until we can either punish the perpetrators and provide a deterrant, nothing will ever change.
Maybe a good dose of capital punishment for child abusers and the like is well overdue. Could solve one problem but cause another.
And I still cannot make head nor tail of Ms Wickham's original letter. :-)”
by The Wrangler, NE Lincs
Tuesday, November 17 2009, 12:29PM
“Hey Devil's, I should have put 'we' not 'you' in my comment - it was not directed at you, but people in general! (sorry if it read that way).
Interesting though that you use the word humane - this word pertains to humans, the point I was trying to make was that there are 1000's of people including young and vulnerable children who for some reason receive less support, expense and resource than addressing things like fox hunting - and I for one don't understand that - I don't think we have our priorities right.”
by The Devil's Advocate, In the sticks
Monday, November 16 2009, 1:16PM
“The point I was trying to make is, although we have introduced some very necessary legislation to stop foxes being killed by the hunts, there are many that are killed on the roads. We are decimating the fox population, by one means or another. If as some people believe, the current lefgislation is not good enough, then lobby for a change.
And contrary to to popular belief, I have in fact seen at least 20 dead foxes around the roads where I commute on a daily basis.
And to put the record straight, I am not an animal rights activist, or a hunt saboteur, I just believe that foxes, along with many other animals are treated inhumanely.”
by The Wrangler, NE Lincs
Monday, November 16 2009, 11:44AM
“...So essentially what you are saying is that very few foxes are caught and killed compared to say;
......the 10 people per day that are killed in horible deaths on the roads of the UK or,
......the 10 children a month that are killed at the hands of abusive parents or guardians.
Oh OK, as long as we have our priorities right and are using police resource correctly to make sure the odd fox dies safely in a humane trap or the end of a shot gun!”
by warrior, Cleethorpes
Friday, November 13 2009, 2:59PM
“oops, too many "this year's"
sorry about that. :-)”
by The Devil's Advocate, In the Sticks
Friday, November 13 2009, 11:27AM
“I am reliably informed that Pat Wickham IS in fact a female.
I struggled with this one too. Usually, Ms Wichkam is very black is black, and white is white, but this certainly lacks her usual oomph!
I know from previous letters that she is AGAINST fox hunting, (quite rightly so) and a mutitude of other human infractions on the animal kingdom, either real or imagined.
I am also against fox hunting, but maybe we should also consider this - how many foxes are actually caught and slaughtered by the hunts, as opposed to say, the number that are mown down by vehicles? I have counted, on our roads at least 20 this year alone. But we never hear any shouting about that do we?
Our local hunt has been out twice this year and caught zero foxes, as they have done for countless years. That is not to say that they have never caught any, but does show that not all hunts are "successful".
The current law is flawed, so put it right!”
by David Sanderson, Grimsby
Friday, November 13 2009, 9:13AM
“Well, I'm not sure if Pat Wickhham is anti or pro hunting either (I'm anti in case you want to know) but as for whether he/she lives in town, well there's a massive clue with the Caistor bit, I'm not a detective but I think we can safely hazard a guess as to if he/she lives 'in town' or not, the Patrick/Patricia bit is somewhat more tricky.”
by Reynard, cleethorpes
Friday, November 13 2009, 8:03AM
“Hey folks....so there are moves afoot to repeal the law so that some of you can chase me, and if caught suffer an agonising death. Ok i know i/we sometimes do "bad things" in your eyes but thats the way we are, nature is both beautiful and cruel.
As to changing the LAW which YOU passed what next, shall we have the crime of murder repealed if convictions fall.
Reynard”
by Percy, Grimsby
Thursday, November 12 2009, 12:14PM
“Not too sure i understand either, but the lack of puntuation in the letter doesn't help.
The Conservative Party are going to allow a 'free' vote on the matter when (not if) they win the next election. Personally I feel the law should be left as it is, and enforced to the letter. It's something I'm struggling with at the moment, and I have contaced our prospective Cons MP to ask their viewpoint - which hasn't really helped me make a decision.”
by The Wrangler, NE Lincs
Thursday, November 12 2009, 12:02PM
“So Pat are you pro-hunting or against it?
I'm not sure I understand your point.
Do you by any chance live in Town?”