Hunting vote set for March

[Michael Hall]

MPs will vote on banning hunting with dogs in England and Wales on 18 March, House of Commons leader Robin Cook told MPs on Thursday.

The Commons and the House of Lords will be asked to choose between the three options that were presented in the last parliament - a complete ban, the preservation of the status quo and the so-called "middle way".

The Commons is expected to vote for a ban, and the government is hoping the Lords will vote for regulation, rather than for no change.

This would open the way for politicians to draw up a bill offering a compromise, which could be pushed through in the next session of Parliament.

Scottish MSPs voted to outlaw the practice of hunting with dogs earlier this month. Now the hunting could be legislation to a liscening system! as said by John Jackson the chairman of the CA!!!

Now if the votes disagree with hunting with dogs there may be a ban on Hunting with dogs as soon as the Autumn of 2003!

Now I only can but wonder wether angling will but next a rep from the NFA seems to think not as seen on Tight Lines last week however Keith Auther seems to disagree and thinks that he is absoulutly certain that it will come under view next!! What do you think?

 

[Michael Hall]

I personally think that Fox Hunting is the fairest way to cull foxes as they have a chance to escape! Also if they were to shoot foxes they could be shoot and indured and then die a slow painful death rather that a fast and effective method! Also alot of people seem to not understand that 7 out of ten foxs escape with no harm!

 

[Ashe Hurst]

Although i havnt become complacent,i do have concerns over the preservation of angling.
I have a copy of MAFF,s fishery review,a government department(labour).

Im not going to Quote the sections on angling,but its in black and white, Angling is to be protected,encouraged and promoted.
Also the protection and enhancment of fisheries.

However, we all know that the powers that be can and do go back on policies.

I still see angling split,We need one governing body and one high profile spokes man/women, one who knows how to fish and politics.

 

[Michael Hall]

That is the problam now there is no accutal governing body over angling! I agree with you ashe! Also each different organisation has different views to the policies over fishing, however it is getting better as according to the rep of the NFA these angling bodies are joining together and discussing their points of view!

 

[Keith Miller]

Timing of this announcement designed to hide the fuss about a certain minister?

 

[Ron Clay]

Keith you are right.

Some time ago I wrote to two of my local MPs - both Labour, asking them what they thought of Angling as a sport. Both were adamant and stated that angling was a fantastic sport and should be encouraged, especially amongst young people.

I reported one of the replies in this website.

This begs the question: Are we as anglers overreacting to the possiblity that hunting with dogs will be banned, or do certain members of the Labour party have some hideous hidden agendas and that the positive comments I received about our sport from the Rotherham MPs were lies?

Over to you.

 

[Stuart Bullard]

Well, I would not want to become complacent, but I would wager my house that angling will never be banned in my lifetime or my childrens. I think we are in more danger from ourselves than MP's and should concentrate on the things we can affect.

As for banning fox hunting, I think it is an utter waste of time by the Government on a subject matter that probably less than 1% of the population even care about. Ideally I would like it saved.

I do think the whole campaign to save fox hunting has been ill advised. Banging on about the collapse of rural life and a major loss to the rural economy is absolute rubbish. They should fight it on the grounds that the anti's are and prove why it is a valid pest contol method.

Off soap box.......

 

[Ron Clay]

Whilst I tend to sgree with all you say Stuart, consider this:

Some years ago angling came under the spotlight in Germany. We all know the result, certain aspects of how we in the UK persue our sport were banned in that country ie:

Keepnets, match angling and catch and release. I do not want to go into the ethics of such practices, but could this happen here; especially now that the UK is destined to become part of Europe in more ways than we are at present?

 

[Stuart Bullard]

Fair point, I forgot the Euro angle. I dont understand the banning of catch and release Ron, what do you mean ??

 

[Ron Clay]

I think Graham knows more about this issue regarding Germany, but in that country they considered that to catch and return a fish was tantamount to using that fish as a plaything and that the only moral reason to catch a fish was to eat it.

There are many in this country who beleive the same thing.

 

[Michael Hall]

I argee that angling will never be banned however if angling comes next its not going to do the sport/hobby any good! I hope that if angling does come under any review then i hope that we all join together and become one as an angling community to fight any reviews!

 

[GrahamM]

Very simplified that's exactly what it means Ron. They banned returning fish in Germany on the premise that it was wrong to catch fish for fun, and if you returned them to the water then you're demonstrating that you had no other porpose to catching them other than that you enjoyed it.

It's a law that German anglers have always regretted not fighting harder than they did. Of course, many German specialists still return fish and risk getting caught.

But it just shows that the anti's can damage us in many more ways than just aiming for a total ban.

 

[Michael Hall]

I think that our problam now is organising one body to represent angling with one governing bodie made up of different areas of fishing (ie NFA and SAA also I think that ties with the CA and so on would do our repretion good when fighting against any anti's allagations.

 

[Stuart Bullard]

Now there is an interesting one, catch and eat! I wonder how PETA would view that one, being vegans.

All I can say is that Germany must have one hell of a "stocking" industry.

 

[Rodney Wrestt]

In this weeks A.M. they stated that Shaddow home secretary Ann Widdecombe, (Conservative MP for Maidstone and the Weald) was on Question Time on the BBC and said she wanted all fishing banned unless you eat the catch.

 

[Cheese Paste]

Check out the League Against Cruel Sports website, www.league.uk.com

I was suprised when I read that they actually support angling and in fact some of their members are keen anglers.

What a breath of fresh air!!

 

[Fred Bonney]

I saw Question Time on tele a week or so ago,there were at least 4 Mp's including Gwyneth Dunwoody and Ann Widdecombe.
They were talking about the Scottish banning proposals and it was indicated that a ban on fishing was unlikely to be considered as there are too many anglers and this would damage the chances of re election.
We must be careful though,the German experience shows what complacency can lead to.

 

[Fred Bonney]

Also,in one of the papers it may have been AM,in Germany ,a guy was fined for returning a fish,rather than burying it, or taking it for food!!!

 

[Keith Miller]

Mmmm......grilled gudgeon, roast roach, poached perch.......yummy!
Any eruddite chefs out there?

 

[Ron Clay]

Of all our freshwater "coarse" fish the following are very good eating: Pike, perch, eels, grayling, tench, small young carp, zander, ruffe and gudgeon. The rest are awful and I speak from personal experience.