I would just like to say that Foxes don’t matter.

But animal cruelty does matter, and I’ve not seen a convincing argument as to why hunting with dogs should not be covered by the principles that guide us elsewhere so I back this campaign.

And hold your horses, I live around here and I am about to go deliver a leaflet to a Viscountess. I am country people and I know country people, and no, this ban isn’t about me not understanding yourrr country ways.

Well, yes, but. Foxes that aren’t hunted, like most other wild animals, lead relatively short lives that end unpleasantly, often by starvation after some injury or disease. Nature is red in tooth and claw, and strange as it may seem, plenty of animal lovers ride to hounds.

The same people that brought you the hunting ban have criminalised a pet-shop owner for selling a goldfish to an under 16-year old, and yet have no problem with factory farming…

Leonard da Vinci (1452-1519) stated:

“…and the time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men”. From da Vinci’s NOTES

The murder of animals with dogs by hunting that the Conservatives so ardently wish to reinstate, simply shows that we have still not evolved in our ethics towards animals since that time.

Labour gets my vote simply because, as Emile Zola (1840-1902) stated:

“The fate of animals is of greater importance to me than the fear of appearing ridiculous: it is indissolubly connected with the fate of men.”

What about the ones you eat, or is that different? What about shooting, or fishing? I don’t do those things, but I don’t want to prevent others from doing so, as I would immediately sense the hypocrisy in accepting the mass cruelty of factory farming while disapproving of small-scale cruelties for recreation. Motes and beams and all that.

“The same people that brought you the hunting ban have criminalised a pet-shop owner for selling a goldfish to an under 16-year old, and yet have no problem with factory farming…”

Well, some of us don’t get our news from the tabloids.

Selling a goldfish to an under 16 is a crime, but that was only one thing she did, she was also convicted of cruelty to a cockatiel, something you’ve ignored because its not convenient for your argument.

In anycase, pretty much all animals which are not domesticated live really unpleasant lives on the edge of existence. But then thats nature and it is cruel. We are human beings who know better, so we don’t add extra cruelty to this.

just curious about what happens to your feelings towards goldfish when you attain the age of 16….

“Selling a goldfish to an under 16 is a crime…”

That was rather my point. The pet shop owner may not deserve sympathy for other reasons, but that doesn’t mitigate the battiness of the law. I know children who go fishing…