In Britain, there is a loud and potentially powerful backlash by a group
calling itself The Countryside Alliance. It campaigns against the closure
of rural post-offices and banks, poor public transport and other problems of
countryfolk but, unfortunately, it is a Trojan horse: it was set up by
foxhunting interests to oppose the threatened ban on hunting wild mammals
with dogs, using other complaints as a smokescreen. They organised a large
march on London last year, then quoted the numbers attending as indicating
massive rejection of the proposed ban (in fact, polls of specifically rural
populations show support for such a ban running from 50% to over 70% - many
of those on the march thought that they were supporting the 'smokescreen'
complaints). US hunters please note that the activity in question is the
traditional 'greetings-card' mounted hunt with a pack of hounds, fancy
uniforms and arcane jargon, not two men and a dog out in the woods!
Tony N-S.
