A woman reacts with shock as she advised that her green jacket will offer no protection from the long arm of the law. Image: via the Telegraph.
The RSPCA have been accused of pursuing a political agenda after pressing charges against four members of the Heythrop hunt – which in the past has enjoyed the patronage of David Cameron. Vanessa Lambert, Richard Sumner, Duncan Hume and Julian Barnfield are all accused of hunting with dogs in contravention of the 2004 Hunting Act. Aside from Cameron, the hunt enjoys the support of such luminaries as Rebekah Brooks and Jeremy Clarkson.
The Countryside Alliance, who, according to their website act in the interests of rural people, said:
The RSPCA’s decision to bring such a huge prosecution is a blatant political attack on hunting and an abuse of the court system.
To clarify (just in case any of you reading this are as stupid as the Countryside Alliance thinks you are), they believe it’s an abuse of the court system to prosecute a crime. Does that mean if everyone puts on red jackets and posh accents before committing a crime, they can then dismiss their prosecution as “bad law” and away with it?
Well, it’s no more illogical than the argument that killing animals is a fun way to spend a Saturday morning, I suppose.
Kelly Welles 
‘killing animals is a fun way to spend a Saturday morning, I suppose’
But you don’t understand-hunting ISN’T about killing animals! It’s about following them by sent with a pack of hounds, and the killing has nothing to do with the pleasure of hunting. I someone wanted to spend a Saturday morning killing things, they would go out with a gun, not out with hounds. It is the chase that is the thrilling part- the kill is rarely seen. Wish people would understand.
With respect, while I totally agree that the countryside is a wonderful place to be, the statement that that ‘killing has nothing to do with the pleasure of hunting’ is almost as ludicrous as the Countryside Alliance’s ‘abuse of the court system’ quote.
If the killing was not a major part of the hunt then why aren’t they all happily drag & trail hunting and not trying to repeal the ban on fox hunting?
I think there is a bit of a political agenda actually. I regularly take my dogs out and break the Hunting Act however no one prosecutes me, presumably because I don’t don a pink coat to do it with.
Also there are lots of different activities defined as ‘hunting’ under the law not all of them have anything to do with killing. Personally I use my dogs to disperse animals not kill them. For me its a form of relocation.