Today the British Parliament bans hunting with dogs

There are usually no cougars in Britain.

When you look some pages back, Piffka, you'll find my response that we have here in Germany (today was just again one a couple of yards away) fox-hunts without killing as well - more, than the 'real' ones in the UK!

Royal Prince at Beaufort hunt

Prince William was out fox hunting on Monday, six weeks before the ban on hunting with hounds comes into effect.

The Prince joined the Beaufort Hunt, near Tetbury in Gloucestershire, close to the Highgrove home of his father, Prince Charles.

He was joined by about 80 members of the Beaufort on horseback, with more than 50 cars following behind.

The Bill to ban hunting went through Parliament last November and will come into effect on 18 February.

Some pro-hunting groups have warned that civil disobedience could follow if the Bill becomes law.


The prince (pictured at the hunt) joined 80 others on horseback

The Beaufort Hunt, which operates in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, has been running since the 17th century.

Jo Aldridge, spokeswoman for the hunt, said: "I can confirm Prince William joined us for the meet."

Pro-hunters claim ban 'invalid'

The law used to push through a ban on hunting with dogs is "invalid" because "it is not truly an Act of Parliament", the High Court has been told.

The fundamental legal flaw will mean thousands of people losing livelihoods and "a major source of recreation and enjoyment", the court heard on Tuesday.

Sir Sydney Kentridge QC made the claim for the Countryside Alliance at the start of a legal challenge to the ban.

The ban, affecting England and Wales, is due to come into force in February.

Job threat?

But the QC said its validity depended on the validity of the 1949 Parliament Act, which was used by the House of Commons to overrule objections by the House of Lords.

Sir Sydney told Lord Justice Maurice Kay and Mr Justice Collins: "We submit that it is invalid and that, despite its title, it is not an Act of Parliament."

The application for judicial review is in the names of John Jackson, Countryside Alliance chairman, and Mair Hughes, from Gilfach Goch, Mid Glamorgan, wife of the Master of the LLangeinor Hunt, who is also a farrier.

Mrs Hughes, 46, claims her job as book-keeper to the farriery is in danger from the ban, due to come into effect on 18 February, as well as her social life.

Sir Sydney told the hearing that the importance of the issue was evident from the speed with which the case had come to court and the fact the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith QC, was appearing in person to defend the legislation.

He said if the Hunting Act, which introduces the ban, becomes law, "it will affect the livelihood of numbers of persons present, including two of the applicants".

"It will prevent many thousands more from contiuing lawfully what has been for many a major source of recreation and enjoyment," he said.

Winning prediction?

Outside the court, Mr Jackson said the Commons had no right to pass laws banning hunting and described the 1949 Parliament Act as "unlawful".

However, the government has said it is "confident" that the courts will decide to uphold the ban.

If this week's initial challenge fails, the Countryside Alliance has said it will seek an injunction to allow further appeals to take place.

But Mr Jackson said: "We're not expecting to lose."

In a press conference, he said: "This is probably the most important constitutional case the High Court has ever had to consider and it's something which should concern all of us."

Connivance claims

Anti-hunt protesters, the League Against Cruel Sports are also in court to make legal representations against any injunction.

Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael has previously told MPs he did not believe the challenge to the ban would succeed.

The government, however, has said it will not oppose an injunction while the court process continues - a move which led to accusations it was trying to avoid protests so close to a likely May election.

Conservative frontbencher James Gray condemned as a "grubby political ploy" Downing Street's decision to tell reporters it would not oppose an injunction.

The League Against Cruel Sports chairman John Cooper said they were going to court "seeking to uphold parliamentary democracy by opposing any delay to the commencement of the ban lasting beyond February 18, the date agreed by Parliament".

Hunt supporters vow to fight ban

Hunt supporters say they will continue efforts to overturn the ban on hunting with dogs in England and Wales, which is due to come into force on Friday.
The Countryside Alliance had its latest legal bid thwarted when three Appeal Court judges rejected its argument that the Hunting Act was unlawful.

The campaign group said it would now take its case to the House of Lords and to the European Court of Human Rights.

The RSPCA said the court decision shows the group's arguments are "wafer thin".

'Probably unprecedented'

The Countryside Alliance had claimed that the 1949 Parliament Act, which MPs used to introduce the Hunting Act after House of Lords opposition, is invalid.

It was appealing against a High Court ruling on 28 January that the Act was clearly valid.

On Wednesday three Appeal Court judges described the challenge as "unusual, and in modern times probably unprecedented".

Rejecting the alliance's arguments, they also refused leave to appeal to the House of Lords, saying it would cast too much uncertainty over the status of the Hunting Act.

The alliance said it will make an urgent application directly to the House of Lords to hear their appeal.

'Sound and smell'

After losing the appeal pro-hunt groups said the ban was unenforceable.

Simon Hart, of the alliance, said hunting would "look, sound and smell exactly the same" on Saturday because the police would not be able to enforce the law.

The alliance has said about 50,000 people are prepared to break the ban and continue hunting "in the full knowledge they will be arrested".

But the League Against Cruel Sports says it is setting up a "crimewatch service" to monitor the ban.

Its chief executive, Douglas Batchelor, said: "If we find criminal conspiracies to break the law then we will tell the police."

And RSCPA spokeswoman Becky Hawkes said it would also assist the police in bringing prosecutions.

Well, Charles won't be able to take his new wife hunting...

I don't think anyone can really understand about hunting unless they live in a hunting community,down here most of the village functions are started by the hunt and supported by them, public holidays(Feast Days) are granted in Rural areas where hunting is a way of life not just a pastime for the idle rich as it can be in richer areas.Cornwall is economically very poor so those that hunt are not hoity toity toffs. Our local hunts M.F.H. is a woman who is in her 70s she wears welly boots and her Grandfathers old Pink Jacket for hunting nothing like the hunts that happen up country!!!
Its what we choose to do on our own land in order to eliminate vermin selectively, never in a month of sundays would you catch a quick healthy fox!!!!! A gun knows no such selectivity.
I don't like being told that because someone else doesn't like it i cant do it any more..
The question is once this has been forced through what will come next?? its no good complaining in five years time when the Government are banning something that is important to you, it will be too late the die will be cast.