Here in England we have a government agency called DeFRA - popularly known in the countryside as the Department for the elimination of Farming and Rural Activities.

But, hell, it's easier to ban hunting than to solve the Iraq situation or remedy the fact that there is little or no manufacturing done in Britain these days. The ultimate irony will be when the Countryside Alliance outsource their call centre to Mumbhai!

The banning of hunting has everything to do with the class struggle that has marred Britain for generations. All "New" Labour (aka "Old" Conservatism) has done is to perpetuate this to placate MPs who might otherwise get awkward about an issue that really matters.

Nature is red in tooth and claw; man has hunted with dogs ever since dogs were domesticated, it is in the nature of both to do so. It is the "cuddly animals rights and feelings" crowd who are out of step with reality.