:scotchland: The Adventures of the SNP

The SNP is refusing to back Cameron’s proposed relaxation of the fox hunting ban.

Apparently, they’re miffed at the lack of respect their 56 MPs are getting in Parliament. Interesting case. They will be voting on English laws, and yet it’s going to be difficult for the Tories to be too critical, as it’s a bunch of grown men and hounds sadistically ripping wildlife apart.

EDIT:

Changed thread title. Think we’re going to be hearing a wee bit more from these boys and girls.

Interesting as they are voting to prevent England and Wales from having the same laws as Scotland - A bit of ammo for the English votes for English MPs campaign perhaps.

Maybe Sturgeon should go back to her own little assembly and leave parliament to the elected mps who sit there.

I don’t think Sturgeon is making any attempt to hide how cynical this move is. It’s intentionally cynical, and cleverly so, imo. She wants to demonstrate to Cameron how slender his majority actually is and she’s picking an issue that most Britons, especially those in urban areas, get a bit gooey about.

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Presumably the Scottish Secretary, David Mundell, will be voting on this bill. As he represents a Scottish constituency (I know, there is still a Tory-held seat in Scotland - hard to believe, but it’s true), then surely he should abstain if the government is serious about its ‘English votes for English laws’ schtick. Unless, of course, the whole ‘EvfEl’ thing only applies to nasty parties like the SNP and Labour party, not nice parties like the Tories.

The vote has been postponed.

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A cruel and barbaric sport if ever there was one, I’m all for culling with a gun if they are vermin and a pest but to label it a sport and go into euphoria at the ripping up of an animal says an awful lot about the person on the horse.
Its also class warfare and these are bastards of the highest order putting the workers in their place, shower a bastards.

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Not exactly on the Fox Hunting debate, but anyone tired of the same old bollocks out of politicians, particularly that confused Labour lot, should be brought into focus by Mhairi Black’s excellent maiden Commons speech.

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Originally posted by @Barry-Sanchez

A cruel and barbaric sport if ever there was one, I’m all for culling with a gun if they are vermin and a pest but to label it a sport and go into euphoria at the ripping up of an animal says an awful lot about the person on the horse. Its also class warfare and this are bastards of the highest order putting the workers in their place, shower a bastards.

Agree with that. I can’t remember exact figures but I think The New Forest Hunt used to dispatch an average of 15 foxes a year. That is not effective culling, it’s a drop in the ocean of the rural fox population, it never has been and reintroduction will do nothing to change that.

I live in the country and have had some lively conversations about the abolition of fox hunting. If you were starting from scratch and wanted to cull foxes the last thing you would think of is using lots of people dressed up on horseback and a pack of hounds. Apart from the ridiculous expense it simply is not an efficient way to manage fox numbers - nor is it in the least bit humane. All it is is a jolly for those involved and a bread winner for those in support. Bear baiting was done away with years ago and it is shameful that a relaxation is even being talked about for fox hunting with horses and hounds.

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Maybe the SNP should start running candidates in England–at least until Labour (is that right–with the “u” I mean) goes back to having its own principles.

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Many a true word spoken in jest, Redslo.

I felt pretty close to their policies at the last GE.

P.S. Yes that’s Labour with a u. Stick around, we’ll learn you.

Originally posted by @Sadoldgit

Bear baiting was done away with years ago

unfortunately not

Bear Baiting Website 2015

Sorry Bear, I forgot about the baiting you get! :laughing:

Originally posted by @pap

Not exactly on the Fox Hunting debate, but anyone tired of the same old bollocks out of politicians, particularly that confused Labour lot, should be brought into focus by Mhairi Black’s excellent maiden Commons speech.

At least you’re learning about politics, last time we had a discussion on it you were all up the Wavertree meetings not believing me I knew people there, anyways the Labour Party is shot as it stands, its the Liverpool of the political World, it keeps having a transition year with no real absolute class since years gone by.

Originally posted by @pap

Not exactly on the Fox Hunting debate, but anyone tired of the same old bollocks out of politicians, particularly that confused Labour lot, should be brought into focus by Mhairi Black’s excellent maiden Commons speech.

htwtps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZAmhB55_-k

That is excellent. Very refreshing. I would love it if England had more MPs like that.

Originally posted by @Barry-Sanchez

At least you’re learning about politics, last time we had a discussion on it you were all up the Wavertree meetings not believing me I knew people there, anyways the Labour Party is shot as it stands, its the Liverpool of the political World, it keeps having a transition year with no real absolute class since years gone by.

Thanks, Bazza. Securing the growing approval of someone with such political acumen, depth of knowledge and not least, skill in conveying a message means everything to me.

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You broke your sentence with a comma but ta la.

It’s always seemed to me that the case for fox hunting in particular rested on two, mutually contradictory claims. One is that of pest control, and that hunting with hounds is the most effective (and, indeed, humane) way of cotrolling fox numbers. I’ve yet to see any figures produced to back up this claim - how many foxes there are, how many need to be culled, how many are killed by hunting with hounds. So I’ve always thought it was a pretty easy claim to demolish.

The other side of the coin is the assertion that fox hunting is really just a social/horsey occasion, which people go along to for the fun and thrill of riding to hounds, and that if a fox should happen to meet an unpleasant end during proceedings then that’s pretty much an accident. Now, in fairness, I can imagine that riding to hounds would be pretty thrilling if you happen to be good at riding a horse, but I could never see why a well-laid drag trail for the hounds to follow wouldn’t give the riders just as much equine excitement as chasing a fox.

But there you go. Cameron’s chums want to hunt, so he wants to let them hunt. Twats.

Maybe we could replace foxes with immigrants?

I don’t think you’ll get away with making a coat out of immigrants.