The period between now and the end of the Parliamentary session is the most crucial in our fight to save hunting. We must all be doing everything we can to convince the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and MPs that if the Lords return a fair Licensing Bill, based on evidence and principle, they should support it. There is only one alternative - the enactment of the 'banning' Bill through the use of the Parliament Acts.
The actions below, in addition to our legal challenge and political lobbying, will be vital in achieving this. Please distribute this leaflet as widely as possible to your friends.
The support of the House of Lords is essential to our fight. Peers
must be in no doubt as to our strength of feeling and we must
encourage their continued opposition to a ban. If you have not
written to the Lords allocated to your county please do so immediately.
Full details on www.countryside-alliance.org or by calling the Action Office on
01367 850 488.
It is Cabinet Ministers who will ultimately decide the future
of the Hunting Bill and whenever they venture out of their offices
we must lobby them and ask whether they will support the Prime
Minister's preferred option of a Licensing Bill. We must not risk
alienating Ministers so, while vocal and forceful, demonstrations
must be peaceful. Many successful demonstrations have been held
under the "Families for Hunting" banner. Ministers movements
are difficult to ascertain so please make sure all your contacts
know they must immediately feed through any information to felix-gummer@countryside-alliance.org or call Felix on 020 7840 9200.
There will be a picket of Cabinet Meetings every Thursday morning
between 09:30 and 12:30 from now until the end of this session
of Parliament on the 18th November. If Ministers are being secretive
about their movements we will demonstrate where we know they definitely
will be. For details about when your region is asked to attend
please see www.countryside-alliance.org Of course everyone, especially Londoners,
are welcome to attend any of the pickets.
All hunts and clubs will be allocated an anti-hunting Cabinet
Minister or MP on the Government payroll to demonstrate at their
constituency office on either Friday 29th or Saturday 30th October
(depending upon when the MPs is holding their surgery). It is
vital that we lobby these key figures and ask them whether they
will support the Prime Ministers' preferred compromise of licencing.
MPs will be allocated to hunts, clubs and geographic areas shortly.
Mega Banners with the "Fight Prejudice - Fight the Ban"
message will be erected in prime sites beside motorways, especially
those near London. If you have access to a suitable site please
email roger-evers@countryside-alliance.org or call Roger Evers on 020 7840 9200.
We must ensure that MPs and journalists travelling around the
country are in no doubt of the countryside's strength of feeling.
Please ensure that you and all your contacts put up every car
sticker, board and banner by Saturday 30th of October. They are
useless in a garage or shed. Further supplies can be ordered by
emailing actionoffice@countryside-alliance.org or calling 01367 850 488
Are you, or your family or friends, going to a sporting fixture
that gets TV coverage? If so take along a Fight the Ban banner
or placard to display behind the presenter when they are being
filmed.
Individuals across the country will publicly re-affirm their commitment
to civil disobedience in the face of unjust law. Make sure you
and all your friends support them and your local hunt.