Hunting article on the journal.ie

rowa

There is an article over on the journal.ie about fg renaging on the promise to reverse the green hunting ban , des crofton is involved , might be worth leaving positive comments on there and not giving the anti's an open goal.

Sparks

The article in question:

Hunting lobby: Fine Gael broke election deal to lift hunt ban

A PRO-HUNT group has hit out at Fine Gael for breaking what it says was a pre-election pact to reverse the ban on stag hunting, in return for votes from field sports enthusiasts.

The National Association of Regional Game Councils (NARGC) said it made a deal with Fine Gael leaders ahead of the general election. It said the party pledged to reverse the 2010 Fianna Fáil/Green coalition’s ban on stag hunting, if the NARGC delivered votes from its followers.

A spokesperson for Taoiseach Enda Kenny today ruled out a reversal of the ban, saying there was “no commitment” to lift it in the Programme for Government, and adding: “The Taoiseach would not resile from what’s in the Programme.”

But Des Crofton, national director of the NARGC, told TheJournal.ie that this is “not in line with what we have been given commitments on.” He said senior Fine Gael figures had repeatedly told him they would lift the ban, “not only before the government went into office but since.”

TheJournal.ie has seen a copy of an email sent to Des Crofton from the Fine Gael Leader’s Office in January 2010, which states that the party proposes to “reverse any changes made by the present Government” in regard to stag hunting. The proposal was also contained in the party’s election manifesto.
‘A price to pay’

Prior to February’s general election, the Rise campaign against the hunt ban – which is affiliated with the NARGC – issued a statement urging followers to vote for Fine Gael due to their “consistent support for fieldsports”.

Crofton said today that the commitment to lift the ban “was in return for the hunting organisations delivering their votes for Fine Gael at the last election. We delivered, we even produced a general election manifesto. They’re now throwing this back in our face. There’s going to be a price to pay.”

He said the Rise campaign would become active “very quickly” if the government’s position did not change.

A spokesperson for Fine Gael said the proposal to reverse the ban was in the party’s pre-election manifesto, but did not make it into the Programme for Government struck between Fine Gael and Labour.

“I’m not aware of any deal that was struck with any group pre-election,” the spokesperson said.

The Campaign for the Abolition of Cruel Sports has expressed concern at the possibility that the ban could be lifted, calling stag hunting “a despicably cruel practice”.

However, Mr Crofton dismissed this criticism, saying that Department of Agriculture observers “reported nothing objectionable in the stag hunt vis-a-vis the state of the animal.” He said the debate on the sport’s cruelty or otherwise was “over”.

Sparks

However, from a post on our general election 2011 thread here:

Dear Mark,

Thank you for your queries. At this junction Fine Gael has no plans to change the current regulations and legislation concerning firearms. We would welcome any proposals you may have on how to amend current firearms legislation.

Sincerely,
Ashley Lewis
Fine Gael Campaign 2011

Thank you Ashley, but if Fine Gael has no plans to change the status quo, it would seem that that constitutes a plan to maintain the status quo.

However, I would like to invite you to engage with the shooting community on the topic on http://shooting.boards.ie. Given that there are approximately 200,000 licenced firearms holders in the state, it might be considered worthwhile.

Regards,

As many commented at the time - and it held for Labour's statements too - this lot weren't going to be the magical solution to our issues.

And Des agreed (he's talking about labour here, but everyone knew they'd be in a coalition with FG):

LABOUR PARTY IS NO FRIEND OF HUNTING!

The Labour Party has set itself unambiguously against hunting and will act against the interests of fieldsports if in government. As all fieldsports enthusiasts will know already, Fine Gael has agreed to support all countrysports and to repeal the legislation brought in by the Green Party to ban the Ward Union Hunt. On the Pat Kenny radio show on RTE today, February 18th, Eamon Gilmore was asked "Fine Gael have given a commitment in their manifesto to repeal the ban on stag hunting. Mr. Gilmore this was hard won and I want to know if in government with Fine Gael will you repeal it?” His reply was “NO I will not”.

He also accepted the animal rights terminology of calling the release and recapture of the stag unharmed by the Ward Union as a bloodsport.

To a query from another hunting supporter regarding the Labour Party’s position on fieldsports the following reply came back: “Further to your query to Kathleen Lynch's office, The Labour Party supports the maintenance of the current strict licensing system for hunting and field sports.

Yours sincerely

Michael Mc Loughlin
Labour Queries Team”

Labour party candidates around the country have started to go the way of the Green Party position on hunting and animal rights generally. It is now becoming abundantly clear that a vote for Labour will be tantamount to putting a party in government which is no friend of fieldsports and country pursuits. The only way hunting, shooting and other countrysports people can secure their way of life is to give Fine Gael an overall majority. We urge all 300,000 fieldsports people to get in touch with their Fine Gael candidates and let them know how much we appreciate their support and get in touch with Labour candidates and let them know that they are now alienating rural people and will pay the price on polling day. There is no better opportunity than now to determine the future of your chosen sport.

Other news on this front:
The Greens have published their intentions as regards animal rights and fieldsports in their Election Manifesto. They include:

1. Pass into law the Animal Health and Welfare Bill, which outlaws fur farming and the culling of badgers.
2. Examine the possibilities of alternatives to live animal exports from Ireland.
3. Make it a requirement for all retail outlets to label animal derived material such as fur and/or leather, regardless of the percentage of fur and/or leather in the items.
4. Prohibit the trade in animal fur products.
5. Implement legislation to end the importation of and trade in exotic species.
6. Introduce legislation to ban hare coursing.
7. Make the hunting of animals with hounds an offence under law.
8. Replace the culling of badgers with more effective and humane methods of control.
9. End the use of exotic animals in circuses in the long term. In the short term issue a Ministerial Directive to all Local Authorities prohibiting them from providing land to circuses that use exotic animals in their acts.

There can be no doubt but that the Green Party wishes to destroy everything we hold dear as fieldsports enthusiasts.

Des Crofton
National Director
NARGC
18/2/2011

Sparks

Up on broadsheet.ie as well now.