WE are now well into the 1998 foxhunting season. During the coming months about 20,000 foxes will be chased to the point of total exhaustion before being torn to pieces by packs of hounds in the name of 'sport'.

Hounds not up to the job will receive a bullet to the head. What makes this year's killing even more tragic is that this is the hunting season that should never have happened.

Days before the 1997 General Election, Tony Blair promised parliamentary time would be made available for a bill to ban hunting to reach the statute book should that be the wish of most MPs following a free vote.

A year ago, a Private Member's Bill to ban hunting received the overwhelming support of MPs, yet the Government stood by and refused to allow the bill the parliamentary time it needed to survive attempts by a handful of Conservative MPs to 'talk out' the measure. They allowed Tory MPs to use antiquated and anti-democratic tactics to frustrate the will of the House of Commons and broke their promise to allow this popular bill the time it needed.

The NAHC is determined to ensure that the Government honours its pre-election promise to allow a bill to ban hunting to become law. I ask anyone who agrees with our campaign to write to Tony Blair at Downing street reminding him of his promise.

Neil Hansen,

The National Anti-Hunt Campaign,

PO Box 66,

Stevenage,

Herts SG1 2TR.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.