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Karen
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Joined: 25 May 2007
Posts: 309
Location: London, UK
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| Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 7:19 pm Post subject: League Against Cruel Sports |
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The League Against Cruel Sports - UK
I used to be a member of this organisation, based in the UK. It speaks for itself and has acheived A LOT since it started.
The information below is taken from 'Our History' from their website. Its worth a look.
So far the fight to abolish cruel sports has spanned two centuries, and there have been a number of successes along the way ...
1802: Yes, the fight to end cruel sports actually started this early! The Society for the Suppression of Vice was formed. One of this evangelical Christian committee's aims was the abolition of animal baiting.
1822: Richard Martin's Act to Prevent the Cruel and Improper Treatment of Cattle was passed, making this the first Parliamentary legislation for animal welfare in the world.
1824: Two years later Martin helped establish the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
1835: The Protection of Animals Act made bull, bear and badger baiting, as well as cock and dog fighting illegal. However, the legislation only covered cruelty to domestic and captive animals, not wild ones. In the same year, Princess Victoria became a patron of the SPCA. She added the 'Royal' handle in 1840 having been crowned in 1837. As a result, the RSPCA increasingly became identified with the upper classes. Indeed many successful industrialists, having taken up the relatively new sport of fox hunting, also joined the RSPCA due to its royal connections.
1876: The Cruelty to Animals Act was passed - but there was still no progress for wild animals.
1891: Henry Salt formed the Humanitarian League - one of whose aims was the outlawing of hunting for sport.
1911: The Protection of Animals Act was passed, establishing the concept of "causing unnecessary suffering". However, this once again excluded protection for wild animals.
1921: Some progress was made when it became illegal to hunt animals that do not have a "reasonable means of escape" - again covering animals regarded as captive only.
1924: Frustrated at the lack of action by the RSPCA to ban hunting, Henry Amos and Ernest Bell established the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports. At its inaugural meeting, messages of support were received from Ramsey MacDonald and Bertrand Russell.
1927: The League had 1000 members, many of whom were drawn from the titled classes. For example, Lady Annesley who had been brought up to see hunting as "the right thing to do" explained that as a child it had never entered her head that there was real cruelty involved. Such members soon became very effective at influencing public opinion, by writing letters to the press and leafleting the public.
1932: Ernest Bell and Henry Salt left the League to set up the National Society for the Abolition of Cruel Sports, to concentrate on public education. (This society was revitalised in the 1970s and relaunched by Bill Jordan as Care For The Wild in 1984.)
1939: During the Second World War, the League publicised the fact that hunts were continuing to rear foxes so that their "sport" could continue, despite some farmers' criticism that this was unpatriotic due to food shortages!
1940s: After the war, the League's political campaign really got under way. Members began lobbying their MPs for a ban on hunting, and many influential celebrities supported the cause. The famous actress, Yvonne Arnaud, was president from 1948 to 1951. Sympathetic newspapers like the 'Daily Express' and 'Daily Herald' published letters and helped to promote public debate.
1950s: The 1950s saw the League begin to purchase land for the purpose of providing sanctuary for wildlife, becoming one of the first organisations to see the importance of conservation.
1960s: In the 1960s the League started offering advice to landowners who were victims of trespass by the hunts. In 1960 League patron, Sir Patrick Moore, introduced an anti-hunting motion to the RSPCA's AGM. This was defeated, but a subsequent postal ballot revealed that over 80% of RSPCA members were opposed to hunting.
1967: The Reverend Lord Donald Soper became President of the League (a position he held for 30 years, until his death in 1997).
1970: Anti-hunt reformers were elected to the RSPCA Council.
1970: In May, the House of Commons voted by 203 to 70 for a Government Bill, the "Coursing Bill" to ban hare coursing. The bill died when the general election was called.
1973: The League's "Look Out For the Badger" campaign was successful in securing the Protection of Badgers Act but, due to pressure from fox hunters, landowners were still authorised to kill badgers.
1975: The House of Commons again voted to ban hare coursing - voting by 217 votes to 101 for a Government Bill. The bill did not pass the House of Lords.
1976: The RSPCA finally adopted a policy to oppose all hunting with hounds.
1978: The League helped establish legal protection for the (declining) otter population. Although it was still legal to hunt them, it became illegal to kill them. The otter hunts switched quarry species to mink so as not to miss any opportunity for "sport".
1981: Saw a strengthening of legislation for badgers with the passing of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. The facility for landowners to kill badgers was removed and penalty fines increased. However, those intent on persecuting badgers still managed to avoid conviction by claiming they were "after foxes" not badgers.
1985: After much pressure from the League and fellow wildlife protection organisations, the Wildlife and Countryside Act was amended to remove this loophole. The amendment presumed that those caught attacking badger setts were committing an offence unless they could prove otherwise. This is very unusual in English law as, usually, it is the prosecution that has to prove beyond reasonable doubt that an offence has been committed. In the same year, the League won a High Court test case establishing that Masters of Hunts should be held liable for trespass by their hounds. The League subsequently handled hundreds of hunt invasion cases.
1989: As part of its "Safe Setts" campaign, the League joined forces with the RSPCA, WWF, RSNC and NFBG to push for further protection for badgers. The previous legislation covered the actual animals, but not the setts, which were still being deliberately destroyed.
1990: After a two-year undercover investigation, the League successfully prosecuted a gang of badger baiters at Builth Wells in mid-Wales, achieving extensive media coverage.
1991: The League achieved success in 1991 with the passing of the Badger Sett (Protection) Act. League investigators captured on film the Quorn Hunt releasing a fox for further hunting - in contravention of its own ruling body's code of conduct. This led to widespread condemnation of the cruelty of fox hunting.
1992: The League's frontline monitoring of hunts continued to prove effective, with the filming of the Quantock Staghounds chasing a pregnant hind over the edge of a quarry. Labour MP Kevin McNamara proposed a Private Member's Bill making hunting with dogs illegal.
1993: The League's County Council campaign saw more than 150 local authorities vote to ban hunting from their land. Labour MP and animal welfare campaigner Tony Banks asked Parliament to pass the Fox Hunting (Abolition) Bill.
1994: League investigators recorded the Devon and Somerset Staghounds attempting to drown a stag, which they had shot but only wounded. This resulted in a five-week ban on the hunt.
1995: Labour MP John McFall proposed a Private Member's Bill banning hunting with hounds. Tony Blair announced a commitment to a free vote on the issue of hunting with dogs, with government time provided if Labour was elected. The Wild Mammals (Protection) Bill passed the second reading stage, before being defeated in the House of Lords.
1996: The League-sponsored Wild Mammals (Protection) Act was passed, finally achieving basic protection for all wild mammals, although hunting remained legitimate. Also in 1996 the League joined forces with the RSPCA and IFAW to form a coalition, the CPHA (Campaign for the Protection of Hunted Animals).
1997: In May, the Labour Party swept to power with the manifesto promise that: "We will ensure greater protection for wildlife. We have advocated new measures to promote animal welfare - including a free vote in Parliament on whether hunting with hounds should be banned."
The Forestry Commission banned deer hunting on its land and the National Trust did the same following a two-year independent scientific research study. On June 18 Michael Foster, MP for Worcester, introduced a Private Member's Bill to outlaw all hunting with dogs. On July 29, the New Forest Buckhounds announced they were disbanding and on November 28, MPs gave a massive endorsement to the Wild Mammals (Hunting with Dogs) Bill at its second reading. The historic vote was 411 in favour to 151 against.
1998: The Government confirmed it was actively looking at ways to introduce a ban on hunting with dogs. Michael Foster's Wild Mammals (Hunting with Dogs) Bill completed its Committee Stage, becoming the first anti-hunt bill to advance this far through the House of Commons, but it was blocked by pro-hunt MPs. Nevertheless, the level of support for the proposed legislation left Parliament in no doubt that hunting with dogs was a hugely unpopular activity. It prompted the first Countryside March through London.
1999: July 8: Prime Minister Tony Blair announced plans to make fox hunting illegal, before the next general election if possible.
In July Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament, Mike Watson MSP, announced his Private Member's Bill in the Scottish Parliament.
In November, the Home Secretary announced the Government's commitment to back a bill to outlaw hunting with dogs. Jack Straw MP confirmed that the Government would make time for such a bill and that work would begin following an inquiry to be completed in spring 2000. Mr Straw made it clear the inquiry was not to decide whether hunting was right or wrong (which was a matter for Parliament) but for the purpose of "facilitating the House of Commons to come to a conclusion about the matter". The League welcomed this long-awaited announcement.
2000: Mike Watson MSP introduced his bill to ban hunting in Scotland into the Scottish Parliament. The Government inquiry into hunting (the Burns Inquiry) was published. The information contained in the report gave support to the anti-hunt lobby, accepting that foxes do not die immediately as claimed by the hunting fraternity. A Government Bill to decide the fate of hunting was introduced. This was an "options" bill that gave MPs the opportunity to decide between a total hunt ban, self-regulation for hunts (i.e. the status quo) or the introduction of licensing by a separate body - the so-called "Middle Way".
2001: MPs debated the "options" Bill and voted by 2:1 for the total ban. However, the Bill effectively fell when the House of Lords voted for the self-regulation of hunting.
When the general election was called, Labour's manifesto said: "The House of Commons elected in 1997 made clear its wish to ban fox hunting. The House of Lords took a different view (and reform has been blocked). Such issues are rightly a matter for a free vote and we will give the new House of Commons an early opportunity to express its view. We will then enable Parliament to reach a conclusion on this issue. If the issue continues to be blocked we will look at how the disagreement can be resolved."
Foot and mouth disease meant that hunting had to be suspended for a year.
In June, after Labour was re-elected, the Queen's Speech pledged that there would be another opportunity for MPs to have a free vote on the hunting issue.
On September 19, the Scottish Parliament voted by 84 to 34 in favour of the principles of Mike Watson MSP's bill: i.e. to ban mounted hunting, hare coursing and fox baiting. It then went into the hostile Rural Development Committee, where a number of damaging amendments were made.
The League campaigned for these to be reversed when the bill returned to the Scottish Parliament. In December hunting resumed again after nine months' suspension due to foot and mouth, and the cruelty and havoc of the hunt were immediately obvious once again.
2002: Hunting was banned in Scotland! In February the Scottish Parliament outlawed hunting with dogs. The Countryside Alliance later took this decision to court but lost. The judge dismissed its petition as incompetent, ruling that the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act did not contravene the European Convention on Human Rights. Specifically, Lord Nimmo Smith ruled that the Act does not interfere with the private lives of the petitioners (under Article 8), that there were no infringements of the ECHR relating to the control of their possessions (under Article 1 of the First Protocol of the Convention) and that it does not discriminate against the petitioners (under Article 14). However, the hunters announced that they planned to appeal against the court's decision.
On March 17 MPs in England and Wales again chose between the three options: for hunting to remain as it was (i.e. self-regulation), for a compromise of licensed hunting (the so-called "Middle Way") or for a complete ban. Once again, the overwhelming majority voted for a complete ban. The following day the Lords again voted for hunting to continue.
A week later the Rural Affairs Minister, Alun Michael MP, announced a six-month consultation process concentrating on the principles of cruelty and utility, to be followed by the introduction of a bill to "deal with this issue effectively once and for all, and ... make good law".
The League and other animal welfare organisations were upset and angry at yet another delay by the Government, but were pleased at the Government's commitment to use the Parliament Act to stop the Lords from blocking the will of the Commons. In response to Gerald Kaufman MP the Minister said, "I am absolutely clear that if the Government introduces a bill that is amended in the House of Commons, our promise in relation to allowing the Parliament Act to obtain will apply. It would be a matter for the Commons."
In June, League members voted to amend the objects of the constitution to include baiting and the shooting of birds for sport as well as the hunting of wild animals.
In September (9-11) a series of public meetings were held by the Minister with interested parties at Portcullis House in Westminster. The League played a full part in those hearings, despite concern that they were unnecessary after the £500,000 Burns Inquiry.
In November, the Queen's Speech said, "A bill will be introduced to enable Parliament to reach a conclusion on hunting with dogs." Alun Michael MP then introduced a 'compromise' bill, which banned deer hunting and hare coursing but permitted licensed hunting of foxes, hares and mink subject to hunts passing tests of 'utility' and 'least suffering'. The League called for the Bill to be amended to a total ban, and many MPs made speeches along these lines.
2003: MPs in the standing committee scrutinised the Hunting Bill, made a number of improvements to it but decided to leave the issue of fox hunting for all MPs to vote on at the Bill's report stage. Following lobbying from the League, MPs inserted a total ban into the Bill and it was returned to the standing committee for tidying-up amendments.
Despite the League's strong objections, the standing committee inserted an exemption for some hunting with terriers into the bill. On its return to the House of Commons, the bill was heavily passed by MPs. It was then destroyed in the House of Lords.
In late 2003 Angela Smith MP, the Environment Minister for Northern Ireland, issued a 'Special' Protection Order for the Irish hare, effectively suspending hare coursing and beagling in Northern Ireland for twelve months.
2004: In Scotland, the Countryside Alliance lost its further appeal against the 2002 court decision upholding the hunting ban.
In Northern Ireland, the Countryside Alliance fought and lost a judicial review case against Angela Smith MP, and she renewed the Special Protection Order.
Following intensive campaigning, the Government fulfilled its promise to reintroduce the Hunting Bill. It passed quickly through the House of Commons, was rejected again by the House of Lords and gained Royal Assent under the Parliament Act procedure in November.
2005: Hunting with dogs and hare coursing became illegal in England and Wales on February 18.
2005: While, initially, League Against Cruel Sports monitors reported that many hunts seemed to be obeying the law, it was clear that a growing number were not, and the League presented evidence to the Police.
The League continued its other campaigns, against the cruelty in snaring and shooting, for regulation of greyhound racing and to ban hunting and coursing in Norethern Ireland.
2006: Tony Wright, huntsman with the Exmoor Foxhounds, was found guilty of illegal hunting in a private prosecution taken out by the League. The League continuted to monitor hunts, so that evidence of law breaking could be brought before the courts.
The League launched a campaign against bullfighting.
You see? They can make a difference!
Below is a link to them and a sister campaign HUNT CRIMEWATCH
http://www.league.org.uk/
http://www.huntcrimewatch.com/
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Thankyou Bine for superior artwork....... |
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 Locked: Mon Aug 27, 2007 7:20 pm by Karen |
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