WE are now well into the 1998 foxhunting season. Over the coming months some 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. We will inevitably also see the accompanying annual catalogue of killed or mutilated pets, damaged property, road and rail accidents. 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. Just days before the 1997 General Election, Tony Blair promised that 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 Members 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.

The Government made trust a key election issue. They also promised to modernise the democratic system. In reality 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, but we need the help of your readers. Initially, I would ask any reader who agrees with our campaign to write two letters -- one to Tony Blair of Downing Street, reminding him of his promise, the other to us at PO Box 66, Stevenage, Herts, SG1 2TR, asking for our free campaign pack, petitions and merchandise brochure.

Niel Hansen

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.