1976_Child

Well if you pay that sort of dosh then why shouldn't he celebrate if they score? But bearing in mind that those seats are only separated by a metal railing from the cheap seats it would be courteous on his part if his celebration was to be some what muted. As for not wearing colours, does this apply to scarfs too?

I wish I could too, but I never know how long one can keep different kinds of meat in the freezer so I tend to buy as and when needed from the local butcher.

??????????

Like I said above. Btw, if you believe that all hunting is about is 'having a laff' then I guess there is no point trying to educate you otherwise. There is a lot more to hunting. I don't doubt for a minute that some ***ts from the city go hunting just to engage in a bit of social climbing, and frankly a lot of smaller less 'prestigious' hunts frown on the money-making hunts (where it can cost many thousands to join). This whole debate, I'm afraid, always degenerates into ignorant (but maybe well meaning) people slagging off other people. And on that note I am going to go and cook some lovely organic beef stew. Have a Happy Christmas everyone.

Really? Who says? Not having a care in the world where one's food comes from, just so long as it is dirt cheap and plentiful is terrible. Having a 'laff' while down the KFC is no different to deriving pleasure from hunting vermin which ruin one's livelihood.

Hunting is not just about chasing things on a horse. It is about keeping fox numbers down. Nothing remotely hypocritical about those two sentences. And btw, hunting on horse back is not the only way to hunt.

No. Hunting is not only done on a horse. Please see my post just above yours and answer me the questions vis-a-vis meat used in human food. Some people thing those who like to ban others from doing things that they dislike are psychologically suspect, and almost certainly hypocrites. Give me a vegan who wears no leather or in any other way uses animals for their own ends (and there are some who strive to live their life in this manner) and I will respect them enormously. The majority of Britons who were emotionally against hunting stuff their faces with food produced in the most inhumane manner, in a manner which most hunters would be physically sick to see. But hey, just so long as the killing is done away from people's sensitivities then we can all pretend we are Holier Than Thou!

Do you eat meat? Where do you buy it from? Do you enjoy eating meat? Do you derive pleasure from a nice meaty meal? If so, you are a total hypocrite. Just because you didn't slaughter the animal yourself doesn't mean you are not benefiting and gaining pleasure from its death.

Simply wrong. And hunting is not just about chasing things on a horse. It is actually about keeping fox numbers under control. I'd like to have seen Blair try and ban the most popular past-time in the country - angling. More than 5,000,000 people partake in angling, some more frequently than others for sure but that is a lot of people to p!ss off. Of course, Blair wasn't about to try and ban a 'cruel' sport such as angling, where fishy wishy gets hooked on a sharp barb, hoiked out of the water measured, photographed and chucked back in again.... only to be hooked again at a later date. And you know why Blair wouldn't have dared? Because the vast majority of anglers are working class. No perceived class warfare there. Tell me, are you against pheasant shoots too? Seeing as you have said that you do eat meat and poultry I darn well hope you aren't against it or your are very hypocritical! The pheasants are raised, sure, but are as free-ranged as it gets. If I was a poultry I would much rather be a pheasant and have a natural life and take my chances with the guns than be forced fed in a mega-barn alongside 10,000 other birds with no room to move at all. Yet as soon as the 'antis' succeeded in getting the hunting ban done and dusted they immediately started lobbying for a ban on shooting too. No doubt most of them also want the cheapest meat possible and still wear leather (which is a profitable by-product of the beef industry. No intensely reared cows, no leather for the masses.) Hypocrisy stinks. On that note, Merry Christmas!

I agree! On the issue of hunting no one can possibly call me a moron (although admittedly following the beagles is more my cuppa. And our beagles are so feking inbred they have had almost all their 'nose' corrupted and hence very rarely give Hare a scare) The 'antis' though, do not know much about hunting. All they see is the class war (never mind that most of them are posh middle-class townies from the home counties just going through a rebellious phase). Btw. although it is illegal to get a bunch of beagles to chase down a hare, it is not illegal if their quarry is a common garden wabbit. Cracking legislation is that! (because the muppets who drafted it knew that wabbits wearly are wermin and plenty of doggies belonging to the Islington set will chase wabbits as well)

Hunting is the just one cost-effective way to control the pest. No responsible hunt will ever 'dispose' of hounds (they're not dogs) in a 'barbaric' way. And you tell me how many pet dogs are destroyed because they are not wanted? Thousands. Hounds are not pets. They are working animals. I will not tell you that 'country folk' have a divine right to do anything. But then nor do antis have a divine right to trespass on other people's land, cause mayhem and endanger horse and rider alike. Hunting is no more 'barbaric' (an opinion) than keeping thousands upon thousands of chickens/cows/pigs in revolting mega-farms just so people can have their KFC burgers as cheap as possible. And you lost the argument the moment you resorted to ad hominem attacks such as referring to those who hunt as 'morons'. Tell you what, why don't you and your anti friends go and turn your attention to the aforementioned mega-farms if you are so concerned about animal welfare. Good luck convincing any politician to put a bill before parliament outlawing them. The only reason hunting was banned was because Blair needed to dangle some red meat in front of the militant wing of the labour party. He himself was on record as saying that if he could have avoided it he would have. It was legislation based purely on the pent up hatred of a tiny subset of people after 18 years of Tory rule who wanted nothing better than to stick one to the Toffs, even though as I have pointed out most people working in hunting were not in a million years Toffs. Intolerance. That was all it was. And p!ss poor legislation to boot.

exactly. reminds me of all the ranting and raving Richard Dawkins does about religion; what's the point, if its not for him just don't participate.

Except it isn't only toffs who hunt. And it isn't toffs who work in the stables. Nor is it toffs who are whippers-in nor a myriad of other jobs and positions associated with hunting. Of course, I am sure there are plenty of positions opening for vermin shooters. Still perfectly legal - and encouraged - to trap the Fluffy Lickle Foxy Woxy in a tiny cage, sometimes for 48 hours or more before the licensed exterminator sticks his shotgun in and blasts the verminous beast to smithereens. By the way, do you wear leather? Eat chickens? Or are you whiter than white? Probably you are just like all the other 'antis' who just like creating class-war where none exists. The vast, vast majority of country folk associated with hunting have not a drop of 'blue blood' between them. And a lot of the land owners are tenant farmers who want the bloody vermin chased off their land.

correct, but ride out is used by so many people that is works just the same.

please stop hi-jacking my thread! I am seriously looking to get to the game.

Oi, that's pretty close to being a hate crime! And anyway, I ain't looking to 'bum' a ride, I offered to pay for the petrol.

I like the restaurant on the corner at the end of Oxford Street. Dunno what it is called. Dunno if they do take aways. But the grub is good.

Anyone? I'll sit quietly in the back and mind my manners. And I'll even chip in for the petrol.

Get Steve to pay for a hackney carriage.

Dune, honey, do you actually ride out? Or follow?

Pointless

If the football players, referees, stewards, pint-n-pie sales people and that over-sized bear/lion/dog mascot thing have to work on Boxing day then so should the feking train people.

Just don't drink anything if you are driving. Safest policy. And if you have a right bender the night before then don't drive for at least 24 hours after.

are you sure you really want to give out your number to the entire world? I would delete this if I was you

There shouldn't be an