We’re having an interesting time at the Conservative Party Spring Forum in Brighton. Running today and tomorrow, it’s the final big event for the Party before the general election. We don’t have a stand at the event but we are using it as an opportunity to talk to Conservative MPs and PPCs about our campaign issues.
What’s interesting about the discussions we’ve been having so far is that whilst hunting is an issue on which there is a clear divide between the League’s position and their belief, there is a great deal of agreement between MPs and PPCs in their support for our other campaigns. The response we’re hearing on snaring, for example, is that they are barbaric traps and should be phased out. On greyhounds, they are saying that we are right to be disappointed with the government’s new regulations. We are being congratulated for turning our attention to dog fighting.
But even within the hunting issue, there is some agreement. Fox hunting is the key dividing issue, but a repeal of the Hunting Act would bring back hare hunting and coursing, and stag hunting too. It’s very evident that that’s the elephant in the room. Very few Conservatives we’ve been speaking to – even those who back repeal of fox hunting – are keen on the idea of repealing hare coursing and stag hunting.
The challenge for us is in persuading Conservative PPCs that public opinion is not on their side on this issue, and we’ll be back in there tomorrow doing just that.
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League Against Cruel Sports 
saynototories said,
February 27, 2010 @ 5:58 pm
Just to set the record straight.There is NO Tory policy pledge to ban snares or even a murmur of it, the Tory environment spokesman is a former offical in the bloodsports lobby which knows full well that the Tories will never ban snares should they take power. The current Chief Exec of the Countryside Alliance is not standing for Parliament for the Tories to see snares banned or to allow stag hunting and hare coursing to stay illegal. He knows full well what he is going to get delivered should his idol Cameron win.
As for their animal welfare record, the Conservative so-called animal welfare group supports hunting with dogs and their oddly named spokesman for animal welfare supports wild animals in circuses and as well as hunting.