The Brexit War is over and Jolyon Maugham has been totally defeated. His crowdfundng lawfare was relentless and, ironically, without him we would almost certainly have had a soggy soft Brexit. Brexiteers, in the end, owed much of their parliamentary success to his ill thought out tactics.
This morning is the anniversary of the death of another victim of Jolyon’s ill thought out tactics – the unknown fox. Lest we forget…
In possibly peak Tory wonk watch news, Guido learns that the distinguished journalist and Thatcher biographer Charles Moore is to join the Countryside Alliance’s new top team following a comprehensive reshuffle of the lobby group’s board. The Alliance describe soon-to-be Lord Moore as a “Keen hunting man and a staunch defender of the rights and beliefs of rural people and communities”. Two new jobs for Moore in a month, he’s on his way to beating Osborne’s record at this rate…
He is to be joined on the new board with Lord Daresbury – Master of the Hunt for 29 seasons – and Chris Horne – the managing director for shoot selling day website GunsOnPegs. Alliance Chairman Nick Herbert sais: “I am delighted that we have been able to attract such high-quality individuals to join our Board. Their experience and insight will be hugely valuable to the Alliance’s work for the countryside”. The 2019 Tory Manifesto famously avoided Theresa May’s fox hunting faux pas – will this new team be able to secure yet another u-turn from this government?
Hunt’s fox hunt stunt has not exactly gone to plan in the, er, hunt for Number 10. After desperate attempts to quell the row by releasing the transcript and late-night efforts to change the Telegraph headline, Hunt was like a fox on the run as he repeatedly performed screeching U-turns on the Today Programme. Hunt now says he was “just giving a straight answer to a straight question but the law is not going to change.” Which isn’t quite a straight-up reflection of what he said last night…
Hunt tries to escape questions about whether he personally thinks it’s cruel with the line that “my view is a matter of public record”, it’s not enough to save him from a hounding by the presenter. He repeatedly insists “this is not something I will seek to change as Prime Minister”, despite having told the Telegraph that he would hold a vote if a majority existed in Parliament for it and vote in favour of repealing it – and that it would even be part of his next general election manifesto. First abortion and now this, Hunt says he thinks the laws are wrong but doesn’t want to change them. Which makes you wonder why he even wants to lead…
“My own view hasn’t changed but as Prime Minister my job isn’t just about what I think about something, it’s actually about looking at what the view of the country is” – @theresa_may on fox-hunting #marr pic.twitter.com/lT4DiOLlsG
— The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) January 7, 2018
Tim Farron has his beliefs and he seems willing to compromise them for political gain. Guido has mixed views about this, it seems regrettable that his faith-based views are deemed so politically unacceptable in “progressive” circles that he must deny or obfuscate them. Farron should come out of the closet and say what he really believes about homosexuality and abortion instead of cowering, afraid of losing votes. On the other hand they are a matter of faith and it is verging on religious persecution to shame him for holding faith-based minority views. Farron seems to change his position according to the latest polling…
Fox hunting is a minority pursuit and in progressive metropolitan circles support for it is a thought-crime, in fact they managed to actually criminalise it under Tony Blair. When the issue was more electorally balanced before the 2010 Lib-Con coalition, the LibDems’ Shadow DEFRA Secretary representing a rural constituency, said “I would vote to repeal the ban. It damages animal welfare and is impractical to enforce. My personal view is that it hasn’t worked and I would vote to repeal it and replace it with broader animal welfare and licensing safeguards.” So Tim Farron, do you still support the repeal of the ban on fox hunting?
UPDATE: Farron answers Guido’s question: “I am against what Theresa May is proposing, I am against the straight repeal of this legislation. Hunting divides rural communities and creates division”. Another u-turn on a “personal view”…
Government withdraws tomorrow's vote to amend the #fox #hunting bill
— Sky News Breaking (@SkyNewsBreak) July 14, 2015
The government have shelved tomorrow’s vote after the SNP, to quote Angus Robertson, “remind[ed] an arrogant UK government of just how slender their majority is”. Usual tail…
