By Jonathan Diebold
Fox hunting: the quintessential activity of the English aristocracy. Grab your red coat, saddle your horse, assemble the hounds, and watch them rip a defenseless animal to shreds – a fox, or maybe just whatever family pet gets in their way. Tally ho!
The pastime of torturing small animals to death – beloved of foxhunters and nascent serial killers alike – is now considered uncouth, and fox hunting has been banned in the UK, where it originated, since 2004. But don’t fret – it’s alive and well in the colonies, including right here in good old Ireland, north and south, where the practice was introduced under British colonialism. This makes the island one of the few places in the world where the practice continues unimpeded.
Indeed, fox hunting has found unlikely defenders in the form of Irish nationalist party Sinn Féin, which, in an unprecedented move, recently opposed even having a discussion on the issue in the Dáil when Socialist Party TD Ruth Coppinger proposed a ban. They joined Independent Ireland and Aontú, as well as independent TDs Danny Healy Rae (who, along with Independent Ireland’s Michael Collins, called the vote), Carol Nolan, Mattie McGrath and Brian Stanley – in a move which has been branded across the board as undemocratic.
Anti-democratic manoeuvring
Ruth moved her bill at first stage last Tuesday – essentially putting the legislation on the agenda of the Dáil to discuss at some point in the future. Usually, the first stage of a bill passes without remark, being only a procedural step, with the actual debate and vote on a bill happening at second stage. When in the past Ruth had moved seemingly more controversial legislation, calling for the repeal of the ban on abortion under the 8th amendment for example, no one called a vote at first stage. The same has gone for any other TD. But this time, a vote was called by Government TD Danny Healy-Rae and Independent Ireland TD Michael Collins.
While all indications point to the Government being opposed to a ban on fox hunting, they voted to allow it to pass the first stage. After all, they allow virtually everything to pass the first stage, even if they oppose it at the second stage – it suits them to be seen to at least allow debate on opposition proposals. However, Sinn Féin chose to join forces with the small number of right-wing TDs voting against allowing Ruth Coppinger to use her own Dáil time to have a debate on the subject.
The disgraceful support of Sinn Féin for this cruel and unnecessary practice is perhaps no surprise – its colonial origins aside. Sinn Féin also supports cruel practices like hare coursing. But this, alongside their support for attacks on trans rights in the north and their bending to racist ideas in terms of migration and other issues, puts them further in the reactionary rather than progressive side of the Irish political divide.
Overwhelming Opposition
According to a Red C poll, 77% in Ireland were opposed to the practice of fox hunting, with the number virtually unchanged between urban or rural dwellers. Many farmers, whose fields are trampled by trespassing hunts, oppose it. Fox hunting is a purely recreational practice which plays no role in controlling the number of foxes in Ireland. How could it, when the number of fox hunts per year numbers in the dozens (each only killing a handful of foxes, if they’re successful at all), while the number of foxes numbers in the hundreds of thousands? Rather, it exists purely for the entertainment of those who get some sort of joy from watching a defenceless animal be ripped limb from limb by a pack of dogs.
Ruth Coppinger, speaking on the issue, told the Dáil: “The fox is a mammal native to Ireland and is part of Ireland’s biodiversity. Fox hunting is of no benefit to anybody. Foxes are the last wild dog in Ireland and they should be protected. We need to put it up to TDs to stand up and do that. According to experts, foxes should live to the age of ten but many only live to the age of two. We should be protecting foxes from hunting which is only one of the threats to them. Many arguments are put up about fox hunting and they are spurious. For example, it is said that we need to keep down the fox population. When fox hunting was banned in Britain, it had no impact on the fox population. The number of foxes did not suddenly increase at all so it is a spurious argument.”
While the proposal to ban the archaic and brutal practice was met with outrage in the Dáil, the matter fell far differently on the ears of ordinary people, with TDs’ inboxes flooding with thousands of emails in support of Ruth’s bill. Campaigners from numerous groups which have called for a ban for many years stood in front of the Dáil in support of this bill. The pressure on TDs around this issue will only deepen in the months ahead. TDs and parties which are opposed to this ban, government and opposition alike, would do well to heed the overwhelming opposition in Irish society to such bloodsports.
