Voting a weapon in hunting battle

12 February 1999

Voting a weapon in hunting battle

VOTING has become a weapon deployed by the government in political battles like the debate over hunting, reports The Guardian.

The paper says the peoples right to choose has recently been discovered as a means of getting anxious ministers off the hook.

Labour MPs are discussing whether fox-hunting should be put to local ballots in places such as Devon, Kent and Wiltshire.

Voters would be asked county by county whether they wanted to opt out of a universal ban on hunting or opt in and ban the activity in their areas.

• The Guardian 12/02/99 page 21