Posted on 09/22/2002 8:40:35 AM PDT by madfly
Damaging rifts within the rural lobby threaten to overshadow today's countryside march, which has been billed as the biggest civil liberties protest ever seen in Britain.
On the eve of the march, which is forecast to draw more than 300,000 protesters into London, a coalition of high-profile countryside groups claimed the event had been hijacked by the pro-hunting fraternity.
Conservation groups, rural poverty organisations and countryside workers - representing almost 1.4 million members, including the Council for the Protection of Rural England and the National Federation of Women's Institutes - voiced their frustration.
Their concerns were backed by the Transport & General Workers Union, the world's largest animal welfare charity and a number of environmental groups. They warned that erosion of rural public services and the crisis facing agriculture were far more important than issues surrounding fox-hunting.
The level of opposition to the march was underlined by the Government, which has refused to send a Minister to the march because of the hunting issue.
Ewen Cameron, Blair's rural advocate, agreed that the row over fox-hunting was obscuring the real issues and urged the march organisers, the Countryside Alliance, to ensure the debate over rural issues was broadened.
The chairman of the Government's rural watchdog, the Countryside Agency, told The Observer: 'I hope that the pro-hunting lobby that is driving the Countryside Alliance at the moment does not give up on other issues.'
The alliance dismissed the criticism, arguing its support of hunting had never been a secret and stressed that it was championing a range of issues.
A spokesman added that 225,337 people had signed up to the event. Organisers have also received 68,000 signatures from those 'marching in spirit', people who support the event but cannot attend.
More than 2,500 coaches and 31 special trains will converge on central London, as motoring organisations warn the influx could trigger a major exodus of Londoners.
The level of anger of many rural groups towards the event has taken observers by surprise. The TGWU, which has 900,000 members and represents more rural workers than other unions, was deeply critical of the alliance. 'Many of those in the countryside reject the claims by those in the alliance who claim to speak for rural communities,' said a spokesman.
Nick Schoon, spokesman for the CPRE, which has 48,000 members, said the organisers had 'alienated' many members over its stance on hunting.
The National Federation of Women's Institutes - with 240,000 members - refused to endorse a march that supported bloodsports and said they were more pressing matters at stake. 'There are bigger issues such as farm-gate prices, house prices and loss of services such as the post office,' said spokeswoman Melanie Taylor.
More than 1,600 police and a similar number of volunteer stewards will be on duty to qualm any threat of violence, with 'several thousand' on hand should trouble flare.
Police are taking the threat of civil disobedience seriously, with reports suggesting a group of hardcore protesters are bent on violence.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002
Sounds like England's having a little Sawgrass Rebellion of its own! Their elitists have effectively dictated their 'city-bred' policies for a while there & I guess the rural folk are tired of it!
The beginning stages of spontaneous collapse of rule by parasitical elite politicians, bureaucrats and academia.
This typical Red Guardian headline reminds me of the New York Times headline spoof: World to End Tomorrow, Women and Minorities to Suffer the Most.
I guess they were more interested in slagging the hunters than exploring the reasons why this march is so much larger than those put on by their own favorite radical leftist groups.
-ccm
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