A nation divided?

So here we are, a nation divided once more over one issue: the right of Hooray Henrys to hunt foxes to the point of exhaustion and have them torn apart by beagles. We're all talking about it, right? Of course we are. Personally, considering the way we treat animals in general, I can't get that worked up about the issue one way or another. I always considered the best reason for banning it was simply to irritate the people who are so keen to do it in the first place. Anything that winds this lot up has got to be good for the country in my opinion.

An interesting take on the subject here by Andrew Sullivan, arguing that this is Blair's authoritarian streak coming through (although Tone didn't actually vote) and likens it to the gun control issue in the US. Hmmm, the abolition of a cruel and unneccessary rural pastime and the idea that maybe it's not a good idea to let an entire nation bear arms. Yeah, that's the same thing isn't it? "But I sure do respect the fundamental notion that, as a general rule, the government shouldn't be telling people what they can and cannot own, and what they can and cannot do in their spare time."

Anyway, this isn't authoritarianism, it's just an overdue abolition of a ridiculous British tradition that deserves to die. It'll be impossible to enforce anyway, and will be another drain on already depleted police resources. And that should be the real issue: aren't there far more important things to be worried about right now?