Commons hunt campaigner speaks out (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Commons hunt campaigner speaks out

WHEN a group of pro-hunt supporters burst in on MPs in the House of Commons as they argued a ban on fox-hunting, it was the most serious breach of security at Westminster for over 350 years.

The group included Beaufort Hunt member Luke Tomlinson who this week broke his silence over the chain of events and spoke exclusively to the 'Standard'.

The 'Standard' met up with 27-year-old Luke Tomlinson at his family home near Tetbury on Saturday, ten days after the pro-hunt protesters confronted MPs in the Houses of Parliament.

Luke, who has now left for Argentina where he plays polo during the winter months, said he had been overwhelmed by the support he had been shown following his audacious exploits which brought equal measures of criticism and praise.

"The support I've received has been amazing," said Luke. "I've had letters from all over the country, even from people who've got nothing to do with hunting but who just recognise the injustice of a ban."

The passionate hunt supporter has no regrets about his controversial actions, which exposed parliament security as ludicrously out-of-date, although it has cost him a lot of time and money.

He said: "There were a lot of ideas flying around about how to express ourselves.

"A couple of us were mates and the others were mates of mates, but it was all very last minute because the bill was announced at such short notice.

"I can't remember exactly what I said when we managed to get in, but it was something along the lines of: "This is a peaceful protest - you've mucked up in Iraq and now you're mucking up the countryside.""

Luke's office was raided while he was in police custody and important personal and business notes from the last six months were taken.

"My mobile was also taken when I was arrested," he said. "It had all my contacts and diary planner in it, which was a massive inconvenience - and I still haven't got it back."

However, spending 33 hours in police custody was apparently not too daunting.

He added: "It was fine, very comfortable - I managed to catch up on some sleep actually.

"We might be charged with violence, causing disorder and using a forged document, but that document was a photocopy of a photocopy and I didn't even use it - it was just in my pocket."

Despite the protests on September 15 both inside and outside the Commons, MPs voted overwhelmingly to ban fox-hunting. Even if the House of Lords throws out the bill when it goes before it, the Government intends to invoke the Parliament Act to force the new law through.

Luke added: "The bill will be forced through a system that has been there since the first prime ministers, set up by the elected people. It would undermine democracy.

"I think 60 per cent of the population are tired of hearing about fox-hunting, and the other 40 per cent are split half and half.

"But it's interesting when you go to countryside rallies how many people turn up in comparison to the amount if people who disrupt hunts - and they're usually paid to be there anyway."

Luke, who was educated at Eton College and is a childhood friend of princes William and Harry, believes there's a gulf between the perception of hunting and the reality.

He said: "Polo is a sport for rich people - I can't deny it. But with hunting a cross-section of society takes part.

"There's the image of the red coats and the huntsmen all dressed up, but it's just practical clothing - and even around here, where the princes hunt, there are a lot of people who go out on foot to follow the hunt who get an enormous amount of enjoyment out of it.

"The ban will be impossible to police anyway. Some people feel so strongly that they have the right to hunt they will carry on doing it regardless.

"If I'm out walking with eight mates and our dogs run off after a fox, we'll have to run off after them to try and get them back - how is that going to be policed?"

Opponents to the ban believe it will cost police an estimated £30 million to enforce the new law when it comes into force.

Luke added: "There are so many more important issues at the moment, like where technology is taking us, the war in Iraq and global pollution.

"There's destruction we can't reverse - it's the long-term decisions that are important. This is just the issue of the moment."

Luke says he is tired of having conversations with people who oppose hunting but have never actually experienced the sport.

Asked whether he thinks a fox has rights, he said: "It depends what you mean by rights.

"I think people personify animals and treat them like humans, but they're not the same.

"I'm all for treating animals well, but they don't have the same levels of communication.

"Of course, I'd hate it if I saw someone being cruel to an animal unnecessarily, but hunting is a very natural experience.

"It's not about having a lust for killing. I've hunted since I was eight and for me it's about seeing the countryside, riding horses everyday and getting better at riding everyday.

"I love finding my way around the countryside and watching the hounds work in a natural state - but very rarely do you actually see the hounds and fox together in one field of vision."

Of course, many people see drag hunting as a more humane substitute for fox-hunting.

Luke said: "People who go drag hunting do it purely to ride and jump fences. But it's not a complete substitute because you're not watching hounds in a natural state.

"With hunting it's not always a good day - you might have a good day at the office or a bad day at the office.

"It depends on lots of factors, like the weather and the abilities of the hounds.

"It's like watching a nature programme, a snake creep up on a squirrel, hunter and the hunted.

"We don't interfere with the work of the hounds - the hunt itself is usually about two minutes behind, and the huntsmen aren't supposed to turn a fox back into the hounds - so it has a good chance of getting away.

"I've rarely seen a fox actually killed, but they are killed very quickly, and I know if I had a choice on how I was going to die I'd want to die quickly."