Most of the people of Stourbridge consider the hunting of wild animals with packs of dogs is unnecessary and extremely cruel.

It is very easy to focus on fox hunting but the Hunting Act banned all forms of hunting with packs of dogs.

Before this type of hunting was banned, deer were being hunted to exhaustion then torn apart by large packs of dogs.

Hares were captured and then released to be chased by dogs racing to catch them in organised hare coursing events. Few hares managed to escape the jaws of these very fast dogs.

There are concerned members of the public who have emailed the Conservative candidate, Margot James, to see why she wants the Hunting act to be repealed.

They will have received a standard reply prepared by Conservative HQ which has been sent out by Tory candidates in other areas.

It goes something like this: “I would not go fox hunting but I would not stop others doing it if they wish to”.

They are unlikely to get a mention of deer hunting or hare coursing which have conveniently been forgotten.

Neither will they get a mention of the fact that provision was made by hunters to encourage foxes to breed so they could then be hunted.

So much for the idea that we would be overrun by foxes if the hunters did not hunt them down with dogs.

Are we all too worried to leave our homes in case we will meet wild foxes, deer or hares on the rampage?

So now we know that a high priority of a future Tory government will be to repeal the Hunting Act.

This is what people will be doing if they vote to elect a Tory in Stourbridge.

Only Lynda Waltho has had the courage to come out openly and say she is opposed to hunting with packs of dogs.

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