Living in London

Now here’s a British topic . . . and a controversial one.

According to this article in the Jan 24/31, 2005 issue of The New Yorker, fox hunting is the second most divisive issue in British politics today, and only a slight second to the war in Iraq. Here are some fascinating facts:

• 407,000 people participated in one particularly large demonstration in favor of hunting
• 240 fox and stag hunts are held in the British Isles each year
• 70,000 people ride in these annual events
• To participate you need two trained horses, a place to stable them, a groom, and all the feed, vets, blacksmiths, insurance, boots and clothes, and a subscription to the hunt itself – £1,500 per horse
• More than a million people annually “follow” the hunt, that is, they follow it on foot, or in Land Rovers, or on quad bikes
• The House of Lords (those with a peerage, aka a title of baron bestowed by the Queen) support the right to fox hunt
• The House of Commons (the elected folks, the bulk of whom are from the Labour party – traditionally the trade union types) generally are against it. (More on these two Houses soon.)

As liberal Americans, you can guess where we stand on this issue, as well as our challenge in understanding the class distinctions and cultural issues that have led to the uproar.