Thursday, September 09, 2004
Intimations of a violent future
The reported comments of Lembit Opik in today's Western Mail are a disgrace and he should withdraw them. Although Lembit condemns violence and illegal acts his warning that civil unrest and even targeted violence will follow a ban on hunting with hounds effectively amounts to an explicit threat on behalf of the fox-killers. It is not a position that any responsible politician should take.
I personally do not believe that 'young men would resort to violence if "the only way of life they know" is criminalised while others would risk imprisonment or heavy fines to defy the ban', but in saying that he believes that such a thing could happen, Lembit has got off the fence and effectively issued a call to arms. He is not speaking on behalf of the Welsh Liberal Democrats or me on this issue.
I personally do not believe that 'young men would resort to violence if "the only way of life they know" is criminalised while others would risk imprisonment or heavy fines to defy the ban', but in saying that he believes that such a thing could happen, Lembit has got off the fence and effectively issued a call to arms. He is not speaking on behalf of the Welsh Liberal Democrats or me on this issue.
