Shoota...I accept most of what you say, but perhaps other places are not as enlightened as Britain has become ?
In Italy and on Malta, for instance, 100,000's of small song birds are slaughtered every year in the name of sport. I am not sure how many thrushes or robins it would take to make a pie, but I am sure that it isn't necessary to kill these birds in order that a few people can eat. In Spain, bulls are still tormented and tortured to death every year for only one reason...so people can watch and enjoy.
So comparisons with other countries is perhaps not so wise, when it comes to defending our fox hunters.
And my fears for other arcane blood sports returning on the back of fox hunting is still unanswered. Would you welcome a return to Otter Hunting and Hare Coursing ?
I still maintain that when foxes need to be controlled, hunting just isn't an efficient way to proceed. If people want to dress up and go riding horses over our countryside, why can't they do that without killing things on the way ?
I regularly go into the countryside and enjoy it, by walking in the Brecon Beacons, enjoying a Pub lunch, taking photos, bird-watching etc, but I am unaware of causing death to the local fauna when so doing. Why does the "countryside alliance" need to kill things in order to have fun ?