The Countryside Alliance was set up by pro-hunting chinless wonders. The real purpose of it is to retain the right for people to gain enjoyment from killing and maiming animals. It then cleverly embraced a whole host of other (entirely genuine) countryside issues to increase its support. This is not why the countryside alliance exists - it exists to keep fox hunting legal. Fox hunting is a cruel blood sport. It is not, despite what is claimed, about reducing the fox population. The pro lobby say things like 'Ah, but poison is cruel - they die in agony,' and 'shooting doesn't always kill them straight off', our way is best. But, if there was a moment's truth in this, fox hunting would be carried out by ordinary people for minimal wages without pomp and ceremony. You don't see ceremony around Rent-o-kill, do you? It's not about reducing the fox population. It's carried out by packs of marauding toffs, wearing hugely expensive uniforms. Why the champagne? Because it's entertainment for them. The argument breaks down in the face of this. They claim the right to hunt is enshrined in history? Yeah, well so's witch ducking, pal!