Ending years of bitter argument, Britain finally banned the centuries-old pursuit of fox hunting on Thursday —— but only after a last-minute attempt by the government to delay its demise until after the next election.Pro-hunt activists, lead by the Countryside Alliance, have challenged in the London High Court the use of a law that enabled the ban to be passed despite opposition from the House of Lords.Prime Minister Tony Blair, worried that banning the pastime now would hurt his campaign for a third term in power in an election expected next year, tried to put off the day on which hunters with hounds would no longer be able to chase and kill the fox.But, in extraordinary scenes in Parliament, he was defied by both Lower House politicians, many of them Labour MPs, and the House of Lords. The ancient pursuit has long inflamed passions across the country, opponents denouncing it as a barbaric sport while supporters argue it is an essential element of country life, providing employment for thousands. The elected House of Commons has consistently voted for a complete ban while the unelected Lords have demanded that some hunting be allowed to continue in England and Wales. Scotland has already ended fox hunting.In a frantic session of parliamentary ‘‘ping pong’’ on the last day of the current session of Parliament, the Lords then insisted defiantly that some hunting be allowed to continue indefinitely.The stalemate forced Speaker Michael Martin, the Commons’ convenor, to wield the rarely used Parliament Act, a legislative device to ensure the will of the elected chamber prevails. Unless the government introduces further legislation, the Bill will become law in its original form, which called for a ban in three months. —Reuters
