Tag: hunting

Cheerio Wilko; Wiltshire’s PCC is Shown the Door!

The only good to have come from Wiltshire having a Police Crime Commissioner was proof The Conservatives used their power to reward their elite bum chums and family with overpaid, high power and often completely unnecessary penpushing jobs….

A Devizes Conservative town councillor once told me if I “get the chance to interview Philip (Wilkinson) you should take it. He is a good man and has huge respect for Mike (Rees) and sympathy that he has had to refinance due to the previous election.”

I never had the chance, neither did I want the chance or chase it up, worrying it wouldn’t end well. I did once chat online with the predecessor candidate, Jonathan Seed, and that was enough talking to selfish entitled Tories for one lifetime.

Seedy revealed, “nobody has wanted to talk about hunting other than trolls online.” This opened a closet of unfortunate skeletons for him, which began with the speculation as a convicted illegal huntsmaster he only wanted the position to encourage police to turn a blind eye to hunting, and ended with the national press unearthing lots of other unpleasant facts about his past, such as his drink driving offences.

The fact that despite the controversy he still won the election was proof at the time that if you put a blue rosette on Satan’s pet pig they’d have won. His post-election disqualification caused the Wiltshire taxpayers four million pounds for a re-election, yet still didn’t upset the blind Tory voters; second time unlucky, his Conservative assessor Phillip Wilkinson won too. This was my reasoning, alongside the cascade of national scandals like Partygate, for not wishing to platform another Conservative. I believe and stand by my thought that it’s justifiable on those terms.

The fact others drew Phillip into question on his thoughts around hunting, and despite not admittedly hunting himself, he supported hunting, attended hunt balls, and set about unfairly lambasting anti-hunt organisations caused not only the brushing under the carpet of allegations police officers were turning a blind eye to hunter’s violent attacks on protesters at the Boxing Day hunt in Lacock, and furthermore, other officers proved to be active members of hunt organisations, but also reasoning for my suspicions he was not the “good man” the councillor suggested he was. Entitled, yes, good, I’m afraid not.

“Philip should have been the candidate last time and wasn’t, it’s a mistake but it can’t be changed. We have to move on and make sure people get a fair choice,” reckoned the Councillor who banned anyone merely uttering the name Mike Rees, the independent candidate for the PCC, on the Facebook group he admins. Though, Mike suffered much further from the propaganda machine, excluding him from volunteering to administer lateral flow Covid tests because it was believed to be political point-scoring, when Mike runs a boxing club to engage youths, a charity for children with cancer, and while Seedy was throwing out campaign leaflets funded by the Conservative Party, Mike was delivering food packages for homeless charity Devizes OpenDoors.

Hum, we do not “have” to move on at all in my opinion. The Councillor might’ve wished to, so these suspicious affairs could be archived into a filing cabinet in a dark backroom, bulging with other inconsistencies and matters of outrageous behaviour from the circus of thieves he backs. Rather we should rather dwell on the notion that it cost us four million quid, only for the end result being not so far from the original outcome, and now it’s to be scrapped anyway. What a terrible misuse of public spending.

An ex-military man, Phillip Wilkinson’s entire aptitude and ethos was unsuitably hostile for a civil role which surely requires creating a bond between police and the public, and initialising trust in the force with the public. His reactionary replies to criticism on his Facebook page led him to lie about other candidates, silence the critics, claim absurd notions as facts, such as the time he stated unemployment was a choice, and at one point he even boasted about shooting people; the latter, while in the official line of duty, still isn’t a good look for the civil service.

False!

His angle on the PCC role was to marginalise us, attack groups he took a personal dislike to, and militarise the force; noted as failures by the communities he was supposed to have served. Mike’s vision for the role was hands-on, telling me, “If you’ve got a demoralised police force, it doesn’t matter what policies and procedures people are coming up with, nothing’s going to work. You’ve got to sort your workforce out first, and get them to follow you, be inspired by you.”

Liberal Democrat candidate Liz Webster said Mike was “going for the wrong job!” And if Phillip’s interpretation of the role matched the job description, it was a political position rather than being active in the police, she was perhaps right. Philip served to be an overpaid government puppet, rock up to formal occasions, state the obvious, ramble on about how something had to be done about an issue, and retired to the kind of salary officers like PC Nicola Crabbe, who disarmed a knife-wielding attacker and dived into the canal to rescue a person in distress, could only imagine. A medal of bravery doesn’t put caviar on the table, Wilko!

Talking many times to Mike, I couldn’t imagine sympathy was what he wanted or needed. In fact he was adamant the PCC role was not needed and their salary could be better spent elsewhere in the force. Something the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has realised, and motioned to scrap the position, freeing up an extra £20m to fund front-line policing. If we had a government which knew the difference between a protester and a terrorist, I might have faith the money would be distributed to the appropriate channels. Finger’s crossed.

But Phillip went bleating to Tory-biased BBC Wiltshire, crying, “It’s going to mean a less effective, less efficient and more politicised police force.” If his paradoxical belief taking away a political role in the police force would somehow politicise it isn’t proof he was clutching at straws, there’s a taste of irony in his consistent splatters about how much he required a higher budget to police Wiltshire, when Rees contradicted this with the notion it’s not about what’s budgeted but how it is spent. And unnecessarily spending a whooping chunk of it for a bloke to wander around the county like royalty, idly vowing to solve this problem or that, surely would have the opposite effect?!

Much ado about nothing. So, cheerio Wilko.

It’s no great revelation that his bygone strategies failed in the past, ergo, held no clout nowadays either. Seeking to punish individual drug dealers, for example, only leaves a gap in their turf another will step into, and isn’t really solving the bigger issue of getting drugs off our streets. We could debate if more radical moves need taking, but he was too stuck in the mud to ever take heed. Wilko was out of touch, whereas officers are on our streets witnessing and dealing with crime, and their opinions should count.

His attacks on youths tarnished them with the same brush, when that simply isn’t true, is counterproductive, and matches the troubles we were victimised for when we were younger. Then, hypocritically, he grabbed a photo opportunity last week at the newly opened Devizes Area Youth Lounge, where he immediately accentuated youth crime, suggesting anti-social behaviour was done only by youths and this would prevent them “hanging around the streets and getting into trouble.” Far from the actual notion the centre was created to give all youths a space to socialise for the sake of their wellbeing and mental health.

With polarised views from people like him at the top of the hierarchy, at a time of financial instability and hyperinflation, conveniently caused by the party he backs, rebellious attitudes and crime will surely only worsen, by people of any age.

Youth programs will attract only those who wish to pursue them, and they tend not to be those troublemakers he cited. You cannot stop them, but you can reduce the peer-pressure and turn their petty crimes away from being a spectator sport, by providing safe spaces for those affected by them. Youths are not only the criminals but more often than not the victims of them too, and that was something sadly overlooked in Wilkinson’s wonky thought process, and the reason I salute the notion to rid ourselves of these unnecessary and pompous roles of Police Crime Commissioners. 

Does that make sense to you?! I wish Wilko well, and say cheerio. I’m certain his pension will not see him walking those dangerous streets paved with wayward youths, and he’ll still be able to enjoy luxurious banquets with his fox-hunting chums.

False Allegations Against Wiltshire Hunt Sabs About Drone Fly Zones is Unapologetically Reversed By Illegal Hunt Supporting Facebook Group

Due to my real job making regular home deliveries I get to know when folk are away on their holibobs, and when they plan on returning. I could, if I wanted, start a “residents watch” Facebook group for burglars, to ensure those pesky homeowners don’t return early and cause good honest thieves to be inconvenienced while ransacking their homes!

But I’m unlikely to, really, aren’t I? Because, even if I had no moral standards, someone is bound to grass me to the police who would force me to shut down the group, and perhaps rightfully arrest me. Perplexed by the audacity and with a lump in my throat, I’m driven to rant about a Facebook group which Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs today made us aware of in a post, for the group is not so unlike the bizarre scenario of my introduction; different context, same concept; you can’t make up vindictive stupidity on this level…..

The group is called “South Coast Sab Watch,” therefore I presume there’s regional others. Alas, it does what it says on the tin, and condones and promotes illegal hunting to boot. So, let’s just run through the concept here, shall we, so there can be no mistaking? It’s a group for criminal hunters, whether they genuinely believe the baloney they’re maintaining the natural balance of the countryside, or have a sadistic fetish for animal cruelty (as disgraced former Prime Minister and lockdown party animal, Bojo, enlightened us about,) to keep a beady eye on self-organised non-profit collectives out in the field attempting to curb and highlight their illegal activities, and to inform police of said sab groups, if they were ever to incriminate themselves in the pursuit of such.

Is it just me, or can anyone else see a slither of hypocrisy here?! Reminds me of security guards at a factory I once worked at where smoking was banned, who would prowl the site at night looking for staff smoking, with fags on the go themselves!

It’s been drawn to our attention because of a disagreement over CAA rules when the Wiltshire Hunt Sabs flew drones over a SSSI watching the notorious Tedworth Hunt. The South Coast Sab Watch claimed it was illegal to do this in a statement on their group, and wasted the rural crime team’s time with the matter.

The hunt sabs responded, stating “Drone Assist, which anyone can check, confirms that the Kings Play Hill SSSI is not a CAA “non-fly” area for drones at all.” Seems it was perfectly legal to do this, and as a result, the sab watch group fact checked, and updated their post to admit they were wrong and the sabs were right, there was nothing illegal in what the sabs did. They apologised, but only to the followers of the group, not the Wiltshire Hunt Sabs who deserved the apology, which kinda suggests their motive is driven by hateful vengeance; tell us something we don’t already know!

“We hear the same stupid nonsense from the Beaufort who don’t understand the difference on the maps between barred areas (red areas) and areas where you can fly with caution (yellow areas),” Wiltshire Hunt Sabs explained. “What is an offence, the illegal hunting of wild animals with a pack or dogs on ANY location.  Also what can be an offence is the disturbing of wildlife on an SSSI which is exactly what a pack of dogs  and a bunch of horses chasing them through the SSSI constitutes.”

It’s laughable, should you like laughing at the idiocy of a knee-jerk reaction from barbaric snobs so desperate to twist a narrative, but I’m like, hey, is no one mentioning the elephant in the room? Probably not, it’s likely they’d much prefer to be on a big game hunt for some ivory. Look, being the hunters were so quick to pick a potential mistake from the sabs in their surveillance of them, before checking the facts, doesn’t it look rather obvious they’ve something to hide? On a discussion about CCTV in Devizes, a point was made that this is not big brother, if you’re not doing crime then you’ve nothing to worry about; surely it’s the same thing here?

But, more to the point, if they weren’t suspected of illegally hunting, on the grounds many hunts have been caught in the past illegally hunting, and promote and condone it on their social media, the hunt sabs wouldn’t have needed to fly drones in the first bloody place, you utter, utter numpties! For crying out loud, how stupid can you possibly get?!!

It’s with great curiosity as to the defective mind of a fox hunter which caused me to browse their group, where there’s shockingly blatant posts to admit to and pathetically justify their illegal and barbaric activities.

Starter for ten, they love to highlight this wonky idea that they do what they do in order to maintain the balance of nature in the countryside, which poses the question how this is relevant to what they claim to be doing; legally chasing a tea towel garnished with the fake scent of a fox , that will not affect the balance of nature, only cause disruptions for residents. Ergo, they inadvertently confessed to committing crimes against the hunting act.

They home in on our affections for the lovable creatures like hedgehogs, to play with our emotions, claiming badgers are the reason for their apparent decline. Again, in the decade of my nocturnal outside job, it’s not the hedgehog I see in decline at all, in fact there’s an abundance of them, but rarely do I see a badger these days, and I could count the times I’ve seen a fox on one hand. When I do, they’re generally running for their lives, and I futilely plead to their fleeting shadow not to tarnish all humans with the same Basil Brush; boom boom!

Another post called to arms the might of the hunters when millionaire farmers set out to protest in London later this month, against having to pay their fair share of inheritance tax. Not to open another Pandora’s box here, it simply took to mind they are planning to join in the fun whether they’re wanted there, or not. I mean, does every farmer agree with fox hunting, or will they be like the unwarranted gatecrasher at a party? Humm, I could only answer this one with speculation. History repeating though; when farmers protested over fuel rises in 2002, it was hijacked by pro-hunters who changed the objective to suit their whim.

But what amazes and disgusts me most in equal measure, is how social media groups promoting illegal activities and creating falsehoods against those campaigning against it are allowed to continue. Police should shut them down for spreading misinformation, surely, as they would if they were condoning a different crime.

Again, it seems it is up sab organs like our hard-working volunteers of the Wiltshire Hunt Sabs to call them out. Well done once again to Wiltshire Hunt Sabs, you got them lying, hook, line and sinker! As we move closer to the Boxing Day incongruous pageants, we need and support them as much as we can, so find them here and buy them a coffee. 

Police Praises Protestors, But Will They Listen?

Today’s protest at Wiltshire Police headquarters in Devizes over the appointment of PC Cheryl Knight into the rural crime unit despite being photographed riding with fox hunting associations, including the notorious Avon Vale Hunt, went peacefully.….

Devizes Police commended and thanked the protesters, “for the way that they conducted themselves.” Patronising is in the training manual.

The event passed peacefully, and no arrests were made. Online speculation there would be “trouble,” was unfounded; anti-hunting campaigners are passive by default. There are no grounds for claims made by PCC Philip Wilkinson, ousted by ITV for claiming to have “covertly” monitored sabs committing public order offences.

Organisers of the protest, Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs, say “for over eighteenth years hunts have been prolific in breaking the law, and doing so with both the implicit and explicit consent, support and even membership, of those with the power to do something about it. Wiltshire Police deployed over 50 officers and multiple resources to turn their cameras on sabs, as terriermen await dig out instructions from the Avon Vale Hunt behind them.”


Superintendent Conway Duncan said: “We know people want to make their voices heard and the right to lawful protest is a key part of any democracy, which UK police uphold and facilitate.”

“We had a presence at the event to do just that, but also as part of our responsibility to ensure the local community were not adversely impacted.”

We hope they will listen and assign officers accordingly rather than with clear conflicts of interests. Please sign the petition HERE.

Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs replied in a Tweet, “how dare they even consider themselves worthy of praising the protestors.  Wiltshire police are by definition of their own criminality, beneath contempt. We do not praise the way they are conducting themselves over this sordid affair, nor the 18 years of them turning a blind eye.” Ah, but it’s do as we say, isn’t it? Not as we do!

How Ingrained is Hunting on our Society Given Police are Members of Criminal Gangs?

Of course, today’s opinion rant comes from news Wiltshire Police have promoted officer Cheryl Knight to the rural crimes department despite allegedly being a member of the Beaufort Hunt and has previously ridden with the notorious Avon Vale Hunt. The public outrage of such has spawned a planned protest on 5th March at Devizes Police HQ….

It should hardly come as a shock to those who follow social media of anti-hunt groups like Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs, as we’ve seen many attempts by hunters to infiltrate the police, and video evidence of police deliberately being awkward with sabs by blocking paths and siding with hunters. Recently we’ve seen it with another hunt member PC, Laura Hughes who turned a blind eye when hunters attacked protesters at Lacock’s Boxing Day meet. And at top level, with former Avon Vale huntsmaster Jonathan Seed defunct from the PCC election and current PCC Phillip Wilkinson’s open derogatory remarks about anti-hunt protesters.

But if bent cops sounds like something from an American thriller movie, no one’s as bold to suggest all Wiltshire Police support hunting. It’s a huge organisation employing many, therefore fair to assume the bad eggs are a minority.

However, their official reaction to the outrage this news has caused, defending Cheryl Knight and warning protesters they will be “seeking independent guidance from other agencies to ensure the protest is in line with those peaceful and lawful requirements and to ensure the Devizes community is not adversely impacted,” borders retaliation to public outcry. Reading between the lines, anyone so much as sneezes at the protest and they’ll shut it down. Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs stressed to me, “that’s how we read it too. Well, if they want even more bad publicity…”

It causes me to ponder just how far this rabbit hole goes; how ingrained by the traditions of hunting is this in our society? You may not stop to consider it while watching a children’s cartoon with anthropomorphised characters whereby the fox is nearly always portrayed as a “baddie,” or dining in a local pub, where your dinner is served on a pictorial plate adorned with a scenic landscape and a fox hunt in progress, or similarly on a painting on the wall, but in this glorification of the blood sport, these connotations of the fox spelling trouble, is it our own psychological Colston statue?

“You cannot erase history,” gammonites remark of the statue debate, and I retort with “poppycock!” For historical references in literature will always be, but a statue glorifies and celebrates the slave trade, ergo, is counterproductive to progress against racial discrimination. Likewise, the paintings in the pub, the common pub name, The Fox and Hounds, should they be changed? They clearly idealise this barbaric pastime.

My ponderings stem from a Facebook thread this week, by Devizes Town Councillor Chris Greenwood, (yes, the one who blatantly lied about Defra confirming bird flu on the Crammer) on his own general local affairs group, Devizes News. In posting news of Cheryl Knight’s promotion, he stated, “this group will not tolerate any form of detrimental, nor hateful comments associated with this article. The officer concerned has done nothing illegal whatsoever, and their appointment has been with the full approval of Wiltshire Police. Any false accusations or comments will result in the person posting being excluded from the group.”

It was simply too tempting, and inadvertently my reply, “so, why post it then?” saw me promptly barred from the group, along with a handful of others. But seems the temptation was deliberate for no sooner as we were gone, he posted again, boasting, and celebrating, “it was time for a clearout of activists, bigots and those motivated by negativity.”

Quite where the negativity in opposing the promotion of a possible criminal within the governing body supposed to prevent crime is supposed to derive from will forever confound me. Alas, adjoining various comments like a jigsaw, Chris made in this thread might shed some light on why he, like so many others, are so pro-hunting. Unable to respond to one question given by a concerned so -called bigot, Chris took a trip on memory bliss, and waffled a random interminable history of his affection for horse riding. One might assume this was irrelevant, but further on when we were discussing the social media posts of lists of local companies alleged to be in support of the Avon Vale Hunt, he highlighted a sponsorship of a pony club. So, herein lies his justification for supporting hunting; Avon Vale sponsored the club where his fond memories of riding begun. Ergo, he’s reminiscence through rose-tinted specs is clouding his judgment to the reality it’s a bloodthirsty pursuit, and I’d wager is not alone in this view.

I could agree, horse riding is okay by me, but you don’t need to take a pack of bloodhounds along to bludgeon a fox to death to enjoy it, surely? Though I fear it will fall on deaf ears. Hunts have spent decades and countless fortunes I could only dream of, to ensure their brutal activities are ingrained so deep into our society, economy and way of life, the rose-tinted specs wearers will only ever view it as a harmless tradition, because they’re trained to by showers of gold sent their way and into charities and causes.

Ergo, when a clear conflict of interests invades our police, these folk shrug, and state the officer concerned has done nothing illegal. So, given innocent until proven guilty, we should ask Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs if they’ve any proof of the contrary. “Her main association seems to be the Beaufort,” Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs explained, “that is where most of her hunting images were taken. She also has photos of her at Avon Vale meet, and also photos of her attending beagle meets (hare hunts).”

Besides, the point isn’t whether she has, or hasn’t, the concern lies within her power to sway, ignore, or pervert the cause of justice in such matters she’s so clearly bias in. Does this mean the protest is focused entirely on her promotion, being it would seem there’s other pro-hunting officers?

“At this moment it’s focused on the fact that a fox hunter has been appointed,” they continued, “but I guess the wider issue is who appointed her – and the appalling response they gave. There are other serving officers that have hunted with the Avon vale, which we also oppose, but to be placed into a role like this, particularly in the middle of an investigation by her new team, into the Avon Vale video just is crass beyond belief. It’s a direct breach of the Code of Ethics which Wiltshire Police are refusing to address.”

We live now in the aftermath of the national media exposure of video evidence proving The Avon Vale Hunt illegally fox hunted, its impact is this undeniable proof you’d have thought would be a catalyst to change, but this latest outcry suggests otherwise.

All my meanderings seem to return to a same point, the point in the video where they successfully pulled the fox out from the dig and threw it to the hounds, and one young hunter shrieks with delight like a little girl getting a pony for Christmas! If hunting was to cull a pest, that’s clearly in past, there’s few foxes left in the countryside, and the shrill of delight reverbs the acknowledgement, is symbolic that this is done purely for fun, the thrill. You don’t see an insect exterminator cry with joy when he clears your home of ants!

So, if you support this in any way, do you deserve to be called out for it regardless of how little your association with the hunts may’ve been formed upon, excusable by ignorance to the notion they were definitely killing wildlife, until now?

Yet while many companies and organisations have found themselves having to publish statements attempting to defuse their association with Avon Vale, or hunting in general, Wiltshire Police seem none too fussed, rather promoting officer Cheryl Knight to the rural crime unit, and have defended their decision to maintain the PC in the role. Others listed, such as ice cream cafe, The Rowdey Cow were quick to announce their association was only to vendor at one of their events, and it’s not just because they make exceptional ice cream, I’m willing to forgive that(!) rather sigh, that’s just business.

The Rowdy Cow I trust has sufficient trade to do without the association now, and hope they do. The last thing anyone wishes by way of boycotting businesses loosely associated with the hunts, is to bring any more damage on our rural economy. Yet Wadworth’s only line of defence seemed to be their association was “historic.” Should we forgive that too, because of the passage of time? Our councillor Greenwood on his pro-hunting rant seemed to suggest this, that the images of Knight hunting was the stuff of ancient history, leading me to ponder how old is she? From recent photos she looks late twenties, so it could only have been after 2004, when the Hunting Act was introduced, not so long ago for us old-timers, Chris!

Forgiveness only ever seems to be when the boot fits. The public don’t seem too keen to forgive Shamima Begum anytime soon, but views Piers Morgan as this cheeky chappie with a penchant for a few offensive comments, rather than the bastard who wrecked a teenage girl’s murder inquiry by hacking her phone. He took personal monetary gain over the life of a child, for Heaven’s sake, but hey, he’s on the tele. I like to call this the “Jimmy Saville Effect,” he raised these incredible amounts of money for charity, so should he be forgiven for paedophilia, necrophilia, and whatever other sick fetishes he performed? Equally, should we forgive hunters if their hunting is all in the past?

I believe this is simply another desperate excuse from pro-hunting lobbies. It matters not if or when Knight hunted, only that she is in support of hunting. To suggest her affiliation with the hunt wouldn’t affect her ability to carry out the role of a rural crime officer is completely and utterly ludicrous. The public know this, it’s hardly rocket science, and the public have the right to voice their outrage at this poor decision. After all, we do pay for the police, they are governed by law, but paid for by the taxpayer. Wiltshire Police make many a statement about building a rapport with the public and how they “serve them,” surely this is the ideal opportunity to prove this ethos right?

But it’s a small piece of a larger puzzle. Akin to the suffragette movement, anti-hunting will look blindly obvious to future generations if we can wash away this ingrained perception. The police’s involvement in watching over so-called trail hunts will be viewed as the massive waste of resources they clearly are, for if hunt organisations cannot be trusted the only solution is to ban them, and eradicate this insane affiliation to blood sports once and for all.

So, to people who share Chris Greenwood’s obsolete and atrocious opinions and see fit to censor opposing views, I say you’re foolish to think you can silence me. Not one to boast stats, but Devizine is read by the number of members in your petty group times a thousand. In a media war you’re the Gassworks Gang and I’m the American military! Accept the majority are anti-hunt, and will share this beyond way Facebook, until its long out of my control, folk will rightfully gather to sound their disgust at this barbaric activity, and the authorities which permit it to continue despite the indisputable evidence.

Their days are numbered, if we throw off our ingrained bigotry and accept it, that is quite possible. It wouldn’t hurt to show your humane side. And in saying that, no one wishes to send Cheryl Knight to the stocks, only to advise she is moved to a department free from her bias. So patently obvious it’s staring everyone in face and making them angry enough to have to spell it out by reacting on offensive social media posts, with disregards to the idea they’ll be futility chastised by a power-tripping would-be tinpot dictator! Knockers I say unto thee, Devizes News indeed, the bastard son of GB News?! Lest we forget come local election time.

Is it Possible to Live Rurally and be Impartial towards Blood Sports?

My thought for the day, as I’ve permission to republish an article by the Hunts Sabs Association, suggesting with relevant and shocking examples, Wiltshire Police are lacking in pursuing these rural crimes.

I will direct your attention to the piece, but figure I’d attempt my own spin, else what’s the point in owning a blog in the first place?! So, I’m desperately trying to see the other side of the coin, to avoid accusations of bias. But every time forced to the opinion fox hunting and other blood sports is gratuitously barbaric, trail hunting, for many, is a smokescreen, and our police are clearly not proactive on the issue……

We trashed our common room in art college despite warnings they’d close it, and eventually they did. My bitterness toward the decision was driven by naïve self-centred arrogance of delinquency, but there came a point of feeling guilt that future students wouldn’t benefit from the facility due to our incompetence; reactionary anarchist I once was!

I ponder this “few ruined it for a rest” lesson as I browse hunting social media groups and pages. To momentarily steer against the hunt sabs, or FWGs, as is the favoured term we’ll use hereafter, an abbreviation of Frontline Wildlife Guardians, these glossy and glorious shows of countryside pursuits are embellished with glamorous images, (as our featured image of the Tedworth Hunt,) promoting family, fundraising events, that while a world apart from my own lifestyle, the legality and moral obligation of it is not entirely inconceivable, and the thought it’s not all just a charade hiding a cruel blood sport is a possibility, for some hunts.

Though as FWGs collate irrefutable evidence some hunts are clearly ignoring the law and continuing hunting by using trial hunts as a smokescreen, and in doing so are met with violent retort, county constabularies are working with campaigners and nationally progress is gradually happening, Wiltshire Police are accused of failing by comparison. The well-publicised poor policing of the violence at Lacock on Boxing Day is clear it needs addressing, FWGs report the incident is the tip of the iceberg.

Got to rub the worry-lines of my forehead here. The article points to five ongoing investigations they’ve been reliably informed are ongoing with the Avon Vale Hunt. It states, “alongside a Hunting Act investigation, there are investigations into assaults on sabs: in January, a Bristol sab was punched in the head by an Avon Vale terrier man who had been stopped digging out a fox from a badger sett. The saboteur was knocked unconscious and spent several nights in hospital with a brain bleed, precisely the sort of serious injury that can have tragic consequences and as ironically highlighted by Avon Vale fox hunting Tory MP for North Wiltshire James Gray in the ‘One Punch Can Kill’ campaign.”

I’m glad to hear they’re investigated, but it’s hardly proactive, where are the police when these assaults occurred? Intelligence should tip them off when hunts happen, and they should be policed akin to Saturday night at a city nightclub; there’s terrible acts of violence hiding in our rural fields, and not just on wildlife. Instead, Wiltshire Hunt Sabs told the Hunts Sabs Association, “with so many criminal investigations and allegations ongoing, we would have expected at least a modicum of police suspicion that these gangsters could possibly have been killing foxes, and also aren’t opposed to throwing the odd punch – or ten – at those of us who try to stop them and just maybe they have been doing exactly this for decades. Instead, what we have faced from the police is an unleashing of bias and abuse of power as our publicly funded police service is being used to protect a violent criminal hunt to carry on breaking the law.”

“We also had several officers tell us we could remedy the situation by ‘leaving the area’ whilst simultaneously acknowledging we were there lawfully. Can you imagine them telling someone being assaulted on the high street that they should go home and leave the assailant in peace?”

Besides, eyes of suspicion are on police bias over the Lacock Boxing Day bash-a-sab fest, being one of the two officers affiliated with the hunt personally reportedly took time to chat with her pro-hunt friends and “turned her back” on the violence. The sabs claiming “she was not just an ex-rider, we are also told her own horse was at the hunt on the 27th December 2021, being ridden by a friend of hers, who – we have been told – is also the partner of the violent terrierman responsible for the brain bleed in our Bristol hunt sab.”

The public deserve to know if officers on the scene made any calls for advice or back up, Police say they cannot correspond as the incident is under investigation. Police officers swear an oath of impartiality, the PCC doesn’t and Phillip Wilkinson made full use of this on Twitter, calling out FWGs as “bullies,” suggesting he was “not impressed when I witness grownups wearing balaclavas screaming in face of children who just happen to be riding a pony,” yet doesn’t appear to be able to back this bold claim up with evidence, and why, oh why would anyone take children to a fox hunt anyway?! I’m not associated in any manner with this group of Wiltshire Hunt Sabs and they never reveal their identity to me, but his claims are vastly different from my own dealings with them, as they appear to be the pacifist campaigners one would obviously perceive them to be.

If there are hunts really following the law with fake trails and they are in control of the bloodhounds to prevent them side-tracking from the scent of passing wildlife, as they insist they are, they’re unfortunate victims akin to the future generations of art students in my common room scenario; if some can’t be trusted, and police are informed, educated and trained to investigate, or as accusations suggest, seem to bizarrely favour the illegal pro-hunters, I say pull the plug on the lot, ban trail hunts and apologies if you really trail hunt legally, but the few ruined it for the others.

I’m drawn to the Tedworth Hunt, for example, who parade an “East Kennet Fun Ride,” as a Facebook event, defining it as “3 or 8 miles of beautiful riding on the Wiltshire Countryside with optional jumps.” Not for me, but I’ve no problem with this. Yet the accompanying photo shows a fellow dressed in traditional hunt uniform loading bloodhounds onto a trailer. Why would you need dogs if you’re only horse-riding I ponder? Why does the Tedworth Hunt carry pistols if it’s only a fake trial, does a fake trail open-fire first?! And one more question I’ll relay next paragraph, as, admittedly, therein lies my lack of knowledge on the subject, perhaps there’s good reason for it, I dunno, no one tells me, but why still call these hunting-related happenings hunts at all, and why would anyone support the philosophy of butchering of wildlife by subjecting the activity to replica scenarios if they didn’t secretly wish fox hunting to return? Would it not be better to rid ourselves of the entire culture surrounding it?

Armed Tedworth Hunters hardly project the same image as our featured one

The Wiltshire Hunt Sabs are the only ones who will communicate with me on the subject respectfully. This will post on social media and be met with many comments in support, and a few aggressive, hate-filled pro-hunt responses, but not one will contain any polite or reasonable counterargument, no one will invite me to view it from their angle, leading me to wonder why, if everything is tickety-boo, all dandy and legal, why they project this rage, why do they seem to hire these thugs to accost and assault members of the public for merely attempting to protect the wildlife they themselves claim to love and appreciate? Why all the hate if they’re operating legally, it doesn’t add up, unless, I conclude, they’re hiding something.

I note posts on hunting Facebook pages about how they love their hounds, but we’ve seen some shoot them dead if they underperform. If trail hunting is supposed to be this fun and harmless pursuit, it’s hardly non-competitive for the hounds they claim to adore. The point is, no matter how much I scan these glossy representations of modern hunting organisations, they suffer inane hypocrisy; why persist to support something historically barbaric and inhumane?

Because they claim they’re not fox hunting, the pre-Hunting Act excuse of culling is defunct, and the argument for trail hunts seems to rest on this baffling “traditional values” defence. For this I’d like to point out Victorian coalmines employed children to sit in dark passageways for twelve-hour shifts, their only glimmer of light being when the cart pulled into their section and they tugged it along to the next. Yet to suggest we send children down mines, that they don’t actually have to work down there, just sit there in the dark because it’s “tradition” would be ludicrous, but not unlike this concept of trail hunting.

A rather odd looking trail hunt

Yet, as observed by our Cobra Kai, PCC Wilko, they love taking their kids out to butcher wildlife, apparently, which is, to be frank, twisted beyond all reason, and concludes; it’s impossible to live rurally and be impartial towards blood sports. I could label “screaming in face of children who just happen to be riding a pony,” as complete and utter codswallop for the purposes of propaganda but that would imply the law are defending the unlawful, which cannot be true; who’s zooming who? Who knows what to think anymore? Other than perpetually the argument never settles, so obvious answer is ban it completely, it no longer serves a purpose, only causes friction.

Get a new hobby, preferably one unsupportive of murder!

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Rooks; New Single From M3G

Chippenham folk singer-songwriter, M3G (because she likes a backward “E”) has a new single out tomorrow, Friday 19th December. Put your jingly bell cheesy tunes on hold for a moment, because this is a beautiful, epic journey…. M3G’s seventh release, Rooks, poignantly pulls on the heartstrings when presented by the rise and fall of a…

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Wiltshire Music Centre Unveils Star-Studded New Season

Wiltshire Music Centre Unveils Star-Studded New Season with BBC Big Band, Ute Lemper, Sir Willard White and comedians Chris Addison and Alistair McGowan revealing their classical music talents….. Wiltshire Music Centre announces new Spring season with some extraordinary listening experiences on offer in the new year. Wiltshire Music Centre is a unique and contemporary 300-seated…

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Daphne Oram; Devizes’ Unsung Pioneer of Electronic Sound: Part 2

Daphne’s Family & Childhood Connection to Devizes Celebrations of Daphne Oram have been building in London since the beginning of December, for those in the sphere of electronic music and music technology. On the first Thursday of the month The Barbican held a concert commemorating Daphne’s centenary, where sound and music fair access partner, Nonclassical,…

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Mobius Loop Launch Anti-Hunt Song

Nationwide hunt saboteurs and animal rights activists have inspired those gypsy-folk misfits, Mobius Loop to create this righteous tune, the Foxtrot Tally Hoedown; and we love it here at Devizine.….

I love it because despite social and political injustices linger, as it ever did, rarely does the mainstream music industry reflect this, whereas topical songs of protest and political commentary were the backbone of subject matter in times of yore; and yeah, I’m old enough to remember, just!

Photograph by John Middleham
Flower Crown by Flowercrown Magic

From the Clash and Linton Kwesi Johnson to The Levellers, songs of freedom which were once commonplace are reduced to the underground, and one has to ask if returning to an era where mainstream musicians speak out is needed now more than ever before. All we can do is encourage them, and this is indeed encouraging.

We’ve seen the trend back on the agenda, through folk, punk and ska genres; hats off to bands like Five Iron Frenzy, Boom Boom Racoon and Mobius Loop, the latter of whom say they’re “on a mission to raise positive vibrations, projecting an organic co-operative voice for humanist spirituality, vegan philosophy, grassroots philanthropy, true democracy and alchemical magic, in the name of Hemp Redemption and the infinite unknown.” Boom-shankar to you, guys!

The penetratingly energetic folk blended with conscious rap gives this tune serious clout, as it meanders onto all forms of animal cruelty and veganism. Whatever your view of vegans, you’ll remain toe-tapping through Veganuary! The song comes from their album 2020 Vi5on, which you can buy from their website, here, or stream here.

Using national footage of hunts and protests, they’ve produced a no-holds-barred video to prompt the tune, which includes scenes from our own county’s Boxing Day bash-a-sab fest in Lacock. It’s received applause from local hunt sab groups, but again that’s preaching to the converted when its those sitting on the fence it needs to reach. This symbolises my agony at the current music industry and how it operates; what’s the point in singing cliche boy-meets-girl slush when there’s injustices and transgressions happening across our green and pleasant land?

All we can do is share and publish as much as possible, to raise awareness there remains positive and rebellious vibrations through contemporary music, and praise that this Preston band of nonconformists are truly kicking up a storm nationwide with their eruptions of free-form dance, charged with intimately powerful live performances, and I say, good on ‘em, hunting must end, now.

Please grab your copy of our compilation album in aid of Julia’s House, click on the poster, thanks!

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Burning the Midday Oil at The Muck

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Sabs Call for Enquiry Over Hunter Police Officer Tasked to Manage Avon Vale Hunt Meet

Untangling the events of the violence which occurred in Lacock on Boxing Day, and received national press interest, could take some time. But in a shocking revelation today, Wiltshire Hunt Sabs claimed the officer Wiltshire Police sent to manage the meet, is a “fully paid up” member of the Avon Vale Hunt.….

PC Laura Hughes of Wiltshire Police, who also goes by the name of Laura Jordan, is seen in the videos taken at the meet, the sabs say she turned her back, “as violent thugs launched an attack on peaceful anti-hunt protestors,” and her own horse was ridden in the parade, by her friend and fellow hunter.

The sabs ask followers to make a formal complaint to the Office of and Police and Crime Commissioner and demand and enquiry.

Yet, further to our general article on Boxing Day Hunts, published prior to Boxing Day, we have indeed had a response from Communications & Engagement Officer, Philip Mackie, which might shed light on what could be viewed as a conflict of interests to many opposed to hunting. Basic upshot of this is, seems Wiltshire Police take the hunters on their word that there’s nothing illegal going on.

I asked Philip if Wiltshire Police observe the actual hunts, to be sure if a fox is flushed out, they do not pursue it, and would they be arrested if discovered they were.

“If offences under the Hunting Act are witnessed,” Philip started, “by the police or observers, they would be investigated as would any criminal offence.”

It must be hard to manage such an operation, I suggested, how does the police go about keeping up with the hunt to insure nothing illegal is happening? Do they use horses too?

“Wiltshire Police does not have a mounted section,” he replied, and continued to reveal they don’t even monitor the activities of the hunt. “We do not routinely monitor hunts as they are a lawful activity, if there is a suggestion of criminal offences, be they wildlife crime or other public order, assault offences or intelligence lead us to believe there is/was a likelihood of it happening officers would attend. The Rural Crime Team will also be looking to deter/capture hare coursers.”

So, it really is left up to the public to capture evidence rather than the fully-convinced police to monitor the goings on, despite mounting evidence many hunts do illegally kill foxes and the apparent trial is but a smokescreen, even if this particular hunt doesn’t.

Perhaps an oversight by Wiltshire Police to send an officer actively engaged in hunting, or considering her hobby is legal, nothing inconsistent is taking place here, but it cannot assist them particularly well to uphold impartial evaluation, and police the meet accordingly. It could be said PC Laura Hughes puts her career above her pastime, and policed the event accordingly, but some questions need to be raised as violence broke out between protesters and hunters at the event and it seemed, via videos, to be uncontrolled and out of hand.

I’d even say, policing this protest must have been no easy feat, and pressure on Laura and other officers to maintain the peace on such a dividing rural issue should be credited and valid, their contribution to policing should be upheld and acknowledged. Perhaps it was a wise choice to have someone who knew enough on the subject and understands the issues at hand?

While the protests staged by hunt sabs may be viewed as unwelcomed by some villagers, who else is there to insure nothing illegal is happening? How does Philip view the presence of hunt sabs? I asked him if their efforts are helpful to the police, if they work together, or if they are seen as an unwelcomed vigilante group?

“Hunt protestors and monitors are not viewed as a vigilante group,” he replied, “they have a passionate concern for the welfare of wildlife and this is understood and supported by the police and where criminal offences are suspected we urge them to come forward to provide their evidence.”

Evidence such as this shocking video from Surry Hunt Sabs, of the Boxing Day Royal Artillery Hunt at Chitterne? Warning: there are some shocking scenes depicted here:

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