Like many people, Laban Tall is angry about the fox-hunting ban. The debate has been more done-to-death than a typical post-hunt fox, so I’m not going to chip in. Rather, I’m going to take issue with his characterisation of foxhunters as ‘the most law-abiding community in the country’.
This is strange: I suspect that the community of urban professionals is at least as law-abiding, if not more so. Unlike many of the ruralites of my acquaintance, we tend not to drive when pissed, dodge taxes, or own unlicensed guns. I’d also suspect, although this is pure conjecture, that our level of domestic violence is lower.
Indeed, the only crime I can think of that our community regularly commits is consumption of the occasional banned substance – and I’m having trouble thinking of a civil liberties justification for hunting that doesn’t also require cannabis to be legalised…
Perhaps Laban is thinking of a right-wing fantasy world, where Guardian reading and sentimentality about animals are criminalised (actually, the latter would have its merits).
Or drive untaxed MOT failures. That run on red diesel.
Or do ‘cash in hand’ work while claiming benefits (oh it’s so hard to make a living in the country!)
Or employ illegal migrants.
And be honest, can you really picture any of the fat chavs from the riots on the back of a horse? You’d think they’d be grateful the rural economy is diverging from tradition so quickly – they might get the opportunity to do something nicer for a living grovelling to some chinless wonder for the fiver an hour they get for shooting dogs and shovelling shit.
As a Londoner exiled in rural Wales i can heartily endorse all of the above points, John B
Nasty country-dwelling white fucks. Not like those nice peaceful Muslims.
Self pity is an awful thing…
HI John – I thought about your comment, which had some truth, in that certain laws (particularly alcohol-related) have always been interpreted with a bit of latitude here.
But I don’t think you can really characterise urban professionals as a community. They don’t really set the culture of an area (apart from City bars after 5 pm), and they’re transient. When they have kids most of those who can’t afford private schooling will get out of town – often to rural areas with a white and conservative culture.
I can’t think of a single ‘urban professional’ area (and where that ?) in London where the streets are safe at night. And Kensington/St Johns Wood don’t count – that’s seriously rich, not urban professional.