Dear Candidate,
The President and Chairman of Conservative Animal Welfare and Conservatives Against Fox Hunting urge all Conservative Party Candidates to support the Hunting Act 2004.
We are aware that many Candidates have been contacted by the hunting lobby Vote OK Group who offer canvassing services in return for Candidates pledges to support repeal if a free vote is offered in the next parliament.
There is no justification for a return of hunting with dogs in modern society. We call on the Conservative Party Candidates to stand firm and politely decline help from the hunt lobby and say NO to a return of fox hunting.
Good luck with your election campaign.
Yours sincerely,
Suzy Gale, Chairman of Conservative Animal Welfare and Founder of Animals Worldwide
Sir Roger Gale MP, President of Conservative Animal Welfare
Lorraine Platt, Co Founder of Conservatives Against Fox Hunting( Blue Fox)
Chris Platt, Co founder of Blue Fox. Vice President, Esher & Walton Conservative Association
The Hunt lobby Vote OK Group and Conservative Candidates…
The Independent newspaper recently reported on Vote OK yet again providing canvassing support for candidates in return for their pledge to support the repeal of the Hunting Act 2004, which the Prime Minister offered if there is a Conservative majority.
It is deeply disappointing for many Conservative supporters to hear that Vote OK- made up of an army of Hunters and their supporters will once again be hitting the streets in their bus loads to canvas for candidates in marginal constituencies, usually Conservative- who will support a return of the banned blood sports of fox hunting, stag and hare hunting with dogs and cruel hare coursing.
Some might say that it smacks of desperation if a candidate has to rely on busloads of hunters to shove leaflets through doors, answer phones and everything else that comes with campaigning in the election.
Vote OK will canvas for the Conservative candidates if they agree to their terms and conditions, namely that they have to support the repeal of the hunt ban. This is the core single issue behind Vote OK and they target anti-hunting candidates in key marginal constituencies.
It is important that the general public are alerted to this exchange. Voters must ask all candidates if they support repeal or support the ban by email, on the campaign trail or local Hustings. 80% of the public support the ban in poll after poll yet 85% of Conservative MPs support repeal.
A few Conservative MPs accepted Vote OK’s support in the 2010 election only to decide whilst MPs to represent the majority opinion and decide to vote against repeal .This is welcome news as it is far better to change one’s mind and break a misguided inappropriate promise and to do the right thing to protect wildlife.
We hope that the Conservative Party’s Team2015 group to canvas for candidates led by Minister Grant Shapps MP is not infiltrated by Vote OK pro hunt activists.
The Founders of Conservatives Against Fox Hunting held a joint breakfast briefing with the League Against Cruel Sports at the Conservative conference in 2010, a few months after the election which was attended by the Founder of Vote OK. This Founder spoke on his sport of fox hunting whilst the Founders of Blue Fox spoke of the Conservative supporters who have contacted them on their dismay at the Party leadership’s support for repeal and of withholding their vote because of this issue in 2010 . Once again Conservative supporters have contacted us to say they cannot vote because of this issue.
Mr Cameron’s announcement to offer a free vote yet again may have galvanized Vote OK into action once more but it has also risked sacrificing the wider appeal of the party which he may come to regret.
