Written by Mary on 15 February, 2011 at The League Against Cruel Sports about the recent attempt to reintroduce licensed hare coursing in Northern Ireland last week http://www.league.org.uk/blogs_entry.aspx?id=375
The spin and deception made by Francie Molloy MLA to justify his amendment to reintroduce licensed hare coursing, despite a ban being passed in June 2010 was simply outrageous. Amongst some of his bizarre rationales was the notion that hare coursing “is more of a leisurely stroll than anything else”! His ludicrous depiction of what in reality is a wild animal being chased in fear of its life was only the beginning of a stream off ill informed information he fed to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Firstly he tried to argue that hare coursing is actually good for a hare’s health, very thoughtful of him. This was duly mocked by an Assembly member, who retorted:
“So it aspires to be part of some sort of hare Olympic team. It must think that, if only it could get onto the hare course, its chances of surviving into the future would be better and that it would have a much better life.”
Molloy’s next argument was there would be “an explosion of criminality” so best keep these lovely people who enjoy a bit of hare coursing within the realms of the law. Peter Weir MLA slammed his logic in support of the hare coursing ban:
“Quite frankly, that can be applied to the logic of the legalisation of heroin, crack cocaine, prostitution, dogfighting and bear-baiting.”
Facing an uphill battle, Francie Molloy then pulled out the tourism card, but was met with equal distain from Jim Wells MLA:
“I often meet people coming off the aircraft at Belfast City Airport and at Aldergrove, but I have yet to hear someone say that they are coming to Northern Ireland for the hare coursing and to see the dogs chasing the hares. A work of fiction is being produced in connection with the issue. There is this idea that Northern Ireland will become some kind of Mecca. Why not have gladiators fighting in the ring? I am sure that we could draw in the crowds. We could fill our football stadiums. Does that necessarily make it right? No, it does not.”
Amongst other things Francie Molloy was pulled up for comparing hare coursing to horse racing, with a member intervening “he might have a point if there were a lion chasing the horse around the track”.
Luckily the Northern Ireland Assembly saw through the spin and deception, voting down Molloy’s amendment to reintroduce hare coursing by 53-33. Peter Weir noted that Tony Blair’s former spin doctor Alastair Campbell was visiting Stormont at the same time as the debate “in terms of the spin he’s put on things, I suspect even he could learn something from Mr Molloy.”
