But it is the alliance which has proved more enduring, even though its popularity has ebbed away since the Countryside March last year. The alliance mustered 16,000 supporters at the Tory party conference in October, although it boasted that it could have attracted twice that number if police had allowed it. The 1998 march, which marked the high point of alliance support, brought 300,000 supporters to London. Its creation was an adroit move at a time when the anti-hunting movement seemed to be winning the propaganda battle. The chairman of the Dart Vale and South Pool Harriers has attacked Labour for failing to understand these issues.
People are angry.
They feel misunderstood and interfered with. It is extremely sad that urban Labour MPs are seeking to impose their misguided views on the rural population. Similarly, they emphasise the economic impact which a hunting ban would have on vets, stable employees and farriers. Since the March 1998 demonstration, however, the alliance has struggled to maintain its former momentum. A few days after the march, the alliance appointed a new chief executive, Edward Duke.