This Boxing Day, according to the BBC we had some quarter of a million people out participating in hunts across some three hundred locations in the UK.

Labour's 1997 election manifesto promised a free vote in parliament on banning fox hunting, something that we carried out. Unfortunately thanks to the influence of Tory MPs and the House of Lords a ban on fox hunting had to be watered down, and made in my opinion ineffective. We clearly see the same old stuff going on, only now within the law, the hounds - so the huntsmen and women claim no longer kill the foxes.

The larger issue is untouched by the ban. As a society, we have decided that people chasing after and killing animals is immoral, especially when done in the way these hunts are carried out, viewed as entertainment! A jolly good day out! Population management, as these people claim they're doing shouldn't be a good day's entertainment.

Things have been looking up for the pro-hunt crowd over the last couple of years since the ban, it energised those in favour of fox hunting, while those opposed thinking they had won almost went into hibernation. It is starting to show, the Countryside Alliance is so bold enough to claim "With growing support from MPs and candidates of all political parties the hunting ban is on borrowed time."

I believe we should push for a new ban, a ban that doesn't give way to the Tory MPs and the House of Lords. We should go all the way and get a total ban on this barbaric practice.

I'd just like to wish all our members, activists, supporters and so forth a merry christmas! And for anyone out there that is interested, be sure to take a look at the Socialist Appeal website for some inciteful articles on the true identity of Santa and the founding of Christianity.

Even if you're not Christian, let us remember that this is a religious holiday. And even if you don't believe in Christianity, let us not forget the message of peace that it promotes at this very special time of year.


Comradely Regards,


Lee Skevington
CLP Secretary

I think it is time to comment upon this growing disaster, certain aspects of "new" Labour seem to be moving back towards alternative methods of party funding after they were defeated a while back, they see this whole series of events as a good excuse to revive them. A welcome consequence for them as it would destroy the trade union link, while still giving their business friends some ability to support the party.

I support John McDonnell's proposals to limit donations from individuals to £1000 per year. That would cut out individual businessmen from donating huge sums of money.

Everybody in the party caught up even slightly in this crisis should stop using it as an excuse to push through their neo-liberal agenda to destroy Labour's link with the working class and offer their resignation. Their dodgy donations should not be used by them to push their own agenda.

As some of you will of no doubt heard, Pittards due to the current weakness of the US dollar is set to shed about a quarter of its workforce. This is part of an ongoing decline in the company, one where we've seen a scaling back of the workforce and pension deficits over the last few years.

To quote the Yeovil Express: "Company bosses said the severe weakening' of the US dollar during the past year had adversely affected profitability and redundancies were now necessary."

David Laws says his thoughts are with all those whose jobs are at risk. Touching. Kevin Davis has a bit of an opportunistic stab at David Laws for not doing anything about it. Of course the Tories offer no solutions other than criticising everybody else. This is the free market at work, and neither the Liberals nor the Tories have solutions, their ideology is firmly committed to the free market, being free, just like the "new" Labour leadership. The only solutions come from the left, from those that think outside of the box.

To save those jobs I would urge the bosses at the company to take a hit to their pay packets, perhaps even reduce the numbers of managers at the company, until the situation with the exchange rate improved. Profits should come after people's jobs, if the company needs to operate on razor thin profits for a while, so be it. If these were demands that the people of Yeovil got behind, maybe we could make a difference. Workers should never be first on the chopping block.