REAL LIVES, REAL VOICES
My latest book, Real Lives, Real Voices: In Defence of Liberty, Livelihoods and Hunting within the Law, is one of several products generated by the We Are Hunting project. This was established in 2024 in response to the Labour Party’s manifesto pledge to ban trail hunting, an activity which involves pursuing an artificially laid trail rather than the scent of a wild animal. The project’s main purpose is to show the political leadership of this country that further legislation, designed to “tighten” the 2004 Hunting Act, could have a severe, negative impact on rural communities, small- and medium-sized businesses and domestic animal welfare.
Real Lives, Real Voices challenges the lazy stereotype of hunters as an overwhelmingly wealthy, privileged elite enjoying an arcane tradition.
Public debates about hunting tend to be fractious, with a small number of people who represent the hunting community doing their best to counter what they see as the propaganda and misinformation peddled by animal rights activists. Seldom are the people most closely involved in the practice of hunting – the huntsmen, the kennel staff, the farriers, the vets, the landowners and farmers, hunt followers from all walks of life – given much, if any, airtime.
One of the purposes of Real Lives, Real Voices is to ensure that politicians and decision-makers hear the voices of the people whose lives would be most acutely affected by a ban on trail hunting and the removal of exemptions which allow some limited forms of hunting to continue. A ban would have a dramatic and wholly negative impact on many rural communities, on small and medium-sized businesses, and on domestic animal welfare.
If you would like a copy you can buy one here: https://wearehunting.com/product/real-lives-real-voices/
