One reason our pols keep blathering on about "protecting the RIGHT of hunters to own firearms" is because if they ever turned their attention to disarming them too soon, we'd see replays like this here.

Damnit!  I wish the "typical" deer/duck hunter, skeet/trap types could SEE what is going on and add their voices to ours.



news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3656524.stm

Pro-hunt protesters storm Commons

Parliament was suspended after five protesters burst into the Commons chamber while MPs debated whether to ban hunting with dogs.

Four of the men ran out from behind the speaker's chair. Another wrestled past a doorkeeper from a different entrance.

It came as thousands of pro-hunters continue to protest outside Parliament. There have been some scuffles but it has been a mostly peaceful rally.

MPs voted for a ban by 356 votes to 166 in the second reading of the Bill.

Outside Parliament, police estimate there were between 8,000 and 10,000 protesters but the organisers put it at 20,000.

MPs' debate on the ban was suspended for 20 minutes after the unprecedented security breach.

The protest comes two days after a Fathers for Justice campaigners got onto the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Security at Parliament was questioned in May when a protester threw a flour bomb at Tony Blair as he was speaking in the Commons chamber.

Wednesday's invasion of the chamber is an unprecedented security breach and has prompted fresh questions about security in the Commons.

Shortly after 1620 BST the men rushed in, with one protester shouting at Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael: "This isn't democracy. You are overturning democracy."

As the sitting resumed, Labour MP David Winnick said such incidents were "unknown in the 20th century" and fellow backbencher Stuart Bell said such an invasion had not happened since the time of Charles 1.

Inquiry call

Speaker Michael Martin said he would be meeting the Commons' serjeant-at-arms, who is in charge of security, on Wednesday evening.

Shadow Commons leader Oliver Heald called for an urgent inquiry and Tory MP Sir Patrick Cormack asked how people had penetrated the "ring of steel" and police at Westminster.

Labour MP Clare Ward called the protesters' action an "absolute disgrace" and suggested somebody must have given them access.

"They were in easy access of anybody in that chamber, they could have done absolutely anything," she said.

But the move was applauded by protesters outside Parliament, with a rally compere saying: "Well done, you have suspended business in there and that can only be good."

Clashes

Outside Parliament, the mass protest was organised by the Countryside Alliance.

Van loads of police in riot gear were sent into the area to bolster the hundreds of officers already there, after scuffles in one corner of Parliament Square as police sought to keep demonstrators penned in.

Some bottles and fireworks were thrown and some protesters were filmed with bloodied heads after the clashes, but the protests were overwhelmingly peaceful.

At one stage some demonstrators jostled with police and shouted anti-Tony Blair slogans.

Scotland Yard says a small section of the crowd tried to break through the police cordon but it was "in the main... a peaceful demonstration".

Some protesters accused the police of being heavy handed.

In the debate, ministers are proposing a motion to ban hunting with dogs - though not until July or August 2006.

Manifesto pledge

Mr Michael said the two year delay would give people time to re-home hounds and look at converting to drag hunting and other business activities.

The prime minister's spokesman said it was time to live up to manifesto commitments to resolve the hunting issue after seven years of trying to find a way to find a middle way.

Some critics say the two year delay before the ban would come into force is to avoid pro-hunt protests in the build-up to the election expected next spring.

The minister said the election gave opponents of a ban the chance to register their protest at the ballot box rather than on the streets.

The ban is expected to pass all its Commons stages on Wednesday.

No date has been given for a Lords debate, but this is expected to take place in October.

The government has said that it will force the ban into law using the rarely used Parliament Act even if the House of Lords votes against it, as it has a number of times in the past.

Why the hell would they ban hunting with dogs??

Last time I was in London the COPS didt even carry guns.

That aside - WTF is wrong with British Security -

We had Batman scale buckingham palace earlier in the week -

Dude throw a powder balloon at Tony Blair in the House of commons a few months ago

Don't forget that nutcase who jumped the walls at buckingham palace, made into Queen
Elizabeth's bedroom - and ast in bed with her for 10 minutes having a talk with her before security intervened.

Does anyone else see a pattern here?

Quoted: Last time I was in London the COPS didt even carry guns. That aside - WTF is wrong with British Security - We had Batman scale buckingham palace earlier in the week - Dude throw a powder balloon at Tony Blair in the House of commons a few months ago Don't forget that nutcase who jumped the walls at buckingham palace, made into Queen Elizabeth's bedroom - and ast in bed with her for 10 minutes having a talk with her before security intervened. Does anyone else see a pattern here?

That is one woman I would NOT HIT

[austin powers]THAT'S A MAN BABY[austin powers]

Quoted: Shortly after 1620 BST the men rushed in, with one protester shouting at Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael: "This isn't democracy. You are overturning democracy."

Yes, it is democracy. A whole island full of his countrymen hates guns and hunting. A republic with protected rights is what he wants.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Last time I was in London the COPS didt even carry guns. That aside - WTF is wrong with British Security - We had Batman scale buckingham palace earlier in the week - Dude throw a powder balloon at Tony Blair in the House of commons a few months ago Don't forget that nutcase who jumped the walls at buckingham palace, made into Queen Elizabeth's bedroom - and ast in bed with her for 10 minutes having a talk with her before security intervened. Does anyone else see a pattern here? That is one woman I would NOT HIT [austin powers]THAT'S A MAN BABY[austin powers] I would for the right price.

Yea, with a 2 by 4 right

That is one woman I would NOT HIT

the psycho (he was institutionalized), wasnt even interested in tapping that, I am now going to vomit from the imagery that just past through my head