Cotswolds hunt master behind Blair's doubts
THE mysterious hunting supporter who made Tony Blair doubt his ban on fox hunting has been revealed to be Chrissie Down from the Cotswolds.
The former Master of the North Cotswolds Hunt met Mr Blair during an Italian holiday in 1999, when demonstrations about fox hunting were at their height.
In his autobiography, the former Prime Minister mentions an unnamed woman who spoke to him about his 1997 manifesto promise to give parliament the vote over outlawing hunting with dogs.
He wrote: "She took me calmly and persuasively through what the hunters did, the jobs that were dependent on it and the social consequences of banning it and did it with an effect that convinced me. From that moment on, I became determined to slip out of this."
The woman has been identified as Ms Down, from Broadway, who was master of the hunt for five years until 2003.
She was staying in Elba with family, who were hosting a lunch for the Blairs.
The 60-year-old said she was under strict instruction not to mention hunting. But when Mr Blair asked her what she did, she said his face hit the floor.
"He came to talk to me. It was all quite jokey, not as serious and political as he makes out in the book," she said. "So if he was persuaded it was more by how I was than what I said."
3 Comments
by Quedgeley Guy, Quedgeley
Monday, September 06 2010, 10:16AM
“There's no doubt about it. Fox hunting was just becoming cruelty for amusement. It's a pity that the lady never tackled that issue.”
by Nigel Williams, Glos
Monday, September 06 2010, 8:14AM
“Spot on Rodeo.
But as said previously. he was New Tory not New Labour.
Me, I don't give a rat's @r$£ about foxes, but I don't want the Govt telling me or others what to do, when it's not affecting others, ie, smoking.”
by Rodeo, Gloucester
Monday, September 06 2010, 8:02AM
“The hunting debate was the vote winner for Blair and Labour. He didn't want to ban it anymore than the Tories but he promised for so long that he would ban it that he was in danger of losing his next term unless he put the wheels in motion.
The bizzarre thing is that chicken keeping is becoming very fashionable. I wonder what the townies will think of foxes when they wake up one morning to a mass slaughter of their new pets.”