Richard Littledale's
Views on the News: March 2005

Hacked off?

At last, its over. Its cruel, it involves riding roughshod over private property, and anyway it was the pursuit of the 'unremarkable by the unethical', or something like it! Yes, at long last hunting with hacks is outlawed. Apparently it is still permissible to flush out the quarry with one or two newshounds before the paparazzo shoots it, but hunting with hacks is a thing of the past.

Whilst their unfortunate quarry will doubtless breathe a sigh of relief, the future for the hacks themselves is uncertain. Will they be put out to grass, farmed out to local rags, or something worse? Experts say that the habits of celebrity-hunting are almost impossible to unlearn, and these hacks will definitely not make good family pets! There are those at City Hall in London who say the kindest thing might be to put them down…

All of which goes to show how easy it is to get hold of the wrong end of the stick! It shows, too, that there would be gain or loss in any dispute, even an imaginary one! The fallout from the introduction of the ban on hunting with packs will doubtless entrench the perceptions which each side holds of the other. Some of this will be based on fact, some on hearsay, and some on accumulated myth, which rolls round and round like a giant snowball getting bigger as it goes. In reality there are very few disputes where there is all gain and no loss or all loss and no gain. However 'all change is perceived as loss'.

In Luke's gospel Jesus sets a young woman free who is possessed by an evil spirit. He thereby gives her back her freedom, her dignity and even her character. One might assume this to be an entirely good outcome. However, her 'owners', who made a living out of selling her prescience to passers by, perceived this healing as a loss - and turned on Jesus as a result. When Christians proffer the good news, they must recognise that it brings an end to selfishness and ushers in a servant-master relationship with Jesus. This is a wonderful gain…but a not inconsiderable loss too, and should be openly acknowledged. Even this miraculous change brings loss.

Before long there will doubtless be a campaign to 'give-a-hound-a-home'. If you succumb - be sure that there will be gain and loss there too! Be sure that the hacks may be round to see how you are getting on as well -but at least it will make a change from hunting celebrities!