Hunting answers (From The Northern Echo)

If the writer wants to criticize Joanna Lumley about animal welfare she should not start out by using her great campaign on behalf of the Ghurkas, what she did for the Ghurkas was nationally supported whereas animal welfare has for/against supporters, those who like to hunt and those who don't, the writer should attack one or the other group not start out with someone who has done the country a great service.

And this supposed reluctance of JL to condemn hunting is relevant to her campaign for the Gurkhas - how?
Ms Willows appears to want to filter every action of every person through this one criterion of whether or not they support hunting. If Mother Theresa was non-committal on that subject, I suspect Ms Willows would write off every other action of hers.

No one would deny Miss Lumley has done a wonderful thing for the Ghurkas,or that she has been a high profile animal welfare activist and as a patron of the Dr Hadwen Trust she has spoken out against animal testing, she is also a committed vegetarian. But I do think it's a little strange that the lady has also done a voice over for a children's series called "Fox Busters",written by hunt supporter Dick King Smith and of course biased against nasty Mr Fox,the epitome of evil. It would seem that hunting is one of those areas where the people you know and mix with are more of an influence on your activities than are your true beliefs in the right or wrong of hunting. Miss Lumley does indeed mix with avid hunt supporter David Cameron and with Charles and Camilla who make no secret of their liking for anything that draws the blood of animals. She has also spoken out about backing the Green party as an alternative to Labour or Conservative, and I believe that Ms Willows comment about a vote for the Green party being wasted is a valid point. David Cameran has made no secret of the fact that, if elected, overturning the hunting ban is at the top of his agenda, he feels so strongly about it he rates it higher than health, education or law and order, that is because he supoports hunting. We all know that at the moment Gordon Brown gets blamed for everything, even rainy days, but if you don't vote for either of the two big parties you're sitting on the fence and by not voting Labour you're possibly allowing Cameron and his Countryside Alliance mates a foot in the door and the chance to set our animal welfare laws back a hundred years. This is something that Joanna Lumley as an animal activist should know, I just wish she would come out with it!

In defence of Ms Willows who I know very well.I saw the original letter she wrote to HAS.In it she stated that she admired the work of Joanna Lumley on behalf of the Ghurkas.I'm afraid that was edited out and throws a bad light on Ms Willows !She and many more of us only want to know where Joamnns Lumley stands on the hunting with dogs ban ? It's hypocritical for anyone to say they love animals if they only love certain species.They are all living breathing beings just like us.Joanna Lumnley can easily settle the argument simply by stating her views.

In response to the two attacks made on Mrs Willows, I think you will find that a very important sentence was edited from her letter before publication. The sentence read: I have no problem with that(Ms Lumleys campaign)these men have fought for this country for many years, and the lives of many of them have been sacrificed in doing so". Mrs Willows did not in any way shape or form condemn Ms Lumleys campaign in fact she praised it, but this point has been totally misrepresented. The point of the letter was that she wished to know what Ms Lumleys stance was on an issue very dear to her heart. It is also relevant here to point out that there were in fact several groups of people in the country who did not agree with the fight for the Gurkhas, but who unlike Mrs Willows did not have the courage of their convictions and say so, but hid behind some other shield. And as for the comment about Mother Teresa, that is neither use nor ornament as a retaliation in this discussion,the woman was a humanitarian and publically, and often in the face of abuse from others, continued to do the work that she felt she was put here to do. How quickly we all forget the good works that the late HRH Princess of Wales did, and for all she did she is still dismissed by many as suffering from delusions. Was that because she was anti-bloodsports as well - what a thorn in the side she must have been for the Windsors.