The move has so far been resisted in the House of Lords, whose members apparently represent counties. Unfortunately for hunt supporters, many counties contain large cities, and if the voting unit for these referenda is to be counties, then hunting shall be outvoted by the heavier city representation. 

A move to ban fox hunting was resisted vigorously last year, when hundred of thousands of supporters converged on London in a noisy and righteous demonstration of their national strength. Hunting has always been supported by the House of Lords, where there is still a Tory Party majority, and resisted by the Labour Party, which is dominant in the Parliament, and which is the seat of a more urban value system, so skillfully courted by animal rights groups. 

The move to force referenda in units dominated by city dwellers is typical of animal rights strategies, and certain elements of the British society are certainly familiar with the strength of voting down the traditional rights of minorities. They have happily transferred that practice to international organizations such as the International Whaling Commission. This is an interesting twist on using democracy as a concept in perverted ways to gain the ends of the numerically powerful. It is a sad commentary on the state of respect for cultural diversity everywhere. �