Countryside fury

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Sunday's Countryside march was the biggest political demonstration there has ever been in London. The organisers were eager to downplay the political nature of the rally - yet it was clear among all who took part. It was the revolt of the middle classes in largely - but not entirely - rural areas, who are fed up with being treated as a minority by New Labour.

The scale of the march tells us as much about the Tories as it does of the depressed condition of the countryside or the arrogance of this Government. In the past, the pent up fury felt by those who marched through London yesterday would have found a natural voice in the Conservative Party.

Today, the Tory Party no longer knows what, or whom, it stands for. The Countryside demonstrators are all too aware of the Tories' impotence. Mr Blair and New Labour will be tempted to dismiss the demonstration as an irrelevance, the last gasp of an easily ignored group of fox hunters. They would do so at their peril.

People will resort to other forms of direct action if their pleas are ignored and if they feel the countryside is persistently let down by the Government. More importantly for Labour, the true supporters of the countryside are far greater than the numbers who went to the rally.

For every marcher who turned up in London yesterday, there were another 10 or maybe 20 who would have been there if they had not been needed on their land instead.

The Government will be making a serious mistake if it continues to ignore the pleas of the countryside - it could prove to be Labour's poll tax.

 

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