AGOOD compromise, it is said, leaves everybody mad. And that, after the horses have been stabled and the dogs put back in the kennels, would appear to be the case following this weekend's "banned" hunt meets.

Of course, the Bill to ban hunting with dogs was never presented as any sort of compromise.

It would, we were told by its supporters, spell the end of a particular form of animal cruelty.

It would also, we were told by its detractors, spell the end of rural country life as we know it.

Both sides, it would seem, were somewhat wide of the mark.

More than 90 foxes were killed at the weekend across the country, the majority of which will have been subjected to some form of chase by a pack of hounds.

It is just the manner of their actual death that would be different.

And, given the number of people out and about supporting hunts at the weekend, rural communities may well have been given something of fillip by this Bill, rather than the opposite.

The vagaries of the legislation are such that it would be possible to drive a coach and horses - as well as a pack of dogs - through the detail. One look at the weekend's activities is enough to tell anyone - expect perhaps a politician - that this Bill falls far short of its supposed intention.

It is simply a major inconvenience for huntsmen and a major disappointment for those opposed to hunting.

What a waste of time.