Hard to see any winners

Just because you make a decision, it doesn't necessarily mean the issue is closed - even if you are the Government of the day with a healthy majority.

One suspects that Tony Blair is about to find this out after last night's decision to use the Parliamentary Act to impose a ban on hunting with dogs from February next year.

The reaction from pro-hunting supporters was predictable - they will fight the ban in the courts, they will ignore the new law and some will go to jail if necessary.

In short, Mr Blair - who apparently has no strong feelings either way on the issue - might yet pay a heavy political price for throwing the fox hunting issue to his back bench as a bone to chew on.

He now faces seeing the issue simmer - or more likely burn - all the way through next spring's expected General Election campaign.

The decision came after an extraordinary few days which have seen this Bill shuttle back and forwards between the Commons and the Lords with the political considerations far outweighing any concerns for the welfare of foxes.

And that is an issue which angers most "neutrals".

Somewhere along the line, the reason for this Bill got lost in a flurry of vested interests and political point-scoring and self-interest.

Many in the rural community - even those who are no great lovers of hunting - resent part of their way of life being used as a political football.

That said, the law is the law, and by February that law will state that hunting with dogs is illegal.

There will inevitably be protests and legal challenges and, as long as these remain within the law, that is as it should be in a democracy.

Mr Blair has delivered, albeit reluctantly, the ban his Government has promised for so long.

Now he has to deal with the consequences.

And it is hard to see either side in this heated debate - which became a political mish-mash - being happy in the longer term.

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Lack of trust in this Government

Another day, another call for the Government to hold a public inquiry.

Yesterday it was a call for the Ministry of Defence to stage an open inquiry into the events at Porton Down weapons site following the death of County Durham serviceman Ronald Maddison in secret nerve gas tests 50 years ago.

The day before, it was calls for a more open investigation into the events which led to the death of six military policemen - two from the North-East - in Basra.

Both events warrant further investigation.

Important questions remain unanswered but there is a wider issue to be considered.

This Government has found itself at the centre of a great many such calls in recent years.

That fact should be a matter of concern to New Labour's image-makers and the leadership in general.

Putting aside the details of the individual issues, we can only conclude that the underlying theme is one of public trust.

There does not appear to be much trust in this Government.

That is why there are so many calls for independent inquiries - despite some of the less than open hearings it has staged in the past when it had no choice but to bend to public pressure.

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