The reactions of all sides to the Queen's Speech: the League Against Cruel Sports, the Countryside Alliance and the Middle Way Group.

Pro- and anti-hunt groups in the South West have been considering what has been announced in the Queen's Speech.

Mike Wendling, London Bureau Chief. Parliament continues to appear preoccupied with hunting ahead of all other issues. USA.

Simon Burch. Its opponents call it a cruel anachronism and want it banned, while its supporters say it is a priceless way of life. Feature writer Simon Burch joined the Meynell Hunt to find out more for himself.

Mark Smith. Two Fat Ladies star Clarissa Dickson Wright's shop in the Grassmarket has been vandalised by animal rights extremists. Her outspoken views in support of fox hunting have made her a target for animal rights extremists in the past but this is the first time her shop in the Capital has been vandalised.

John Mason. Alun Michael, rural affairs minister, ix expected to announce the government's proposal on hunting with dogs before the Commons rises for the Christmas holiday. The parliamentary showdown will take place after Christmas, the government said.

Lucy Ward, political correspondent. The wording of the speech suggests that, as campaigners predict, the government is unlikely to put forward legislation paving the way for an outright hunting ban.

Nigel Morris, political correspondent. The Rural Affairs minister has been taking evidence and listening to the views of animal welfare and pro-hunting groups, trying to identify "as much common ground as possible". But the Government said a hunting Bill will only be introduced, "based on evidence and principle", once the minister had finished considering all the evidence.

Brian Viner. Mr Leeke dismissed the painful notion that this might be the Ledbury's valedictory season after 192 years. "I feel we've won the arguments," he said, "but we have not yet won the hearts and minds of MPs.

Leader. What would be really courageous, however, would be to recognise that the Government should not press ahead with a ban, not because it is not worth the trouble but because it is wrong in principle. The true liberal ought to recognise that other people must be allowed to do things of which the majority disapprove, provided the balance of harm is roughly even.

Eben Black and Jonathan Leake. Ministers plan a rigorous system of licensing for foxhunting likely to result in the disappearance of most hunts under proposals set to be announced in this week¹s Queen¹s speech.

Jonathan Miller. "The verdict? Hunting is, I suppose, quite good fun if risking your life and surviving is how you get your buzz. As to its cruelty, the grim commissars have still to explain to my satisfaction how hunting is any more cruel than exterminating rats. But now that we live in a one-party state I do not suppose rational argument will play much part in the decision to ban it, or not."

Peter Foster. The Countryside Alliance's new advertising campaign features a plumber, a student and a gay couple. The campaign is aimed at challenging the stereotypical perceptions of hunting that supporters say are peddled by opponents who want the sport banned.

Francis Elliott, deputy political editor. The proposed law will ban hare coursing and staghunting, allow rat and rabbit hunting, and use tribunals, chaired by senior legal figures and including members from animal welfare and countryside groups, to rule on individual foxhunts being both necessary and the most humane method. If there is no consensus, the chairman will decide.

Charles Clover, environment editor. The alliance, in a "Declaration of Cohesion" said after yesterday's Queen's Speech: "A partial ban on legitimate hunting has no evidence to support it, is based on prejudice not good sense, and would be fought with implacable resolve and with all lawful means at our disposal."

According to the league's own (anti-hunting) deerstalker, the deer should be humanely culled to avoid the suffering of individual deer. According to Douglas Batchelor, nature (starvation, disease and hypothermia) should be left to control excessive deer populations.

Daniel Foggo. A former member of the League stated that five or six foxes at a time were released on to Sir Paul McCartney's land, and once 15 or 16. With no rabbit habitat in the dense, coniferous wood the foxes dispersed to the neighbouring land on which farmers keep sheep. Foxes being territorial they kept moving on until they found a vacant area.

Daniel Foggo. The spokesman for the Real CA, a hardline splinter group, announced the decision at a summit meeting held two days previous that when the terms of the new Bill are deemed to be a 'hostile', then the response of the group will escalate to the disruption of utilities.

Tom Peterkin, Scotland political correspondent. Lord Watson of Invergowrie, the MSP behind the foxhunting ban, was accused of hypocrisy yesterday after he extolled the virtues of shooting game and stalking deer.

Tom Peterkin, Scotland political correspondent. A police spokesman said: "The matter was discussed with the procurator-fiscal and it was concluded that no crime had been committed."

The mood among Countryside Alliance supporters was upbeat as a record 15,000 crowd turned out yesterday for its annual fund-raiser at Cheltenham racecourse.

Philip Webster, political editor. The Queen's Speech will reveal that the repeal of Section 28 will be missing from the Local Government Bill and the Government's favoured solution for dealing with a ban of foxhunting, whatever that may be, will also missing.

Anthony Browne. Since many Islamic authorities accept stunning of animals prior to slaughter, producing cruelty-free halal, there is no religious justification for this cruelty - it is just cultural practice. MPs opposing foxhunting and not the far greater cruelties of ritual slaughter are hypocrites waging class war.

Russell Jenkins and Valerie Elliot. Explains the problems with trying to shoot foxes, especially in developed areas.

Mike Watson, the driving force behind the foxhunting ban in Scotland and now the Scottish Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, claims that grouse-shooting and deer-stalking are vital to the Scottish rural economy.

Aidan Harrison. Why any Bill published with a title along the lines of "The Protection of Wild Mammals..." will be a lie.

Melissa Kite, political correspondent. In all 160 MPs, most Labour, have signed a Commons motion welcoming confirmation in the Queen's Speech that a Hunting Bill will be brought forward this session, but making clear that a compromise Bill will not be acceptable.

Anthony Browne, environment editor. The Union of Country Sports Workers representing gamekeepers and huntsmen is seeking a judicial review to overturn the Scottish ban on hunting with dogs on the grounds that it is illegal discrimination.

Valerie Elliott, countryside editor. Alun Michael, Rural Affairs Minister, is to meet some Labour MPs next week. One of his arguments is to point to the legal muddle created by the hunting ban in Scotland and new concerns about animal welfare as more foxes are being shot and left wounded.