It is quite astounding how some people can claim that the last election did not cast a clear verdict on the hunting issue once and for all.

Though both political parties took an identical stance, the message being pushed by the hunters' federation was unequivocally clear and urged the hunters to vote with their head and not with their heart - to vote for the party that always seemed to please and give in to their requests, namely the Malta Labour Party.

Indeed, while browsing through the hunters' forum one could easily think one was actually in the MLP's website with numerous posts urging hunters to vote Labour for them to have a last chance to enjoy their so called "socio-cultural hobby". So, retrospectively, it must have been a bitter pill to swallow for the FKNK's council to issue a press release congratulating the Nationalist Party on their election victory. Most probably they had to revert to plan B - a damage limitation exercise!

Let us therefore all hope that we will not be subject to more ridiculous taunts of 17,000 votes plus those of the family members because consecutive elections, plus an EU referendum, in which the hunters were represented and obtained abysmal results, have again and again proven that, yes, hunters' votes no longer swing an election one way or another.