THERE is some considerable public sympathy for hunt supporters.

Even those who oppose hunting on principle are critical of the Government for devoting so much parliamentary time to the subject, at the expense of more pressing and urgent issues.

A great deal of that support, however, evaporated at the sight of violence outside Parliament and the sight of five demonstrators forcing their way into the chamber of the House of Commons.

Because of yesterday's events, public attention has switched from a debate on hunting to a debate on national security.

The handful of protestors who resorted to violence in Parliament Square and the handful of protestors who entered the House of Commons have done nothing to further the cause of the pro-hunting lobby. Those who condemn hunt saboteurs cannot condone those who try to sabotage the workings of our parliamentary democracy.

Perhaps unwittingly, they have probably hastened the demise of hunting with dogs in this country.

They have also prompted a thorough review of security measures in the Houses of Parliament.

It is clear that lessons have not been learned after the flour-throwing incident earlier this year.

With the whole of Britain on high alert, our seat of government is an obvious potential target for terrorists. And yet, five people clad in T-shirts bearing pro-hunt slogans, can still manage to find their way on to the floor of the Commons.

The public has every justification to question the level of security for ordinary men and women if MPs and ministers are incapable of providing sufficient security for themselves.

While the intruders must hang their heads in shame, so too must those responsible for protecting our Parliament.