LAST weekend's march through London by 400,000-plus folk was a magnificent achievement. It was also a wake-up call for the Government.

This Labour Government in particular likes to be popular and it must now be in no uncertain terms aware of the extent of that unpopularity. And not just on the hunting issue either.

It should not underestimate the depth of the disillusionment. While many country people were prepared to give the Government credit for some of its rural initiatives (market towns for example), there is plenty of evidence to suggest that countryside issues have been nowhere near the top of this overwhelmingly metropolitan administration.

In its handling of the foot-and-mouth crisis, the importation of cheap and inferior meat, French obstinacy over the ban on British beef and many other issues, it has shown a fundamental inability to understand what makes the countryside tick.

Its desire to be truly "inclusive" only seems to extend as far as the suburbs.

Mr Blair must now realise the hunting issue is not one to pursue when there are other more important matters of state to deal with. Can he really afford to alienate the Middle England which the marchers on Sunday really represent?

The politician in him, arguably sensitive to mood unlike any other modern political leader, must be alive to a sea change in public opinion.

Sunday's march demonstrated that hunting is not just about huntsmen and women. The countryside as a whole wishes to retain it. He surely cannot remain unmoved in the face of London's biggest street protest