COUNTRYSIDE Alliance members are stepping up action to protect rural traditions, which they believe are being threatened by government policy.

They are promising a sustained and escalating campaign to secure fairness, tolerance and civil liberty for rural people and their customs, through various publicity stunts, demonstrations and unannounced wildcat action.

Alliance members hope this will highlight the growing frustration and anger among rural people at government plans to interfere in countryside issues, such as fox hunting.

The demonstrations and other events have been timed specifically for the lead-up to the proposed Government Bill on hunting around the turn of the year and beyond to the general election in May 2001.

The Alliance will hold daily demonstrations throughout the Labour Party conference in Brighton, when rural issue-themed floats will parade along the seafront accompanied by 1,000 rural campaigners from different regions.

They are also planning to maximise publicity by putting up signage and displays along the main routes into Brighton highlighting the Alliance's civil liberty message.

Members are also planning a presence at each of the other party conferences as well.

A series of regional conventions are also in the pipeline, as well as a major countryside conference to be held in London and attended by MPs and rural commentators.

The Alliance is also planning what it refers to as opportunistic "lightening strike" demonstrations to tie in with government ministers' visits, as well as peaceful picketing and information outreach campaigns.

Countryside Alliance chief executive, Mr Richard Burge, said: "It appears to be a sad trend for government policy to be formulated increasingly on the back of public opinion focus groups.

"Well, if that is the only way the government will listen to the countryside we have decided to lay on for them the largest focus groups they have ever seen."

Mr Sam Butler, chairman of the Campaign for Hunting, warned of possible civil disobedience from rural protesters angry about the recent government inquiry into hunting.

"We were aware of such a head of steam building up in rural areas because of this issue that we would not be at all surprised to see certain civil disobedience measures emerging."

"Whilst we will not ourselves be using this strategy we would certainly give support and assistance to any action in prospect which is peaceful but punchy."

He added: "MPs must realise that people do not surrender their freedoms gently and that attacking those freedoms in a democracy will degenerate into a guaranteed vote loser."