Blair reaches foxhunting SuperCompromise™

Prime minister Tony Blair has revealed plans to send 1,700 huntsman to Afghanistan in a SuperCompromise™ through his Middle Way™.

Following another rejection of a ban on foxhunting by the House of Lords and concerns over the sudden decision to send Marines to Afghanistan to hunt down Taliban and al-Qaeda supporters, Blair declared that the huntsmen, in full regalia, will be sent to the Afghan mountains to track and probably horribly mutilate missing terrorist mastermind, Muhammed Atta.

Blair said of Operation Desert Foxhunt: "I believe that this is the only way to appease both the sentimentally over-sensitive urban dwellers and the upper class, inbred, rural idiots."

The deal has met wide approval. Just three days ago, rich landowner Justin Barberjacket told us: "They [Labour (we think)] have no understanding of our country ways. We don't go about trying to ban bowling, curry houses and beggars, or any other such towny traditions. The next thing you know, they'll be trying to stop us shitting in the woods and rutting the maid!"

But following the wunderdeal Justin has warmed to Blair. "There must be good breeding in him somewhere," he claimed. "This jaunt to the far east, or wherever it is, is a spiffing idea!"

Barberjacket is just one of the 1,700 huntmen that will form the Northern Countryside Alliance on the mission. He explained how it would work: "Our dogs hunt by scent and from what we've heard, this dirty Arab chappy smells pretty bloody awful! It will be just like when we chased 'Grimey' Commonslut out of Beecham Forest!"

But sources close to Muhammed Atta revealed that the huntsmen have little chance of catching him, a spokesman saying: "He is not like a fox hiding in a hole underground. He is a man hiding in a hole underground — and that is altogether different."

President George Dubya declined to comment intelligibly on the matter.

Following the initiative, Labour's hard right are expected to push for the deployment of the entire House of Lords on a night-time parachute raid on Baghdad. We'll keep you posted on any developments.