Its no use beating about the bush..!!
I have tried to choose my words carefully.
The three threads that I have been much involved with over the last few days have, in reality, only surrounded one issue - that of fish theft by Eastern European anglers.
I do not find it too mild a statement to make that, irrespective of the morality of the comments I have read, it is clear that guidance is required to relieve the frustrations of many ordinary angling folk, our members, who have become incensed by what they believe to be the most heinous crime against angling in history.
As a consequence of accusations made against these people the discussions would appear to have unearthed a plethora of enforcement issues which until now have existed only in the corners of the minds of most British anglers and has identified fragile elements in a system which we have never before questioned.
As in all situations of this nature we look to our own defences and as has occurred before and will again we find ourselves lacking. A system of governance which once seemed robust now appears fragile and unable to face up to the problems we perceive so our natural instinct is to cry for help, help unanswered we blame.
If it is at all possible - might I ask that what has become, maybe in my mind alone, two separate issues, one of the EU Angler and the other of defence against the black arts (how to manage our fishing and still be friends with the EA), be addressed as such - separately. I do understand that one may depend wholly on t?other but if we are not permitted to see the whole of the first picture we may never be able to achieve enough perspective to address the second with sufficient forethought.
I would like to propose that first of all Graham considers how he might approach the EA to see if there is any remedy available which could possibly alleviate some of the frustration which currently exists within the ranks of our members. This achieved it would give us a fuller picture and enable us to consider how to set out our future.
For certain this will end up in a second round of talks with the EA but at least we will have asked the most salient question first.
Thank you
