Action Or Inaction?

A number of interesting points in this.

"Where are our PR agencies" - interestingly the most effective since the PETA campaign started has been the Countryside Alliance for example Charles Jardine was TV in the Northwest last night. Where are the NFA who recently turned down help from the CA?

As regards What can we do? I think we can do a lot of very simple things on a personal level to make the idea of restricting angling seem absurd to the average non committed person. Anything we do to make angling appear a normal popular part of everyday life helps our cause. In a sense the people who matter in the long run are not the antis or ourselves, but the vast majority of people for whom it matters not. These are the people whos acquiesence to either our cause or the anti's will determine what happens in the end. Anything that makes Joe Public see us as part of the normal pattern of life will help - even seemingly trivial things like reports about your club in the local paper (many will happily print a short report and good photo) or dishing out Rainbows you've caught to your work colleages.

Some good thinking there John,

Maybe if we spent a little more time promoting our sport in a better light, we could as you say prove how much of a way of life angling realy is.

Also if we can constantly keep good news about angling going out, it may do more harm to the anti's than an anti anti's campaign.

I think there is a lot the individual could do, even in minor ways, if we actualy tried it.

I agree with jon we have to promote fishing as a social and maybe cultual part of the publics life style, and maybe things like reports on your local fishing clubs and even if people like you and me organise with you locala club a tidy event or what ever where you go and tidy up rivers and lakes and so on.

PETA are a bunch of rear end kissing goody goody organisation, however I shouldnt say that cos they will have terrorists on my door tring to kill me!!

Did any of you lot see the artical in the sun?? it was so miss leading!!!

That is true as well Mark but the only prob is that there are only a hand full of people would would do such things ( I for one would do some activities to help fight back!) is there anyway to motivate them??

dear mark i love your positive thinking but please think clearly 1st. 1/ we do have a government licensing body. 2.we do have quite a large industry worldwide that is.3.there is a large income from fishing rights.4. we do have organisational bodies in the form of leasing bodies + fishery management.+ landowners ect. all of which i am sure have each their own associations ect. so please do not get too despondant, if and when the time comes i am sure they will all stand to be counted, individually &together, especially if their livelihood depends on such and doubly sure if there is substantial income to a government body , which there is, which is a very good reason to stop moaning,everyone that is about the cost of a fishing licence the more they get in the more secure we are, what have all these antis got to offer, a release from petty boredom,thats all,no more no less....as a great man once said "let every man do his duty" but only when needs be......

Round and round in circles we go and nothing ever gets done. Wasnt there a simila thread last year? I am as guilty as anyone in thinking that it will be OK. Problem is that i you say you are against the ethical treatment of animals you are seen as the bad guy.

What can we do?

I am not saying the anti's are going to have an easy time of it, niether will they achieve many of there agenda's in the short term.

What I am saying is, that their methods are to inform people of their versions of the facts in order to change public opinion. Once that is done it is very hard to turn them back, and a lot of your general public are very easily swayed.

I have fought PETA and their likes before on other subjects, and they are increadibly good at manipulating stories and events to make something sound 1000 times worse than it is.

The most recent was the IAMS, cat/dog food business, in which the company was reported to have worked on live animals. The way the anti's reported it all, made you think the company was cutting open cats and dogs and removing kidney's etc., without even anesthetics. I had access to the real report (via a friend) and it was a lot diferent to that in real terms. But they did a huge amount of damage, which no matter how you tried to explain to the public that had been horrified by it, it was nigh on impossible to make them see what this lot were doing.

This is the way these people work, it's what they do best. They know how to manipulate words and images, in ways you could hardly believe, and they realy know how to turn them to their advantage.

I can provide examples, but they are not from the fishing campaigns, so I don't think it would be apropriate here.

But I do have great faith in us anglers and in the fishing industry, but I do wonder if we are realy prepared for this kind of war. It is not what any of us are used to, and it makes tabloid journalism look like Janet and John.

John,

Good points but how do you dish out rainbow trout to colleagus at work. After your poor performance at Barnsfold I would have thought it more likely you'd be buying them cod and chips !

Ouch ! )

The very reason why I advocate getting in first. Discredit PETA simply by a nice clean letter to your local rag pointing out PETA's true agenda. No meat eating, no pets, no wearing leather, no milk for children etc. This puts PETA on wrong foot to start with and anything they then say is looked upon with suspicion. Use their own tactics against them.

Kevan

It is the same old story, I am allright Jack, If it is not effecting me, why should I bother?
This attitude is amongst all walks of life, including fisherman, only when this sport is banned will fisherman get off their bums & try, if they can to reverse the ban on fishing, The tackle shops should make their customers aware by having notices on their products, also fisherman should stick together, but no, most fisherman nowadays are in for carp or pleasure, (not excluding anyone) but these are the main stay anglers of today, & of course as long as they can fish, they will not be bothered until it is to late to protect our sport (lives)
PROTECT OUR SPORT! PUT YOUR NAME FORWARD AND MARCH AGAINST THESE MAD PEOPLE!PROTECT WHAT LITTLE RIGHTS WE HAVE LEFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And join the Countryside Alliance!