Rod Licence Levy - Salter Seeks Views

GrahamM

GrahamM

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Please read this press release thoroughly. It's probably the most important issue in angling today.

Angling has more participants than any other sport and yet we are still the least professional when it comes to representation.

Is it down to our infamous apathy? I think so. What other reason could there be?

But let's debate this proposal by Martin Salter and write to him with our views.

It's the least we can do.
 
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BAZ (Angel of the North) aka Fester

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I am all for a volountary ?1 levy on the licence to help our cause. Why not make it compulsory instead? After all, it is for our own benefit.
 
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Mark Hodson

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All seems like common sense stuff, I for one wouldn't mind paying an extra ?5 a year let alone just ?1 if it saw a half decent representation in the press and also on the banks. After all, in proportion to the cost of living such a sum is a poultry figure for anyone to contest if the end result was right.

Which leads me to the end result, the most important thing about appointments on such a body, who would be well paid professionals whose main employment would be working for the national representative angling body full time, should be based on their skills outside angling. Personality and standing in the sport have nothing to do with representing angling at a national level, a whole different skill set is needed.

The reason we have such a mess at the moment is we currently have a lot of well intentioned amatures compeating against well paid, legaly aware individuals who represent bodies such as the RSPB.

Get a half decent body with all 3.5 million anglers behind it all singing from the same hym sheet and we'll get somewhere. Until this happens we are destined to endure the status quo which is quite frankly to depressing to think about, and will inevitably be to the detriment of our beloved past time.

I only hope it happens in my lifetime.
 
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Lee Swords

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Mark has taken the words right out of my mouth.

We need to act and we need to act now or within the forseeable future angling will have been seriously curtailed or maybe even totally banned.

We are not capable of defending ourselve against much smaller hostile parties.
 
S

sash

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Me too.

I'd actually like to see angling management by the EA / police / game department? or whoever get to be more like America or some of the European countries where control of illegal fishing means something i.e. confiscated tackle and big fines. Where fishing without the appropriate licenses will land the angler in deep doo doo indeed!

But as that will never happen in our nanny state a solid representative party must be the next best thing.
 
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Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA)

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The devil will be in the detail.

Will it be an amalgamation of the existing organisations who have little standing, perhaps save for the ACA, with anglers?

Would these bodies be willing to give up their role and influence in favour of a unified body? What are they saying in response to the Salter proposal?

Who would administer the levy? If it was only voluntary,if a levy can be voluntary, then there seems little reason to expect anything other than the usual apathy/indifference.The RSPB is often cited as a professionally organised body.Don't forget though that it relies on donation and membership.Why cannot we do likewise?

Martin Salter has my respect.Make no mistake he is a proper angler who I have seen on the banks a couple of times.I hope he survives the anti labour backlash at the next election.Let's use his influence whilst he can still give it.
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)

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I fully agree with Martin Salter's press release. A measly pound is nothing for the average angler. I would willingly pay ?100 for a fishing licence which is not even as much as I pay to licence my car.

I know many on this website pour scorn on the anglers of the USA for example, but believe me, there is real solidarity amongst USA anglers whan it comes to safeguarding their sport.

It's time we had the same sort of attitude in this country.
 
F

Fred Bonney

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The existing bodies representing angling have little or no sway.
Let's have a levy.
I think it should also be independant of any Government quango,ie the EA,so as to ensure,that the levy, is used for the purpose, it would be designed for.
 
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Lee Swords

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I hope he falls at the next election but his work is carried on by another polititian and not some leftie do-gooding mithering taxaphile from the "we know whats best for the world" and the "oh look there is 60,000,000 people in the country from all corners of the piggin world all wanting something to eat, drink, somewhere to sleep, a mobile phone and a say in what your wife wears on a night out with the girls and on top of all that ?250 a week in limping lesbian HIV positive TB carrying sick benefit" party


Going for breakfast

See you all in a bit
 
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Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA)

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This body is not going to morph into existance by collective will.Who will set it up? Is it on the agenda of any of the plethora of existing bodies? If not,why not?
 
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Steve Spiller

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I have no objection whatsoever to a maesly ?1 increase to my license.

Would it be possible to get some sort of government funding to create a new body and could it also recieve funding from the national lottery? Angling is a worthy cause and every other bugger seems to get a handout form the lotto! If we could get funding this way it would kick start the project and get it off the ground, then a compoulsary ?1 increase on the licence fee would also have to start. I don't believe a volountary contribution would work, because of the apathy of anglers.

Something has to be done and this is the perfect oportunity with Martin on our side.
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)

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Agreed Steve.

What we really need is a Eric Hodson Mk II.
 
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sash

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Does anyone know how many licenses are actually sold in the UK? And how many people they are actually sold to (i.e. 4 rods = 2 licenses)? I know it's not this mythical 3.5 million figure that keeps getting thrown around.

I also know, from various internet forums, that there are still loads of regular anglers (including some rather well known ones) that don't buy a license.
 
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Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA)

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I know Keith Arthur is of the opinion that the best body to provide this level of representation would be the ACA.Indeed he even suggests that the regulation of the rod licence system be administered by it.This would mean angling would be self regulating.There is some merit in that but do the ACA want that role?

Lots of questions here to which I don't have the answer to.Does anyone else?

It is no good simply wishing for an all powerful angling organisation to fight our corner.Its like motherhood and apple pie as the saying goes.Its something we all want, but unless something CONCRETE is done, it will never happen.
 
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Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA)

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Ron, for the youngsters amongst us, who was Eric Hodson Mk1?
 
Peter Jacobs

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I would fully agree with Nigel's comments, especially those regarding the existing bodies.

Now, lets be totally honest with ourselves, for a change:
The EA published the figure of what, 1 million licenses sold last year? that is a long way short of the 3? million figure that is commonly, (and misguidedly) bandied around.

Right now, an extra pound on our licenses would nett just over one million pounds - hardly enough to even begin to think about a National Unified body, with full time employees, let alone offices, advertising budgets, training and promotion schemes and the plethora of other necessary items if this body are to be taken seriously.

The truth of the matter is that we would need an annual budget of around ?15 million if this entity were to be set up properly, with professional staff, lawyers and project managers.

So, maybe the question should be are we prepared to part with 15 quid a year for this?

Personally, I am - how about you?

And lets not forget that are are existing bodies around who will not take lightly to their "power" being reduced either!
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)

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Nigel,

Eric Hodson, through his own efforts, created the National Association of Specimen Groups, The British Carp Study Group and The Pike Society.

He was also largely responsible for the common rod licence we have today.

He was totally unpaid for all this work. In fact when he wrote an article in a magazine, he sent the fee to the ACA.

Only those who lived through the 60s in this country could appreciate what that man did for the good of angling in this country. Forget the rest, this man should have been awarded a OBE years ago.

Graham, can you put a link on this thread to the History of the Big Fish Movement?
 
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Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA)

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I am not posting this on the Norfolk Broads Under Threat thread for fear of taking that thread off kilter.

I signed the petition for what it was worth, but if ever there was an example of why we need a unified body professinally defending angling's interests wherever they are threatened, then this is it.

Peter Waller's post on Speakers Corner sets out why the proposed Bill may impact on long etsblished angling practices in the Broads.I am not sure what other lobbying is being done but instead of a well drafted petition setting out how the Bill specifically threatens angling interests, we are asked to sign up to something put together by a yachtsman which does not set out the issues involved for anglers at all.I admire people's enthusiam for putting pressure on over the issue, but how much more effectibve that pressure would be if it was profesionally applied?Instead we are being asked to sign another interest group's petition.
 
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