The Countryside March

How many of you went on the Big March? What was it like? Will Blair take any notice?

What do you think about it all?

well mate, not many people took much notice of the miners, steel workers and heavy engineering industries when the manual and semi skilled got sold down the river?

Monk, I think you're missing the point here mate. The difference between that lot yesterday and the miners, steelworkers etc is that the people you mentioned didnt have any money. The farmers etc who marched may not be loaded but they are in a much stronger position than any miner ever was. I can give you a cast iron guarantee that there were more monied and landed people there yesterday than the total number of miners and steelworkers who lost their jobs.
At the end of the day its all about how much clout you've got and who you know.
It would be interesting to see if the anti angling brigade really can align themselves with the countryside alliance. There must have been many thousands of anglers there yesterday. How would they deal with the antis?
I dont think that angling would ever be banned as the number of jobs lost would be astronomical.

Actually Tony, that was exactly my point, things and things change mate and the more clout you have, the longer you can keep that change at bay, I'm personally very scepticle about the future of angling, or at least angling as we know it today. I hope your right mate, I really do!

Sorry mate, got it the wrong way round. DOH!!
How do you see things going then Monk?
Do you really believe that there will be a ban of one sort or another on angling?
Personally I cant see any Government being brave enough to take on banning a sport which has the highest number of participants of any sport.

The highest number of participants means nothing unless we can stand together as one. Angling is part of a society which is largely segregated through different interest intensities, different branches and different ideologies, If maggots were banned, most carp anglers wouldnt give a monkeys, if sea angling became licensed, most game anglers wouldnt give a dam! In my own area we have many park lakes and public recreational waters, twenty years ago angling was an accepted pursuit on most of them, slowly over this period of time, more and more swims have been reserved for conservation and wildlife purposes, so much so that some lakes now have a total ban on angling. We were hit hard over the lead shot issue, yet the percentage of lead shot which was produced for the angling trade was significantly lower (I think 2%) than the lead shot manufacturing market, aimed mainly at shooting and hunting disciplines, anglers were the falls guys for this and we still get stick over it even today. live baiting is probably the most obvious change occurring now. The growth in environmental sustainability and political correctness, and wildlife and countryside legislation will certainly have a significant effect on angling in the years to come. Angling may well be a multi-million pound industry, but how much effort is really put back into the sport, what professional representation do we really have? Should we align ourselves with all country pursuits or do we need to be more selective, would the fox hunting fraternity align themselves with us if serve change occurred? It would have been interesting to find out just how many coarse anglers were present in the march, with a breakdown of all other factions?

Sorry Tony, didnt mean to go on so much!

I an another 103 people from my village went on the march, it was amazing how many people turned up. Of course Mr blair was hidding out at chequers as we found out afterewards. I would hope that the government will get the message now that we are all passionate about the countryside, but part of me also thinks that if Tony has anymore bad press he will do his usual thing to try to get himself off the hook and try to pass the bill for banning hunting with dogs!

Dodgy area Steve, anglers are divided on hunting and fishing, some want to align, others want to distance themself?

Monk, at this stage my preference is to distance angling from fox hunting. The whole subject of FH is just too emotive.

In terms of the march, I just thought it was all too confused about why people were there. All I heard was "lets get away from the FH debate, this is about homes, jobs, transport, schools as well as pursuits".

Well, let me tell you something, I have the same problems living in a town, if not worse. Housing is a nightmare. A small twin bed house (really small) goes for ?220K. My house, a 3 bed detached, not massive, just valued at ?400K. Now I am lucky work wise, but if I had to start from scratch, even on my reasonable wages I couldn't even buy a first time house in our town. Oh, and by the way, we are not in a school catchment area (even though 2 schools are within 2 miles) so we had to send my daughter to a private school, no choice. I also watched my father die 2 years ago, holding his hand on a trolley in the corridor of a shite (only) local hospital.

And I have very little sympathy with farmers. I know too many that went to my university, and their attitude towards the countryside was appalling. It was all about cutting hedgerows, dredging drainage ditches, polluting the environment with insecticides and chemicals (proven to be the reason the fish in my club lake now do not reproduce) and taking massive subsidies. Some of the smaller holding farms are trying to transform on the back of organics, and I genuinely wish them luck.

Sorry, this may aggravate a few, but I thought the whole thing was confused and pointless with a complete lack of clarity of what the real messages were. It did nothing for me.

Wow – that’s better.

couldnt have said it better myself mate!

The Common Agricultiral Policy has changed little from where I'm standing?

I,m actually living with a farmers wife who use to be involved with the Buckingham Hunt Sabs!

Did she shoot 'em?

I know you dont share my views on this mate, but like you I only believe in hunting for food, not for sport, and I'm sceptical of our guardians of the countryside, many I feel are industrials in disguise. Like the anti-anglers, many are genuine people, perhaps misguided by those who tend to manipulate for their own ends.
She did take a twelve bore and stop a hunt once which attempted to run across her land!.

I've had endless debates with our Paco about bull fighting. I'm an angler and conservationist!