Letter From The Countryside Alliance

[Peter Waller]

Is Martin Salter right to ignore anglers that belong to the CA? No, ofcourse he's in the wrong, if it were purely that. But would he be dealing with the CA as a whole, or just the anglers? It appears clear that the CA is attacking Martin, so clearly they don't want him to represent them anyway, so where's the problem?

 

Arguably those anglers' interests are being looked after via FACT. The Government, wisely, has made it clear, they wish to deal with one representative body.

 

I would have a problem if FACT wished to join the CA. But if the CA Angling dept wanted to join FACT, and was refused, then even I would have a problem with that. I don't wish to see the CA as members but it would be wrong to exclude them. FACT has set itself up to represent anglers. I can't see that it can pick and choose which anglers it represents.

 

Was the CA Campaign for Angling genuinely started by Angling, or was angling seen as an easy target?

 

[ 15. March 2005, 07:57 AM: Message edited by: Peter Waller ]

[Tim Kelly]

I think attacking someone for not representing you is a bit different to not wanting to be represented...

[argyll]

It appears clear that the CA is attacking Martin, so clearly they don't want him to represent them anyway, so where's the problem?

 

Ah there's those magic words that always let you down. 'it appears'

 

Read the letter, it SAYS not 'appears to say' something different. Ultimately I dont really care what you believe, but I do care about you dragging people along with a supposition thats entirely of your fabrication.

[jim doyle]

THe problem seems to cme in the statement "To represent rural britain as a whole" if this is the case why attack Martin slater only for his views on fox hunting? if the argument is that he does not represent fishing adequatly thats one thing but his veiws on fox hunting are another, I suspect that there are many who support fishing who do not support foxhunting. When it seems the majority of the country may support a ban on foxhunting why make ourselves a target by being thought of in the same light as foxhunters? I cant see the sloan square brigade leaping to the defence of a sport whos only social occasion of note is the openning of the salmon season on loch tay!

[Peter Waller]

Thank you Jim. That is, and always has been my contention. Only you have worded it rather better than I.

[Jim Roper]

What democratically constituted organisation do anglers want to represent them in negotiations with the Government.

 

If we plebs can find out who qualifies, then we could have a poll to indicate AN posters' preferences.

 

NO NEGATIVES, JUST POSITIVES PLEASE!

 

[ 15. March 2005, 03:24 PM: Message edited by: Jim Roper ]

[Peter Waller]

FACT is not democratically elected. Basically it exists by consent.

 

It could be argued that the CA expected the same mandate, but it hasn't really been forthcoming.

 

The constituant bodies that support FACT are largely the result of the democratic process, with the glaring exception of PAC!

[trent.barbeler]

Dear Paul,

 

I would have been quite happy a ways back, if someone had sold tickets for a "Thatcher" powder throwing evening. Cheese and biscuit’s with a string quartet in the interval making the event that more civilised. Personally speaking, angling could raise itself lots of money if it could get "PAL" Martin Salter to organise "powder" or "cold porridge" evenings where the public purchased the right to pelt MP’s of their choice. Lord love us what splendid events they would be! “I’ll have a bucket full of cold slop please and kindly ask Banks and Blair to stick their heads out for a thorough walloping”.

 

And all,

 

Martin Salter appears to be a tad selective in terms of who he talks to on the angling front? Especially selective indeed in whom he answers via email. OK so Martin is the dogs chops in some angling circles because he speaks “to them” but what about the CA’s 25,000? “Not talking to you boo hoo because my friends don’t like you” Give the bloke a banana and tattoo his forehead with the word “predictable”. I mean, are we daft to assume a public servant would serve the public? Well, “all” the public that is and not merely a section that suited because they didn’t side with the naughty Countryside Alliance? No wonder the FACT 2 rushed in to defend the marginal gentleman with their hapless plight. Hapless because the Countryside Alliance chose to unexpectedly lend its side to this fairytale and unlucky because the rest of angling might undoubtedly now see the new FACT in a different light? Sorry, but I can’t swallow this bowl of FACT porridge and certainly won’t support anything that becomes reliant on single party relationships for its success. Martin Salter remains plain wrong for continually ignoring the Countryside Alliances forgotten 25,000. These brushed aside anglers deserve the same rights and fair treatment that the FACT favourites get surely? And with the CA offering anglers the opportunity to join its ranks individually whilst the FACT doesn’t, will a wind of change sweep through our watery places that clears away the FACT propagandist fog? Is this all designed to pathetically further the FACT fable against the CA successes?

 

“Were it the latter, I do hope whoever was noting things down sees that Lee and I are properly recognised in the forthcoming Tory/CA cabinet.”

 

Humour aside; it’s true, I readily admit Gerry, that I’ve had CA activists ask “why oh why aren’t you in CA?” many times before. I’ve always genuinely answered that my faith in angling representation lies with “our own” meaning NAA-FACT and its predecessors. “But aren’t they consistently failing you Lee” Faith can be a curious blinding thing.

 

However. I’m certain now I can’t continue to support an ideology that doesn’t exist, and definitely not one working within the hopes and aspirations of a one party arena.

 

One party arena’s might be fine for guys like Peter Waller, but I’m looking outward towards all arenas where angling must walk to represent its future.

 

And the future dwells in a time where Martin Salter MP and his ilk are all long gone.

 

The more one realistically looks at this angling representation thing, the more twisted it gets. No one apart from “obvious” crackpots would support the idea of a one party state? So why does this government and FACT angling politicos consistently push us all towards the ideology for the same one angling party doctrine? They say there must only be the “ONE” party to represent angling! WHO SAYS SO AND WHY? What’s so wrong with having an official opposition to FACT so people can actually CHOOSE who they want to represent their angling interests? And what right does government have where they say “we will only talk to ONE angling body”? Hang on a minute, where does it say we all have to sit beneath the same umbrella for anything? That’s an ideology that says MP’s won’t have local surgeries anymore where they see and listen to their constituents unless they all turn up together! Another FACT we should all consider as well is the ONE organisation we are ALL being pushed towards supporting doesn’t even allow us to be members of it anyway!! It has NO funds. No prospect for funding. No website. No individual membership base. NO pure angling content. NO wonder it appears then to rely on a one party, one man relationship to carry it along?

 

So who’s kidding who here?

 

Get your on-line membership facility fixed pronto Countryside Alliance. The FACT propagandist fog has started to clear.

 

Regards,

 

Lee.

Prospective Tory/CA minister for angling who’ll speak to everyone. Even the Barbel Police.

[Paul Boote]

EVEN the 'Barbel Police'?

 

Now, that's RADICAL...

 

Signed,

 

The Ever Ideoligically Unsound (a mad-keen Barbel Fisher, once upon a time - long, long ago, but, then, maybe not ... in the right places...)

 

PB

 

[ 15. March 2005, 10:44 PM: Message edited by: Paul Boote ]

[trent.barbeler]

And I thought that TEUI was a sub branch of MI6.

 

MI6? Barbel Police? MI6? Barbel Police?

 

Nah. Just a coincidence.

 

Regards,

 

Lee.