Just so all you hooligans know......

[Vagabond]

Tom Brake MP, who is a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, and Co-Chair of the new Liberal Democrat Backbench Committee on Home Affairs, Justice and Equalities, noted that:

"There are a number of projects underway using angling as a diversionary activity which would contribute to the prevention of riots

 

Presumably anyone carrying a petrol bomb will be invited to trade it in for a set of fishing tackle.

 

As it was recently reported that 75% of the recently convicted rioters already had criminal records I will be writing to Mr Brake, asking him to keep his rioters out of my sport.

 

Should we be insulted that Mr Brake thinks that if we are not fishing, then we are out looting and pillaging - or should we merely take the view that many politicians are stupid people with stupid ideas and that Mr Brake is obviously near the top of the stupidity league?

 

As a piece of inspired political thinking, it is on a par with handing out free ice-cream to would-be rioters - the average yobbo can't do much damage with a large vanilla-flavoured cornet in either hand.

 

I hope several will read and respond before this gets buried away in the waffle of "con and pol"

[Renrag39]

All we'll get is an influx of wannabe Noddies. All they'd be interested is having a photo with a 'gnarly' pike. A dead one more than likely...

It doesn't matter what a yobbo is doing, you won't change the nature of the beast and they'll just wreck our fishing areas!

Then there will be an outcry at all the damage being done to our waterways, reports of obnoxious and/or violent 'anglers' roaming the towpaths.

Result:- There will be a call to ban fishing...

 

Typical narrow minded and idiotic thinking of an MP.

 

Kick the w@nkers into the Army and let them see how 'ard they are then when someone fights back and shows them what a real riot is!!!

 

Renrag

[Vagabond]

Kick the w@nkers into the Army and let them see how 'ard they are then when someone fights back and shows them what a real riot is!!!

 

 

I am glad you agree with me in general, but to the above idea NO! NO! a thousand times NO

 

The services don't want these yobbos for exactly the same reason that angling does not want them.

 

During my National Service I rose to the dizzy rank of corporal and had the misfortune to be put in charge of a bunch of so-called "hard men" conscripts. Useless and unemployable in civvy street, they were equally useless in the services. When push came to shove, they didn't show a core of steel, just whined that they were hard done by. Several were discharged "with ignominy" although they didn't understand the word nor the concept of disgrace.

 

I remember one character who tried to hit me over the head with a bottle (from behind) - in later years he was hanged for murder - a pretty unpleasant one that involved rape as well.

 

Budgie - you were in the mob - what is your take on this?

Edited September 22, 2011 by Vagabond

[Renrag39]

Point taken Vag,

Any other ideas of what to do with them, apart from Soylent Green?

 

Renrag

[Adam247]

At least some on is agreeing with me that the country is beeing run by c*nts and no feck all about what the real scocity is like. if we was to sign out of the human rights act and be sepreate from europe then I could probably bet that 90% of the socialaly retarded ( scalls and scumbags who fiind intimidating old women into their own house ) would change their habbit pretty fast down to the fact that they would get the sh*t beaten out of them and the death penilty wouldnt go a miss. what you think ?

 

harsh but its how i feel

Edited September 22, 2011 by Adam247

[Anderoo]

I think the death penalty is too good for them. Send them to the nearest commercial.

[gozzer]

I thought we already had hooligans in angling, some seem hell bent on ruining angling by proposing culls, and retribution for perceived "decimation of stock". While others try to ruin it by over manipulating stock numbers and species.

 

Even I was called a "vandal" on here, because I said I supported keeping the right to take 'one for the pot'.

 

No we have enough hooligans, we don't need any more.

 

John.

[SpecimenSean]

So we should just abandon these kids to their own devices and let them ruin their lives before they've even begun, thats what your all saying yeah? You lot dont half talk some elitist bullshit sometimes.... A lot of the kids in the riots weren't horrible, snarling thugs hell bent on anarchy, they were stupid, bored kids in the school holidays that got caught up in the excitment. Of course something can be done for them, something has to be done or our **** country just gets worse...

[Dales]

I guess there are two ways to look at this. If it turns around one or two people lifes, I have my doubts but some claim it does and I cant prove otherwise then it is a good thing and worthy of support.

 

However if it alerts a criminal element to the fact that angling is full of high value objects much more expensive then the stuff found in Foot Locker and JD Sports then maybe not so good.

 

My reservations about all these "Good and Worthy Schemes" is why should good decent people have there leisure time spoiled by others and lets by honest its the average angler who will have to put up with these people. It's ok for some liberal types to propose bringing these young scamps in to angling but are they going to be fishing on there chalk stream syndicates or estate lakes. Well frankly No, they will be introduced to the sort of waters that the rest of us fish.

 

I am sure a few peoples lifes may be turned around by such schemes but I think the majority will not. A rotten apple is a rotten apple in any walk of life and if you store it with the good apples it will ruin the lot. I am looking at it from a purely selfish point of view and make no bones about it, why should angling be expected to take on any problems. We have plenty already that we do not seem to be able to deal with.

 

To be honest I don't know what the answer is and clearly something needs to be done but I don't buy that getting kids in to angling will change there lives around but I think it does help keep good kids on the staright and narrow. But if you get your kicks form setting fires and throwing bricks is pole fishing going to interest you?

[gozzer]

I used to do a bit of trying to 'rehabilitate' youngsters through angling. It had very mixed results.

A small local mill pond was popular with local pensioners, but it also attracted a large crowd of local youths, hell bent on doing whatever they wanted, regardless of others there. After a stone and insult throwing session, I managed to grab one of them. After a verbal dressing down, (the kid was nearly wetting himself through fear), I asked if he just came down to cause trouble, or did he want to know more about angling. He chose the latter, and we arranged to meet. Over a period of time he and several of his 'gang' came down, and a few of the regular anglers and myself, showed them how to go on. Some took to it, (you could soon tell which ones would), and some drifted back to their old antics. We had some parents come down to the pond to meet us and thank us, and still come and talk to us even now. The kids are mostly grown up, and I often hear my name called when I'm out and about, and they come over for a chat. I've even had them send a pint over on my rare visits to the pub. The rest, (the majority) are still in trouble, well known to the police, and some have served prison sentences.

 

It does seem to work for some, (in my experience the minority). Some of the 'bad' ones seem to resent you 'helping' their mates, and reducing the 'gang' number, and go on to cause more trouble than before. The plus side was that we had more help clearing up the mess afterwards.

 

It's a great feeling to see a kid change like that, and to feel that you played some part (however small) in helping. But I also wonder if this would have happened anyway, and it was in the kids nature, and you just helped speed up the transition.

 

John.