Agree or Disagree

[paulus 26]

Its out of date as far as the next election goes but, i think still very accurate, even today. 

 

This week’s Saturday 5 minute opinion piece is from Hunting Kind contributor Chris Stevens about hunting with lurchers in UK.

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"Lurchers for Labour"

I will have to start this article with a disclaimer: At no point am I justifying the actions of criminals who lack respect for their quarry. I am speaking purely on behalf of the majority you don’t hear about on the news, who hunt sustainably or for the pot, albeit sometimes poached.

Despite historically being the sport of kings, coursing and lurcher work is the most sustainable, beautiful, and pure form of hunting. Yet it has an extremely low barrier to entry. For little or no money, you can pick up a lurcher or ferret and sneak onto the laird's land to score some game for the pot.

Angus Campbell was a psychologist at the University of Michigan. His 1981 book, "The Sense of Well-being in America," concludes by pointing out that ‘having a strong sense of controlling one’s life is a more dependable predictor of positive feelings of well-being than any of the objective conditions of life we have considered,’ such as income, geography, or education. This idea strongly echoes the essence of the common man hunting with lurchers, terriers and ferrets. Participation in these activities offers individuals more than mere sustenance and exposure to the outdoors; it instils a profound sense of empowerment and self-determination. Hunting with dogs empowers individuals to take charge of their surroundings and encounters, nurturing a deep connection with the natural world. In other words, Liberty and Livelihood.

It's ironic that in 2004, Labour delivered the decisive blow. By initiating the rural culture war, they unwittingly stripped away the liberty of blue-collar Labour voters and their rural cultural heritage.

In many Labour towns, lurchers, terriers, and ferrets are commonplace. These animals have served as enduring substitutes for firearms, enabling blue-collar individuals to secure sustenance without drawing too much attention. The ban has eroded these peoples’ sense of autonomy, identity, undermined their cultural heritage, and deepened socio-economic inequalities.

As long as these grievances remain unaddressed, the Labour Party will struggle to garner support from rural voters, many of whom would otherwise be inclined to support the party. This could help to elucidate the party's dismal election losses since 2010, when it became feasible to oust them following the hunting ban. This, alongside the controversial gold deal, has undoubtedly contributed to Labour's electoral setbacks.

Lurchers, terriers, and ferrets serve as vital connections between town life and the countryside, allowing townsfolk to maintain a stake in rural affairs. Engaging in activities like ferreting and ratting not only keeps youngsters away from idling in pubs or gaming but also imparts invaluable lessons in field craft, animal husbandry, and fosters a profound connection to nature. Many gamekeepers have emerged from these communities, highlighting the role of these activities in nurturing skilled individuals. Moreover, ferreting and ratting forge synergies between farmers and communities, fostering collaboration and mutual support.

Numerous folk take pleasure in outwitting landowners by clandestinely entering and leaving the land with a few game in hand. While this poses little problem when utilising dogs, the implementation of Scottish-style legislation may prompt them to resort to weapons like crossbows or easily concealable illegal firearms.

Most landowners were happy to ignore people who walk and course across their land. It is only ruined by people who drive, who are light-fingered around farm machinery, and don’t respect the quarry. It will probably come as no surprise that driving fields is a direct result of the ban. Steep penalties for coursing have necessitated the need for people to get away quickly, hence the start of field driving instead of walking. But we don’t ban shopping because some people shoplift.

Many landowners in the UK would tip the wink and turn a blind eye to a genuine local lurcherman, with the unspoken understanding that the community is getting their share and he keeps everyone in order.

Now for the hard bit. The driving damages the crops, and understandably, the farmers get pretty fed up. So, they shoot the hares…

It might be surprising to learn that most instances of dumped hares and game are not as straightforward as depicted.

I would wager that the recent dumping of hares and pheasants in Hampshire was more likely the result of theft from farm larders by disgruntled poachers, perhaps due to the loss of their own hares or as a protest by antis against game shooting. There's no conceivable way that these hares were killed by any super dog or by someone without legal access to firearms on the property. It's suspicious how quickly Chris Peckham had a view of the situation so fast. Similarly, in other instances, it's common to come across hares scattered across bridleways and other areas as a warning to potential poachers and also to warn landowners of poachers’ power.

I firmly believe that a straightforward legislative adjustment, legalising coursing while criminalising damage to crops, could swiftly mitigate this issue. Poaching, naturally, would remain prohibited. However, it's remarkable how many farmers might be inclined to permit access to their land in exchange for a small gesture of appreciation, such as a bottle or two of wine annually, allowing individuals to traverse their tramlines and ferret their hedgerows. By implementing this change, I am confident that wildlife levels would experience a resurgence and through this reengagement with the community, thefts will plummet.

This entire issue appears reminiscent of historical events such as alcohol prohibition and the criminalisation of marijuana. When the government intervenes, it often exacerbates the situation rather than improving it.

This is evident in the dales where lurchermen and wildlife thrive thanks partly to the drystone walls. It’s not really possible to drive the land up there, its remote so fear of getting caught is lower and as such life goes on hand in hand with the farmers. These are sometimes the same lurchermen the police are chasing around Lincolnshire on other days.

It beggars belief that Labour's two big events had the two most adverse effects on the blue-collared man.

Tony Blair accepted a million-pound bribe, removed their liberty and locked them out of their hunting cultural heritage and access to nature. Then, to rub salt in the wound, shipped them off to an illegal war to get shot at. How is Tony Blair not in prison…?

Lurchermen are primarily sportsmen. They would never raise a gun to most quarry and wince at the sight of shot game. They certainly look after or leave alone the species that are thin on the ground, even if they are poaching.

And guess what, sometimes they bet on which dog is best! So what! Humans bet and try to better everything, and lots of that is actually worth worrying about, but it’s aired on TV. Like Crufts breeding dogs that can’t breathe or stand, legal online gambling where people lose everything and commit suicide, the list is endless.

Lurchermen normally hunt the dominant species in each area, which provides the said man with the most sport and most food while subsequently maintaining a happy balance.

Believe me when I tell you that no lurcherman has ever hunted his haunt dry. In fact, quite the opposite. The day after the ban, more hares were shot than were ever killed in the entire history of the Waterloo Cup. That doesn’t take into account all of the lurcher clubs up and down the country, which were made up of working-class people only.

There is also a strange bigotry around different species. There is no difference between a deer, a fox, and a rabbit. Lurchers catch or don't catch. There is a minimal or negligible wounding rate. If society deems it acceptable to shoot running or standing boar, deer, fox, hare, etc. knowing the potential for wounding (find me a stalker who hasn’t mishit and lost a deer), or shoot birds in huge numbers knowing the amount that are wounded, or catch fish in trawler nets, then by the same logic, hunting deer with a dog should be considered acceptable, very acceptable.

While I understand that this perspective may not resonate with everyone, I urge you to reflect on your own experiences. Consider the anticipation of witnessing a kill during a safari or the immersive experience of watching a David Attenborough documentary. Hunting with dogs, when conducted skilfully, aligns with the natural order of the wild, fostering a sense of sportsmanship and fairness. Just as in any aspect of life, proficiency ensures that the end is swift and respectful, and we condemn anyone who seeks to do otherwise.

If Labour really wants the rural vote and more town votes, they should look much closer at this demographic. It’s big, election changing big, and they are mostly naturally supportive of Labour, but have had their liberty and/ or livelihood taken away from them so have swung right. This is a real swinging matter for them, far more important than any other matter. This principle applies to the larger rural community as well. People’s perception of liberty, livelihood and freedom influences their vote more than anything else.

By recognising the value of traditional hunting practices like coursing with lurchers and implementing appropriate regulations, Labour can potentially gain support from rural and urban voters while also promoting conservation and responsible stewardship of the countryside. Labour is listening to a prejudiced minority and polling from a completely inappropriate demographic and drawing the wrong conclusion.

I'd wager that swing voters are primarily those whose liberty and livelihood are on the line. The true anti-hunters constitute a minuscule portion of this group, unlikely to sway towards the right on this issue. As for the rest of the so-called rural populace polled, their circumstances remain largely unaffected, meaning their voting behaviour is unlikely to change.

[WILF 46,712]

Great sentiment but all based on a false premise……

The bit the author is overlooking is that firstly, the two main party’s couldn’t give a flying f**k about the average British bloke, his way of life or what he thinks.

Secondly, these Party’s  are made up of people who think in exactly the same way as the antis think, who care more about “scare words” and saying a bloke in a wig is a real woman…..they don’t care about the ex miner or shipyard worker, they f***ing loathe him in reality.

Why the f**k we, not just as hunting folks but as British folks, keep trying to appeal to people who quiet obviously hate us I have no idea. 

Edited April 8 by WILF

[Arry 21,642]

There is not one party in this country that is going to support any kind of hunting, maybe fishing for a while but they will make that harder and harder. They all pander to the gleany greenies and the media hate any kind of hunting while knowing f**k all about it. 

The future for the country skills is grim imo.

Cheers Arry

[Greyman 28,286]

I,ll let you no next week when I finish reading it lol

[low plains drifter 10,416]

4 minutes ago, Greyman said:

I,ll let you no next week when I finish reading it lol

The cat sat on the mat 

[THE STIFFMEISTER 15,795]

The game is too far gone now for hope of realigning the law. 

the recent Scottish bill will inevitably creep south of the border . 

The job isn’t just f****d , it’s now on only fans making a good living . 

hindsight is a difficult beast to feed , but in reality, we should have torn London apart at those marches. Thats the truth 

a million pounds led us to this . Labour never gave a f**k about the rural vote then , and considerably less now. 

one final thing , I say this very sad hearted . Things reach a natural cycle, of all my friends into the dogs , only two of their kids have ever shown any interest in it . Two from a cast of literally hundreds . 

taking the kids to the odd day a the river , or up the hill is all well and good , but hand in heart , are they really that interested ?  The world is vastly different from when we all learned our trade with dogs , it’s not a mystical thing anymore . A crying shame imho 

[paulus 26]

2 hours ago, Arry said:

There is not one party in this country that is going to support any kind of hunting, maybe fishing for a while but they will make that harder and harder. They all pander to the gleany greenies and the media hate any kind of hunting while knowing f**k all about it. 

The future for the country skills is grim imo.

Cheers Arry

Fishing is already under threat but not so much from the greens or the antis, The take up figures from the younger generation have fallen to a low that nobody has ever experienced before, Just ask in your local tackle shop or people on the match fishing scene. Then there's the carp fishermen who just want a dick measuring contest and will do anything to get the biggest dick, They cause more issues with other parties that use the waters i bailiff than everyone else combined. There a marina on one of the local canals, This marina has good stocks of carp in there, They send bait boats in to drop there baits, Then loose most fish when there line rubs on the walls of the entrance, They have damaged the sign over the bridge whilst trying to chuck big leads under the bridge. The rubbish they leave is unbelievable, Including evidence of drug taking, The Bloke that owns the marina and is at the point of asking the CRT to remove all the carp from in there, 

[WILF 46,712]

4 minutes ago, paulus said:

Fishing is already under threat but not so much from the greens or the antis, The take up figures from the younger generation have fallen to a low that nobody has ever experienced before, Just ask in your local tackle shop or people on the match fishing scene. Then there's the carp fishermen who just want a dick measuring contest and will do anything to get the biggest dick, They cause more issues with other parties that use the waters i bailiff than everyone else combined. There a marina on one of the local canals, This marina has good stocks of carp in there, They send bait boats in to drop there baits, Then loose most fish when there line rubs on the walls of the entrance, They have damaged the sign over the bridge whilst trying to chuck big leads under the bridge. The rubbish they leave is unbelievable, Including evidence of drug taking, The Bloke that owns the marina and is at the point of asking the CRT to remove all the carp from in there, 

You wouldn’t believe the absolute dipshits I used to aim out of our lake mate which was always colourful seeing as the ticket was £300…..Carp fishing is an industry and I personally never wanted anything to do with all the bollocks surrounding it.

However, when it comes to antis and banning it, we was dealing with antis on the bank nearly 40 years ago when I was a kid…..no mobile phones then so they used to get the shit kicked out of them if they didn’t leave.

But fishing just don’t convey the same imagery to the public as a fox torn to pieces by a bull greyhound or a terrier with its face hanging off.

Fishing will never be the “baby” deer being killed by dogs or bullets and gutted in the field.

It won’t be the hare or rabbit that closely resembles the childhood pet ruthlessly slaughtered by big burly thugs !

They just can’t get the same traction with fishing, I believe it is still widely viewed as an amiable pastime of old farts.

 

Edited April 8 by WILF

[TOMO 26,073]

3 minutes ago, paulus said:

Fishing is already under threat but not so much from the greens or the antis, The take up figures from the younger generation have fallen to a low that nobody has ever experienced before, Just ask in your local tackle shop or people on the match fishing scene. Then there's the carp fishermen who just want a dick measuring contest and will do anything to get the biggest dick, They cause more issues with other parties that use the waters i bailiff than everyone else combined. There a marina on one of the local canals, This marina has good stocks of carp in there, They send bait boats in to drop there baits, Then loose most fish when there line rubs on the walls of the entrance, They have damaged the sign over the bridge whilst trying to chuck big leads under the bridge. The rubbish they leave is unbelievable, Including evidence of drug taking, The Bloke that owns the marina and is at the point of asking the CRT to remove all the carp from in there, 

Think Wilf goes carp fishing.........lol

[TOMO 26,073]

Lol...posted same time

[THE STIFFMEISTER 15,795]

Just now, TOMO said:

Think Wilf goes carp fishing.........lol

Wilf is carp fishing 

[THE STIFFMEISTER 15,795]

5 minutes ago, paulus said:

Fishing is already under threat but not so much from the greens or the antis, The take up figures from the younger generation have fallen to a low that nobody has ever experienced before, Just ask in your local tackle shop or people on the match fishing scene. Then there's the carp fishermen who just want a dick measuring contest and will do anything to get the biggest dick, They cause more issues with other parties that use the waters i bailiff than everyone else combined. There a marina on one of the local canals, This marina has good stocks of carp in there, They send bait boats in to drop there baits, Then loose most fish when there line rubs on the walls of the entrance, They have damaged the sign over the bridge whilst trying to chuck big leads under the bridge. The rubbish they leave is unbelievable, Including evidence of drug taking, The Bloke that owns the marina and is at the point of asking the CRT to remove all the carp from in there, 

I will see your carp fishing and raise you pigeon racing 

[THE STIFFMEISTER 15,795]

3 minutes ago, WILF said:

You wouldn’t believe the absolute dipshits I used to aim out of our lake mate which was always colourful seeing as the ticket was £300…..Carp fishing is an industry and I personally never wanted anything to do with all the bollocks surrounding it.

 

Oh please go on 

[paulus 26]

2 minutes ago, THE STIFFMEISTER said:

I will see your carp fishing and raise you pigeon racing 

I will take pigeon racing and raise you cage bird showing Lol

[paulus 26]

5 minutes ago, TOMO said:

Think Wilf goes carp fishing.........lol

we all have our crosses to bear Lol