In case the UK readers have not noticed there is a general election coming up pretty soon. It throws up many questions about who to vote for. In the past I would probably have voted for the green party but after their pretty intense …and I can only call in anti angling manifesto I do not think it will be them
The Green Party is concerned about the damage caused to wildlife by carelessly discarded fishing tackle and the costs involved in cleaning it up. It is believed that this can best be tackled through ensuring a level of competency and knowledge prior to being permitted to engage legally in angling.
Pretty heavy stuff huh….you should read the rest.
Now compare that to the new labour “Charter for Angling” which a full copy can be found of in many places including Anglers Net
Here is a little extract
Angling is a well-regulated, lawful and responsible pastime which delivers huge benefits to society as a whole. It enjoys according to recent E.A. surveys, the support of over 75% of the UK population with only 5% considering angling to be an unacceptable activity. However, it is important that anglers and angling receive proper legal protection from those who seek to disrupt or destroy their sport.
The greatest threat to angling is from the destruction of the aquatic environment through loss of habitat, pollution or excessive abstraction or water. However, there does exist a tiny minority of animal rights extremists who have on occasions sought to disrupt angling events and competitions. Their threat to angling has been grossly overstated by the supporters of hunting in particular, who clearly wish to enlist the help of anglers in seeking to overturn the ban on hunting passed by Parliament last year.
I like it………..i LIKE it!!! apart from that hunting bit….but I suppose they had to get that in.
I shall now let you make up your minds……..would be nice to hear your thoughts though……….especially if you know anything about the tory or liberal democrats policy 🙂
Hi Alistair,
I dunno about their current campaign, but I voted for the Lib Dems in the last election because of their policy to enforce stricter controls on salmon farming in order to protect wild stocks. I wonder how successful a party would be if it’s sole policy (no pun intended) was to improve angling for everyone. There’s a lot of voting anglers out there!!!
Alex
I can see where you are coming from.
As far as I can see Labour is the only party to actually come out and say that they want to harness angling as a sport. Even if it is purely about money (angling is BIG BUCKS) I think it is still going in the right direction. Would be nice if it was more like the states where angling and fly fishing was more common