Making the news today....

[David Cropper]

5 minutes ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

Hope your self induced suffering is severe and long lasting Mr C!

 

? That’ll learn ya ?

 

The solution to struggling hill farmers is not fox hunting. That’s just bonkers. 
 

Hill farmers struggle because it’s an inherently unprofitable, inhospitable, financially and ecologically unsustainable hobby masquerading as a  commercial venture. 
 

As if that wasn’t obvious enough, the wholly inappropriate nature of farm subsidy being paid to the land owner - often NOT the poor hard working hands on farmer - the market dominance of supermarket buyers and imports from (literally) the other side of the planet all contribute in a far more significant threat to the lack of viability of hill farming. 
 

Forget all that though, a fox taking 1 ewe/lamb is a much easier concept to grasp AND (for some) provides an easy example justification for a sport / pass-time which is otherwise wholly indefensible, repugnant and illegal. 

 

But apart from that..... ?

Sod off, I'm still ill. 

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

10 minutes ago, David Cropper said:

Sod off, I'm still ill. 

WEAK POINTS AND STRONG

 

You may advance and be absolutely irresistible, if you make for the enemy's weak points; you may retire and be safe from pursuit if your movements are more rapid than those of the enemy.

 

 

[Khriss]

Indeed and a bird in the hand is not worth two in a bush, if yr firing 76mm cannister - at said bush. 

 

@David Cropper, hope yr feeling better now.... Sick parade WAS several hours ago....... ?    K

[Stubby]

21 minutes ago, Khriss said:

Indeed and a bird in the hand is not worth two in a bush, if yr firing 76mm cannister - at said bush. 

 

@David Cropper, hope yr feeling better now.... Sick parade WAS several hours ago....... ?    K

Is that Gerry moving about down there ?  Stack my vitals so it is . Wait for it , wait for it .......☺️

[David Cropper]

45 minutes ago, Khriss said:

Indeed and a bird in the hand is not worth two in a bush, if yr firing 76mm cannister - at said bush. 

 

@David Cropper, hope yr feeling better now.... Sick parade WAS several hours ago....... ?    K

Thank you Khriss.  You sir are a gent. Champagne, wine from the Loire area followed by Kronenburg. I think I may be bulimic.  Same symptoms as suffered by Princess Diana. Plus nearly a tin full of Celebrations went down my neck. Dog took me for a walk this morning, I was a very ill boy. Didn't manage sick parade. 

[Khriss]

1 hour ago, David Cropper said:

Thank you Khriss.  You sir are a gent. Champagne, wine from the Loire area followed by Kronenburg. I think I may be bulimic.  Same symptoms as suffered by Princess Diana. Plus nearly a tin full of Celebrations went down my neck. Dog took me for a walk this morning, I was a very ill boy. Didn't manage sick parade. 

A) Champagne AND Krooning Bug  is Self Inflicted Wound

 

B) Not sharing a tin , A Tin Mr Cropper,  would be  a Treasonable Act  in any sane world , consider yrself on a Charge .

 

K

 

( as per yr Royal Defense , noted ,    I feel mine clearance duties a suitable redemption ....... just avoid any underpasses      ) 

[Youngstu]

On 27/11/2020 at 00:39, Johnsond said:

SNP attitude to all types of shooting is well known. Given an opportunity they would ban the lot. Whilst I’m no fan of that type of shooting I know as an FAC holder  for 25yrs how it’s easy to pick off different disciplines, Hand gun owners were singled out after the tragic events at Dunblane whilst a lot of the shooting associations and governing bodies sat back and did nothing. The same attitude may well be shown to the tweed wearing types with a line of range rovers parked on the moors. Long term it will only go one way and that’s one more shooting discipline ticked off the list. 

I do have a degree of sympathy for those whose livelihoods may be affected by changes to the rules around shooting etc and even those who may find their "sport" becoming outlawed, but when you look at how these shooting estates came into existence to cater for these activities, and the wholescale destruction of wild species that was necessary (or deemed necessary!) it would surely be a good thing to allow them to go back to how they used to be if it was ever possible considering the local extinction of many of the species concerned. 

 

I'm currently reading a book called  Rebirding, Restoring Britain's Wildlife. It's an interesting read so far but some of the facts and figures for the intentional decimation of unwanted wild species are horrifying such as this example: 

 

"On Glengarry Estate , in the Highlands, between 1837 and 1840 alone, 27 white-tailed eagles, 18 golden eagles, 18 ospreys, 275 red kites, 63 goshawks, 462 kestrels, 285 buzzards, 63 hen harriers and 198 wild cats were killed - the records meticulously noted by the person that killed them."

 

We may not get everything back and certainly not in our lifetimes, but if a significant part of these upland areas was returned to nature without the removal of unwanted species to protect the chosen few, surely this would be a good legacy for future generations?

 

[Mike Hill]

Hard one.

 

What part of the UK do you live in Youngstu?

[Johnsond]

18 minutes ago, Youngstu said:

I do have a degree of sympathy for those whose livelihoods may be affected by changes to the rules around shooting etc and even those who may find their "sport" becoming outlawed, but when you look at how these shooting estates came into existence to cater for these activities, and the wholescale destruction of wild species that was necessary (or deemed necessary!) it would surely be a good thing to allow them to go back to how they used to be if it was ever possible considering the local extinction of many of the species concerned. 

 

I'm currently reading a book called  Rebirding, Restoring Britain's Wildlife. It's an interesting read so far but some of the facts and figures for the intentional decimation of unwanted wild species are horrifying such as this example: 

 

"On Glengarry Estate , in the Highlands, between 1837 and 1840 alone, 27 white-tailed eagles, 18 golden eagles, 18 ospreys, 275 red kites, 63 goshawks, 462 kestrels, 285 buzzards, 63 hen harriers and 198 wild cats were killed - the records meticulously noted by the person that killed them."

 

We may not get everything back and certainly not in our lifetimes, but if a significant part of these upland areas was returned to nature without the removal of unwanted species to protect the chosen few, surely this would be a good legacy for future generations?

 

I think you will find the impact modern farming methods make to the ecological balance of the countryside are thousands of times more harmful than the shooting you describe. My point is and your comments confirm what I said is that people whom are not affected by it don’t care. Like I say it’s not my thing, tweeds and expensive shotguns but it won’t be a sensible focused bit of legislation as in all things firearms and shooting control it will instead  be a knee jerk pandering to the urban left whom despise the countryside and in many cases have zero idea of the husbandry involved in maintaining it. Unless you are a FAC holder and have been on the receiving end of totally unjustified legislation then it’s difficult to realise how easy it is for governments to just legislate a minority sport out of existence. 
 

[David Cropper]

If there was no control over keeping the numbers down, it would be a catastrophe. The amount of deer in the UK has exploded in the last few years. Remember they have no natural predators, apart from man. Here in France due to the lockdown and La Chasse not being able to be out and about, the numbers of wild boar have been very noticeable. On my morning dog walk I see the damage where they've been rooting in the fields and roadside verges, this is literally on the edge of the village. If you hit one in your car, by Christ you'd know about it. Animal numbers have to be controlled or the result will be disastrous. The rabid green mob who want everyone to eat veg rather than meat, what will happen to the existing herds, meat and milkers. Farmers can't keep them, wholesale slaughter will ensue, breeds will be extinct.