1st May 2007
Dear Reader
The time has now arrived for anglers to speak with one voice. Our
sport has an unrivalled tradition, culture and history spanning many
hundreds of years and those of us who fish will not easily follow
Fox Hunting into the abyss as the next politically expedient casualty
of a government which in the judgement of many has lost much credibility.
The National Union of British Anglers (NUBA) has formed to represent
law abiding British anglers from every branch of our sport and by
so doing will ensure the long term future of an honourable, decent
and legitimate pastime, loved and practiced by over 3 million within
these isles.
To Clarify
NATIONAL - England, Scotland, Wales, Northern and Southern Ireland.
UNION - The bringing together of hitherto separate codes and administrations,
Sea, Coarse and Game. (No one above the other)
BRITISH - anyone in the British Isles fishing lawfully and legitimately
with rod and line irrespective of age, race, creed, colour, religion,
sex, social standing or ability.
ANGLER - Sea Coarse and Game
Our Purpose
To form a proactive, independent, powerful and united lobby, properly
representative of our number. To protect and celebrate a valid and
much loved pastime under threat today as never before from a misguided
establishment and a vociferous and well organised extremist minority,
looking now for the next vulnerable field sport to confront. We will
make it crystal clear to MPs from all parties both now and in the
future the dire political consequences of ever perceiving angling
as the next soft target for attack by opportunist, transient administrations
of whichever colour or leaning. Our membership will never automatically
favour one political party above another. NUBA will instead carefully
consider the stance and policies of each in relation to its support
or otherwise for our sport. Our strength will be in our sheer number,
in our passion for angling and our power as a properly organised movement
at last!
Britishness is a much maligned concept today, hijacked and sullied
by such as the BNP who’s vile agenda has of late been offered
a lifeline by an out of control immigration policy hoist upon us by
a Government in disarray. A Government seemingly more intent upon
prosecuting questionable war abroad than confronting those decimating
our rivers and our seas with total impunity and treating our laws
and environment with utter contempt and distain at home. NUBA will
challenge this now untenable state of affairs and press for the swiftest
possible changes to laws now patently unfit for purpose, the flouting
of which fan the flames of discontent and a racist tendency in those
instinctively and historically far more generous and welcoming as
a people. Good people, but now at their wits end and seemingly less
and less able to influence an entrenched administration whose policies
are now fostering an unnatural division.
NUBA will attempt to reclaim decent Britishness and British common
sense. This was once a plentiful natural resource, now all but fatally
undermined by rampant political correctness an understandable fear
of American style litigation and an out of control health and safety
police who’s only real lasting achievement has been the erosion
of much that once made our lives spontaneous, tolerable and fun. Far
fewer children now enjoy school trips, teachers and coaches dare not
touch or even mildly chastise a child in fear of allegations of impropriety,
possible prosecution or even worse. Obvious to most of us in the real
world but still a complete mystery to a Government wringing its hands
of late in a vain attempt to fathom where it all went so horribly
wrong. As a direct consequence parents fearful of that dangerous world
outside now willingly allow their children to inhabit destructive
amoral, virtual worlds of crime and violence, cosseted away in bedrooms
divorced from social stimulation and human interaction. These children
are now tragically ignorant of the beauty on their doorstep, the same
children need as never before to experience, explore and enjoy this
world outside for their plummeting physical well being, mental stability
and social awareness. The environment itself could easily suffer terminal
decline if the future stewards of the countryside continue to live
in contrived fear and tragic ignorance of its very existence.
As a breed, anglers have long been an apathetic, affable bunch, notoriously
difficult to muster en mass. Not surprising. We fish to escape the
mundanities of life, and for most of us politics is certainly one
of these. I am no different! Sadly, if someone doesn’t assume
the political role we just might find ourselves sleepwalking down
that dark foxhunting path.
Recent Sport England figures blatantly relegate angling to 15th place
in a supposedly serious table of participant sports and pastimes (see
nuba.org.uk for details). This surely must be a stark wake-up call
for us all. Government already has solid, consistent well-recognised
figures regularly compiled by a bona fide official source, The Environment
Agency, a Government body. These authoritative findings are available
to anyone at the press of a button. They were last published in 2005
(Attitudes to Angling) showing accurate angling participation to be
between 3.5 - 4 million. This is in blatant contrast to Sport England’s
ludicrously extrapolated figure of 281,000. Inaccurate by a mere factor
of 14. Not really out of character given the Government’s tenuous
grasp of statistics. The very same experts confidently predicted immigration
last year to be 35 times less than it actually was. Many of these
immigrants, now a predictably desperate, exploited and underpaid workforce
are stealing our fish simply to survive. All quite laughable if the
consequences were not so serious. Worryingly, the Sport England figures
combined with other probably equally spurious factors will be used
to decide levels of angling funding for the next three years, and
will almost certainly be used as a general yardstick for future funding
consideration if not challenged. This is money so crucial to angling
development and survival.
We urgently need a greatly strengthened far more credible Environment
Agency, freed from the manipulation and skewed priorities of a Government
intent upon asset stripping, undermining and micromanaging this once
largely effective organisation. This agency as never before now requires
realistic targeted funding, safe from Government plunder and properly
earmarked for the many pressing environmental tasks we and they once
considered their core responsibility. They are now generally perceived
as merely a flood defence force, demoralised and vilified by everyone,
patently ill-equipped to realistically or adequately challenge polluters
or those who steal our fish. Furthermore, they are rarely if ever
seen on the riverbank checking licenses or effectively policing our
waterways. They are pared to the bone and simply do not now have the
time, the funds, the manpower or resources to carry out their crucial
environmental duties. A damaging wedge of unfulfilled expectation
now exists between the angler and the agency. NUBA should rally to
the Agency’s aid. Anglers need a strong, independent and confident
Environment Agency if our cherished riverine habitat is to thrive
and survive.
A long awaited and dangerously overdue interceptor sewer will now
be constructed to alleviate the pollution crisis on the River Thames.
You can be sure of this! Greatly welcome, and this decision should
be applauded by all those who fish – but please understand,
this important project was only given the green light by Government
because of the forthcoming Olympics. The two billion price tag, or
should we say 20 billion given their previous track record will be
met by Thames Water customers (that’s me by the way) and tax
payers across the county. National prestige was the only reason for
this project being rushed through, and certainly not the regular and
obvious pollution disasters. Typically cynical yes but all Southern
anglers should welcome the eco-benefit of the project.
Recent Defra pressure is now forcing the Environment Agency to drastically
cut funding for angling based education projects and school initiatives.
This at a time when the public are asked to believe this Government
is searching for ways to positively motivate children and encourage
them to rediscover their precious local environment. Our own work
in schools (see www.jetsettitchuk.org
<http://www.jetsettitchuk.org>
) is generously partnered and encouraged by the agency and is now
under threat as will be so many other such desperately needed projects.
The Government cannot seriously expect those who battle to do this
important work that they fail to do to believe for a moment their
fine public words of support when they cynically withdraw funding
which makes an incredibly difficult job just about possible.
NUBA has a long hard road ahead. Up until now successive Governments
have treated anglers and angling matters as a mere irritant, in spite
of the tremendous contribution our sport adds to the public purse
countrywide. No wonder if we allow them to believe there to be only
281,000 of us. Why should they care? Anglers really do have the ability
and the numbers to force Government to listen, and to take us seriously.
It is simply up to us and us alone to make this happen.
NUBA will hold their official press launch in Birmingham on 11th July
please see press and NUBA website for details and press release.
Inevitably nobody will agree with everything in this letter but hopefully
all will agree with the sentiments expressed. I welcome criticism
and reaction.
http://www.nuba.org.uk/
