Go on, make their lives hell…
…because that’s only what they have done to us!
I mean the politicians, of course, those who now wish to be elected to represent us in Parliament.
Looking at the subject from a purely personal perspective, I am of an age to have lived through decades of repeated political promises and pledges, few of which have ever been delivered.
Failure to deliver has of course been blamed on all sorts of factors: inheriting a huge deficit, the incompetence of predecessors, the spendthrift policies of other parties, global factors, demographics, the weather…
This time, we are in the run-up to a UK election in which there are new factors coming strongly into the equation: extensive American-style televised political debates, the significant nationalist/independence faction, a sizeable chunk of the electorate being anti-EU, the question of immigration, and so on.
The likelihood this time round of either of the major political parties being forced into a coalition is once more very high. So it is now very easy for a minority faction to make that and other pledges: cutting public transport fares, providing free childcare, scrapping our nuclear defence capability, you name it.
Those who make such pledges will have the ready-made excuse when they do not deliver on them: we had to come to a compromise position with the policies of the major coalition partner. So I’m not holding my breath.
If a canvasser or candidate for election comes to my door, or if I am approached in the street, I have a few questions prepared:
• Fracking: Can he/she guarantee that the massive amounts of water needed for this process will not cause significant depletion to rivers, and will not pollute those same rivers when the water used is returned to them?
• Water Policy: How does his/her party propose to deal in a joined-up way with the flood-drought cycle, which seems to have become more marked in recent years, such that human water needs are satisfied and at the same time rivers and aquifers are protected?
• Fish Stocks: Bass stocks have been the focus of attention recently as far as inshore fish stocks are concerned but many sea fish stocks, and indeed freshwater ones, are under threat from various quarters, to such an extent that fish as a human food source is in doubt for future generations. How does his/her party propose to tackle this problem?
• Recreational Fishing: Is he/she aware that recreational fishing is worth more to the economy (in terms of the VAT and other revenue so beloved of all politicians) than commercial fishing? So in which case, what exactly is his/her party’s policy with respect to recreational fishing?
• Rivers: Can he/she tell us how the sad decline of Britain’s rivers can be reversed? Is he/she aware of the crazy and outdated abstraction policy which is in urgent need of reform, and of the widespread issues of pollution and alien species invasion?
• Will his/her party commit to scrapping the environmentally-unfriendly, disproportionately expensive and ultimately London-centric HS2 project?
• How does his/her party propose to deal with the problem of containing the UK’s unsustainable population growth?
Readers will note of course that the above are without exception issues which should concern us as anglers and practical conservationists. They are also ones which should concern the wider, environmentally conscious public. So I have no conscience about asking them, especially as I know that few politicians, set as they are on short-term gains, will have given them any thought.
And of course, many of you will be able to think of a few questions of your own.
I note that the Greens are campaigning intensively in this election. This gives me slight cause for concern in that I recollect that the German Green Party were instrumental in passing a crazy law that all fish caught by anglers had to be killed, something which would make coarse fishing as we know it in the UK virtually impossible. Fortunately the regulation in question has now been scrapped. But it is an indication of what influence politicians can have on fishing if given their head – just thought I’d mention it.
And as for the Lib Dems, this is the party which the British Canoe Union chose to lobby a few years back over their claim for universal, unrestricted free access to rivers. Not that I would wish to influence the way any of you vote of course.
Whatever happens as a result of the election, one thing is certain: that our representative body, the Angling Trust, will have to continue lobbying politicians on our behalf. Without a doubt they will have their work cut out establishing contact with a new set of faces in the corridors of power. You can read about the work of the Angling Trust at and the Trust’s ‘Manifesto for Angling’ is available to download HERE. I urge you to give the Angling Trust your support, whether it is in the form of membership, or donations, or even both.
Because you see – and here let me be totally honest with you – if you as an angler want your sport to be properly protected, encouraged and represented, not just in the short term, but for now and in the future, then you will need to pay for it to be professionally protected, encouraged and represented. I cannot offer you – as many politicians might currently appear to be doing – something for nothing.
All I can do is point you in the direction of effective representation in return for a reasonable membership fee, which is where the Angling Trust comes in and through your input, your sport will continue to reap the benefit – and that’s a real promise!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rod Sturdy
Rod began fishing in his local park lake at the age of twelve, and from there he graduated to chub and roach from the river Tees in North Yorkshire. He now lives in Surrey within striking distance of the river Mole, as well as the Medway and the Eden in Kent and does a lot of surface carp fishing on small waters in the area. Latterly he has enjoyed winter fishing on the Test in Hampshire.
He has contributed numerous articles on various angling subjects and personalities to ‘Waterlog’ magazine and remains a passionate angler as well as a member and promoter of the Angling Trust.
