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BASC Council election results confirm that wildfowling is now a spent


mudpatten
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In a seriously bad day for wildfowling, both Allen Musselwhite and Nick Powell, lifelong dedicated wildfowlers who based their BASC Council election campaign upon support from the wildfowling community have failed to poll enough votes for election to Council.

 

The wildfowling "community", a sadly now wholly inappropriate description - failed catastrophically to engage with the democratic process and back their fellow fowlers as thousands of them could not even be bothered to vote.

 

Whilst I wish those elected,many of whom who have only been BASC members for a matter of months, every success in their new roles, I sincerely hope that they can avoid any repeats of the "General Licence" fiasco which so badly stung the fowling world. With almost no wildfowling influence or experience on Council, Wildfowling could be regarded as no more than a yapping lap dog to be safely kicked under the table when it starts to bark annoyingly.

 

I am advised that, with the exception of Allen Musselwhite and Nick Powell, none of the other candidates took the trouble to actually attend the AGM.

 

I predict dark days for fowling ahead.

 

And all brought about by those of you reading this who could not be bothered to vote to secure the future of the sport.

 

Am I bitter and twisted.Too damn right I am!!

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After some 35 years of being so I am no longer a member so am not affected not having 'fowled for many years. We don't often agree but in this respect, I have empathy with all that you've said. Perhaps now, sadly, this really is the end of WAGBI. Twice in less than a week now I've used this word in relation to our sport: Apathy.

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In a seriously bad day for wildfowling, both Allen Musselwhite and Nick Powell, lifelong dedicated wildfowlers who based their BASC Council election campaign upon support from the wildfowling community have failed to poll enough votes for election to Council.

 

The wildfowling "community", a sadly now wholly inappropriate description - failed catastrophically to engage with the democratic process and back their fellow fowlers as thousands of them could not even be bothered to vote. The thing that you have to bear in mind, and I say this knowing exactly how frustrated you feel, is that the vast majority of shooters just aren't interested in the politics that have played an increasingly important part in UK shooting over the past 20 years or so, and just simply want to go out and shoot, and who can blame them?

I know many shooters who will whinge and complain about this that and the other, but not one of them will take the time to put pen to paper, or email an already typed out missive to voice their complaints. Not one.

Even following the shootings in Cumbria, less than 2% of all UK shooters could be bothered to lobby. Astonishing.

 

 

Whilst I wish those elected,many of whom who have only been BASC members for a matter of months, every success in their new roles, I sincerely hope that they can avoid any repeats of the "General Licence" fiasco which so badly stung the fowling world. With almost no wildfowling influence or experience on Council, Wildfowling could be regarded as no more than a yapping lap dog to be safely kicked under the table when it starts to bark annoyingly. Yet another minority within a minority. Perhaps wild fowlers need their own association. :whistling:

 

I am advised that, with the exception of Allen Musselwhite and Nick Powell, none of the other candidates took the trouble to actually attend the AGM.

 

I predict dark days for fowling ahead. I predict dark days ahead for UK shooting in general.

 

And all brought about by those of you reading this who could not be bothered to vote to secure the future of the sport. Yep, although I can't vote as I'm no longer a member. :)

 

Am I bitter and twisted.Too damn right I am!! Yep, me too.

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Mudpatten, I agree with everything you've said but unfortunately times have change people, the modern wildfowler wants a lot and is prepares to give little even something as simple as a vote to help secure there own sport and those that follow us older boys, well as said times have changed for the worst.

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Its no different in any sport , there are the few that will give their time and help with the running then there are those that just want to turn up , play and then go home .

Unfortunately when things start to go pear shaped those that cant be bothered will be the first ones kicking and screaming .

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You see I think that a great percentage of BASC members are only short term members and join mainly because they need to show shooting insurance. I wonder how we might fare on our own? I detest the attitude and actions of some shooters more and more as the years roll on but am trying to not become a grumpy old guy :lol: . Yes on certain matters of what, when and how many to shoot I could side more with an anti :rolleyes:. Have now got a fair list of betrayals and failure to act on matters from BASC, we fought with them directly over the graylag only recently.

But are we genuinely better apart from them ( the biggest shooting org in the UK), when our own can not be bothered to even vote?

BASC for many within its ranks is a day job that pays the bills or have no great affinity with the wildfowlers who set the ball in motion, to be fair how many wildfowlers are genuine wildfowlers today?

Stood alone our numbers will be small, its a tough call

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Maybe the majority did not vote in the BASC elections because they didn't want to and feel disenfranchised from the body that they started.

 

Is it a case that BASC no longer offers or looks after their needs?would they be better going it alone?

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Most wildfowling members of BASC are only members because their clubs are affiliated. I doubt that they attend their club meetings or read the BASC magazine. They are club members because they need somewhere to shoot.

I was against WAGBI becoming BASC all those years ago - And I was right - We should have stayed on our own as a single sport organisation.

I'm an old fowler now - my days of waving banners and writing long, and probably boring, letters to BASC and other organisations are long gone. I sit back and wait for the younger generations to take up the battle. Sadly all I see is apathy.

I don't head towards the big fowler in the sky with any great confidence that our beloved sport is in good hands. Continue in our present fashion and we will banned from the marshes in twenty years from now. Luckily I will not have to witness it.

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I have not been a member of basc for 10 years or so now but I will be watching out for Oliver McCullough. We were members and committee members of the same wildfowling club for a good while. He is an intelligent and well motivated man. Even though woodcock shooting was his chief passion even then, he invested a lot of time money and effort into our wildfowling club and is a keen wildfowl conservationist.

 

I wish him well and know that he will stand up for fowlers even if others don't.

 

http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/features/basc-council-candidate-oliver-mccullough-42980

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Most wildfowling members of BASC are only members because their clubs are affiliated. I doubt that they attend their club meetings or read the BASC magazine. They are club members because they need somewhere to shoot.

I was against WAGBI becoming BASC all those years ago - And I was right - We should have stayed on our own as a single sport organisation.

I'm an old fowler now - my days of waving banners and writing long, and probably boring, letters to BASC and other organisations are long gone. I sit back and wait for the younger generations to take up the battle. Sadly all I see is apathy.

I don't head towards the big fowler in the sky with any great confidence that our beloved sport is in good hands. Continue in our present fashion and we will banned from the marshes in twenty years from now. Luckily I will not have to witness it.

I doubt we'll be banned but I do see NT, RSPB etc buying up all available land. While I dont agree with KWFs "model" I do think that land ownership is the only way to protect our sport.......

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I doubt we'll be banned but I do see NT, RSPB etc buying up all available land. While I dont agree with KWFs "model" I do think that land ownership is the only way to protect our sport.......

 

yes, buying being key not renting. not a lot of foreshore comes up for actual sale though

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Most wildfowling members of BASC are only members because their clubs are affiliated. I doubt that they attend their club meetings or read the BASC magazine. They are club members because they need somewhere to shoot.

I was against WAGBI becoming BASC all those years ago - And I was right - We should have stayed on our own as a single sport organisation.

I'm an old fowler now - my days of waving banners and writing long, and probably boring, letters to BASC and other organisations are long gone. I sit back and wait for the younger generations to take up the battle. Sadly all I see is apathy.

I don't head towards the big fowler in the sky with any great confidence that our beloved sport is in good hands. Continue in our present fashion and we will banned from the marshes in twenty years from now. Luckily I will not have to witness it.

 

20 years might be stretching things when you consider the apathy of some of the "on the plate" types coming through programs like young shots, not to mention the extra work and housing burdens faced by those in their twenties and early thirties. Their are a massive chunk of late thirties forty somethings missing from our ranks while the committee members of many clubs are sat reading an old copy of shooting times in gods waiting room.

We need remember that the English clubs were formed circa 1950 onwards when things were very different with a mind to controlling adverse pressure on the marsh and they did that so well we are now short of numbers in the fights that certainly now only lie a short way ahead..

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BASC have a council of elected committee members who are elected by the BASC membership annually (those that bother). In the last council elections no one who is predominantly a wildfowler has been elected to the council. Theoretically, because there are no wildfowlers on the committee, wildfowling will not have a voice at the BASC Council.

 

I'm brand new to fowling and don't really understand what this thread is all about, could some one give me a rough idea please, thank you

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What a very sad indictment of the BASC membership!

Nick Powell has done so very very much for Wildfowling and wildfowlers that it really beggars belief that he has not received a vote of confidence from the membership.

With the most recent shannanigans does BASC actually have a working Council.

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What are you talking about?

 

the Chairman, the vice Chairman and the Chairman of the Executive and Finance Committee are all senior members of wildfowling clubs...

 

Many other council members also enjoy wildfowling a well as other forms of shooting...

Please could you post a link to the election results?

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Its a bit like last year when we were told how much those who "also enjoy wildfowling" within BASC ranks thought it a good idea to Kill Greys in the summer breeding period on GL.. The fact is there are less and less active wildfowlers who are prepared to stand up in support for their sport year on year and much of it is our own fault going back to 1950 when we started controlling the saltmarshes yet never though to review things much throught the next 65 years :rolleyes:

Edited by kent
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http://basc.org.uk/blog/press-releases/latest-news/basc-council-election-results-2015/

 

We always encourage members to get involved with the election process for BASC Council members, its easy and free to vote, it takes but a few moments...Council are vital to the running of BASC, so please make sure you get involved

 

David

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I think it is an annual election for all of the Council members, but each member stands for two years - can you confirm David? It's good to see three ladies being elected to Council, indeed they each secured the highest votes of all the candidates.

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