BY SARAH GREENWOOD Animals are fast becoming the means of waging a proxy war between all the disparate ideological groups who have jumped on the ‘fur baby’ bandwagon on the one hand, and the exasperated and bemused real time carers of the aforementioned creatures on the other, along with the owners of the land upon which they live who have been forced into justifying their … Continue reading The Modus Operandi of Sabs & Antis
BY RUPERT MATTHEWS With a dog of my own, the endearing Mr Fluffles shown in the photo, I wholly appreciate how heart-wrenching the theft of your animal can be. Pets after all are members of the family. In the last few months of lockdown, there has been an alarming rise in pet theft here in rural areas of Leicestershire and Rutland – but the same … Continue reading Dog Thieves Stalk Our Countryside
Dear Editor, I have followed your magazine’s recent exposés of the mountebanks masquerading as representatives of animal rights. I commend you and your writers for giving light to the truth. May I suggest that as well as following the money, you also look in depth at my old employer the BBC and show just how it is responsible for repeated attacks on the countryside. Yes, … Continue reading BBC & the Countryside
BY EFFIE DEANS The fundamental misunderstanding that forms the basis of Scottish nationalism has been undermined by a statement from the European Commission. When the UK finally left the EU, the Government decided not to continue to take part in the Erasmus Program, but instead to replace it with the Turing Scheme. The SNP objected and asked the European Commission whether Scotland could join the … Continue reading Deciding Erasmus
THE CITY GRUMP Some years ago* I sat down to a Christmas lunch at London’s most excellent Bleeding Heart Restaurant with work colleagues and, as is traditional, we kicked off proceedings with a mass cracker pulling. Out popped the usual paper hats and splendidly silly mottos, which as ever is a great way to get all of us into the festive mood. I particularly liked … Continue reading The Christmas Story – Brussels Style
BY KEER LONSDALE I love the English countryside and have done from a very young age. Even as a tiny tot the ramshackle mud-heap of a farm yard, or the smell of muck-spreading, or the racket of a twilit rookery, or the gentle patchwork of fields and hedges stretching to a misty distance, were to me signals of my proper habitat, my rural home, the … Continue reading Countryside Culture Wars
BY RUPERT MATTHEWS This year has been tough for small businesses. None more so than those in rural areas which struggle on with all the problems that already go with keeping a business going in areas without the sorts of benefits that businesses in towns take for granted – fast broadband, high footfall and neighbouring businesses less than a mile away. This year Small Business … Continue reading Rural Crime & the Police
BY NIGEL BEAN & PAUL READ “Leaked webinar shows huge criminal conspiracy at hunting’s highest level”. Or so the hunt sabs’ tweet proclaimed. So what was breaking? Not a lot. So what really happened during this webinar? It seems an invite was sent out to hunt staff to attend a trail hunting webinar by the Hunting Office, which is the body responsible for the administration … Continue reading The Infiltrated Webinar
BY NIGEL BEAN & PAUL READ Sad and worrying stats were released by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) recently. Research shows 64% of Scottish gamekeepers receive abuse from members of the public at least once a year. And another 79% are concerned about their future. Put into context, that’s 64% of Scottish gamekeepers getting grief for going about their lawful business putting … Continue reading The Coming Storm
BY NIGEL BEAN & PAUL READ A recent article in The Independent from the animal rights fanatic Jane Dalton shows how a once respected newspaper has declined over the years into an impecunious, partisan and clickbait-driven blog. The article in question can be found here: This article by Dalton is particularly revolting as it deliberately conflates the despised enemy of country folk – poachers – … Continue reading Poachers are not Hunters
BY MEG LEE CHIN Many years ago, after an evening out, and having returned to my flat in Soho, London, my friend Teddy recoiled at the sight of a David Icke book I had been reading. His eyes went wide and fearful. He pointed at the book and shrieked, “That guy’s evil!” “You can’t read his book!”. Back then I saw myself as a bit … Continue reading Just Say “NO” to the Herd
BY DOMINIC WIGHTMAN Laurence Fox’s abandoning of Sainsbury’s for taking part in Black History Month seems a tad OTT and authoritarian. It reminds me of an American ex who – she identified as a progressive – would spend her days fearfully avoiding various brands and stores, warning those around her of the perils of all kinds of goods and services. That’s the wrong path to … Continue reading But I Like Sainsbury’s
Being in the English countryside can provide numerous positive feelings for people, be it relaxation, happiness, or creativity. When it comes to the aforementioned creativity, that certainly applies to various musical masterpieces over the years. We aren’t referring to the likes of The Bloodhound Gang here either, more the classical composers many of us know and love, who felt inspired after visiting rural England. The … Continue reading The Beautiful Pieces of Classical Music Inspired by the English Countryside
BY EFFIE DEANS The British Government has already ruled out a second Scottish independence referendum during the course of the next Parliament. It was in the Conservative Party manifesto and the Conservative Party won a large majority. That should be the end of the matter. Constitutional matters are reserved. The Scottish Parliament should be getting on with devolved issues and using the increased powers it … Continue reading How to Stop Scottish Nationalism
BY JIM WEBSTER It struck me that you might want to open your village hall or community centre, so I thought I’d guide you through the new rules which can be found here. First there is a series of warnings: Many community facilities are also workplaces and those responsible for the premises should therefore be aware of their responsibilities as employers. The government is clear … Continue reading Reality-Free Civil Servants
