NERC

[trainspotter]

I think it's about time we all congregated in London and bring certain areas to a standstill.

We've sat back long enough and the anti's have just taken the pi**.

It looks like we are going to lose our greenlanes so we might as well give them a taste of the "french farmer tactics"

[MarkieB]

'til they get wise then set fire to all the cars, in true 'copying the French' fashion! It's a f*cked up world, that's for certain.

[dollythelw]

Unfortunately unlike the French the Brits prefer to bitch about how terrible things are and then do nothing about it because it might be a bit naughty, or we're washing our hair that week - even when we do mass protest the rest of the population dont give a monkeys unless it affects football.

I was one of the 403000 marchers in London (the biggest protest since the peasants revolt) and where did it get us? a mention in the 6 o'clock news slightly after a report on boy bands. Not that a bit of knee jerk legislation is going to stop the countryside from doing exactly what it wants.........

Rant over

[SteveG]

.

I was one of the 403000 marchers in London (the biggest protest since the peasants revolt) and where did it get us? a mention in the 6 o'clock news slightly after a report on boy bands.

Rant over

The news is not that interested in Gay Pride marches Jez! ;) ;)

[honitonhobbit]

Unfortunately unlike the French the Brits prefer to bitch about how terrible things are and then do nothing about it because it might be a bit naughty, or we're washing our hair that week - even when we do mass protest the rest of the population dont give a monkeys unless it affects football.

I was one of the 403000 marchers in London (the biggest protest since the peasants revolt) and where did it get us? a mention in the 6 o'clock news slightly after a report on boy bands. Not that a bit of knee jerk legislation is going to stop the countryside from doing exactly what it wants.........

Rant over

I must have missed you in the crowd! That was a good day wasn't it. So many people and no trouble... But all for nothing. What we need is a form of Government where a elected representatives listen to the people and act on what they hear. What we have is a bunch of power hungry incompetants who are only interested in covering thier own backs in the race for glory.

It's worth studying NERC, take some time and read the whole damn thing a few times. Don't just read the titles and rush off screaming for a mass demo that will get knowhere and do nothing but harm our tenuous grip on the little we already have access to.

[dollythelw]

The news is not that interested in Gay Pride marches Jez! ;) ;)

coming from a lumberjack????

The CA march in London was an epic experience, moving in many ways - good to rub shoulders with people from all over the country and smile politely at the 15 or 20 crusty Anti mob who got as much media coverage as we did..........

[MarkieB]

I was thinking a mobile protest could work quite well, 800 Land Rovers driving round Parliament Square for hours would cause a bit of a stir, not to speak of all the MP's who couldn't get to work!

There is a flaw, however, in the Road Traffic Acts: a driver 'must obey an instruction from a constable' so unless there were so many vehicles as to make the police's task too unwieldy, it would be relatively easy to disperse, even without the police resorting to false arrest.

[dollythelw]

Its hard to obey the orders of a constable if for instance that unreliable Landy decided to just stop officer... you know how they are when they get that old... you pay your road tax, you are licenced, insured, MOT'd and you have paid the congestion tax - so theres not a lot the law can do to.

The flipside of the coin is that until the nanny state gets the chance to completely destroy this country it is your right to freedom of speach and the right to demonstrate (unless its a weekday in London and then only the police federation seem to have the right to demonstrate over thier pension - bizzare).

its all most as much fun as following DEFRA officials round the countryside

[Hillbilly Raider]

some time ago i had a "discussion" with some on here about this topic.

Itold about a document i had seen which mentioned the plans for National Parks.

The key words in that document were "quiet recreation"

This lead to demands for where i got my information from and crys of "they cant do that"

I am sorry to say that THEY can "do that" and are going to.!

Whilst i dont want this to happen i think we must except that it is going to happen and we must make the most of today, stop wasting today, get out there and enjoy today....... cause tomorrow is coming wether we like it or not!!!

[Niall_CSK]

Its hard to obey the orders of a constable if for instance that unreliable Landy decided to just stop officer... you know how they are when they get that old... you pay your road tax, you are licenced, insured, MOT'd and you have paid the congestion tax - so theres not a lot the law can do to.

Well if that didn't clog the system up then I am sure every AA & RAC van in the area converging certainly would that really would be something to see.

[siggy]

If every off roader went to his/ her MP and said that he she would not be recieving his/ her vote because he she (MP) does not represent there wishes in parliament they may listen but then they'd want promotion to the cabinet/ shadow cabinet so would a55 lick the respective leader

the only way is to start a political party for the countryside users

off roaders, horse, cyclists, fishermen, hunters........................ get power and remove the right top roam from the RA and remove 95% of they're paths by reclassification and make it illegal for them to walk on anything but designated routes etc

but then again it will never happen not in this country

[Hillbilly Raider]

MS Street Porter can have her right to roam on the mud flaps of Chichester harbor, i would pay to watch that one!

Sadly though, the adverage "townie" has a chocolate/top of a jigsaw box mental picture of what they think/want the countryside to be, and they seem to have the voices, power, money, behind them to get what they want.

This includes carparks and toilets /vistor centres and even "resurfaced" footpaths to enable them to enjoy a day out in the country.

We are even making new roads to make their journies quicker/easier.

[Big Watty]

If every off roader went to his/ her MP and said that he she would not be recieving his/ her vote because he she (MP) does not represent there wishes in parliament they may listen but then they'd want promotion to the cabinet/ shadow cabinet so would a55 lick the respective leader

the only way is to start a political party for the countryside users

off roaders, horse, cyclists, fishermen, hunters........................ get power and remove the right top roam from the RA and remove 95% of they're paths by reclassification and make it illegal for them to walk on anything but designated routes etc

but then again it will never happen not in this country

I recently sent the letter below via email to my local MP - I found a website when I put his name into Google that enabled me to send it - whilst all my not agree with my comments regarding locking rights of way or an additional licence fee I would happily consider all options that let me continue to use the rights of way sensibly and stop the "hooligan element" spoil it for the vast majority

Tuesday 08 November 2005

Dear Tim Boswell,

I am contacting you in relation to the NERC bill currently in front of Parliament. I am a keen exponent of using the countryside and travel extensively in my land rover exploring legal rights of way across the UK. I am a member of a family orientated 4x4 club based in Milton Keynes, where as a committee member I always advocate sensible use of the rights of way with vehicular rights, an option well supported within the club.

Having said that I share the concerns of other countryside users about damage that can be caused by a very small minority of 4x4 drivers who drive both illegally and without consideration for other users such as walkers and horse riders.

I very concerned that the net result of the NERC bill will further marginalise 4X4 drivers and reduce further the number of rights of way we can drive - thus increasing the risk of damage, without actually hitting the intended target who should be those using the rights of way either illegally or irresponsibly.

Indeed instead of reducing the rights of way that can be driven it would make far more sense to increase the number therefore "spreading the load".

I would welcome restrictions placed on rights of way either by having them locked with the keys being made available through local club rights of way officers or indeed a form of road licence fee where the money raised can be put towards effective policing of the rights of way, or maintaining them (or a combination of the above).

Bearing in mind some of the far reaching and very important business in front of parliament at the moment I know that this may seem an irrelevance. However it seems to me that this is potentially very important bearing in mind the constant drip of this government removing individual’s rights Just for information out of the rights of way in the UK only 5% currently have vehicular rights and of this 5% more than 20% are currently closed.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I would be grateful for your views and support when reviewing the NERC legislation

Yours sincerely,

Christopher Watt

[siggy]

That letter should be formulated to a we the undersigned wish to make the following point so that all offroaders etc can print it and send it to 10 downing street

[Big Watty]

That letter should be formulated to a we the undersigned wish to make the following point so that all offroaders etc can print it and send it to 10 downing street

I've been lead to believe that individual letters to local MP's can be more effectice than a generic letter to number 10 - that's not to say we can't do both

Chris

[dollythelw]

I really would like to believe in the sytem. Unfortunatley its knackered.

The easiest way to cripple the legislation is for CA members to be recognised as an ethnic minority. That way no-one would be able to mess with us.

Next thing they will be after is my section one.........

[honitonhobbit]

It's all been done before to little or no avail.

I am lucky, my MP is very positive to ALL users having access. However she understands that, in the long run vehicle users will lose access to RoW. It's a forgone conclusion on so many levels. For two years now I have been helping her researcher look at other options, but that is a long and convoluted tale.

What we need to do is come up with effective delaying tactics - this is the only way a small force can hold up a large one for any length of time.

Our biggest problem is the RA leadership (not the main membership) they are awesome in thier ability to re-write facts and too wield thier blinkered membership.

I have siad it before, but the best way to counteract the RA is by joining them. We have the potential (but it will never happen), to sway the vote at the next AGM and put our own people on the RA's commitee. There are enough of us.

However we won't. People will moan about the membership fees, the getting off thier arses and joining (on line!), about going to the AGM, about who will stand for a place on the committee ect etc.

This is why we will win because out combined attitude is one of 'take the easiest route'. It's a doddle to organise a rally/protest but what happened to the last one? What would it actually achieve except to tiddle off people.

[siggy]

mass tresspass

it worked for the RA IIRC

[honitonhobbit]

Rules have been changed since then. Under the ASBO rules you will have you vehicle confiscated and it won't be coming back, in fact you will get to pay for it going to the crusher.

The French did this years ago when thier government banned all vehicles on RoW. However the French don't sit around moaning, they got off thier backsides and protested. Some of the guys I know over there lost three or four vehicles! They won in the end. Would you do that? I wouldn't, I can't afford to. Even my Lada Niva owes me money (not much admitedly)...

My spelling gets really carp when I am off on one

[siggy]

Are all the OS maps going to be reprinted

if it shown as a UCR and you are on it with a vehicle even though it being reclassified are you breaking the law?

after all it's a unclassified ROAD

[Big Watty]

if you feel like joining the ramblers association:

http://www.ramblers.org.uk/membership/memapp.html

Chris

[Cartman]

Are all the OS maps going to be reprinted

if it shown as a UCR and you are on it with a vehicle even though it being reclassified are you breaking the law?

after all it's a unclassified ROAD

'Fraid so.

[siggy]

how does the RA right to roam affect places like salisbury plain and other military training/ live fire areas?

but it's been a road for the last millenium so to me it's still a road

[honitonhobbit]

There are only designated areas where you can 'roam' - Larkhill IA isn't one! Should be though... As should Tyneham

UCR's are an interesting little diversion. Check out the TRF/LARA sponsored legal report on the validity of UCR status - makes interesting reading. I have a copy so I don't know if it is still on the TRF website.

By the way Devon has a lot of UCRs - most aren't physically driveable but only 7 have TROs (IIRC). Making something physically driveable is as much fun as driving it {Tsun Tsu - The Art of War}

[simonr]

Never mind the CA march - what about the gulf war march, roughly a million people!

Tony's response "Either they have not heard all the arguements, or have not understood them"

That really made my blood boil. I guess I must be too stupid to have understood!

If they will not listen to a million people, I doubt they will listen to a few hundred or thousand yokels with 'jeeps'.

On the plus side, at least we can only be locked up for 28 days without charge or recourse now ;-)

I would be inclined to go for the mass trespass or fathers for justice style protest. It inconveniences less people and tends to get better press attention!

Si