Sunday, January 27, 2008

Countryside Alliance wins Channel Four political awards

So the most inspiring political figures of the decade are the Countryside Alliance? A loose grouping who most people don't even care what they stand for, let alone know.

In the decade of the largest demonstrations in British history, that were part of an unprecedented international movement against war some backwards, pro-blood sports, anti-wind turbine inbreds managed to mobilise more phone votes than the anti-war movement. That is rather sad.

The idea that any movement matches that of that against the Iraq War is foolish in the extreme. Whether you support that movement or not surely it's clear that whilst the CA might have some weight it has not been one of the defining features of UK politics in the last years. It has not been a grouping that has defined the news agenda and public consciousness in the way the movement against war has. Not by a long chalk.

I suspect the result is partly due to the fact that the anti-war movement is off the boil at the moment and key components of the Stop the War Coalition are busy striking each other off their Christmas card lists. Never mind it's only an award - no matter how ludicrous the winner.

Far more important is the demonstration on 15th March to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War. This will once again be part of an international day of action against a world of war and occupation.

Regular readers will know I'm rather jaded when it comes to demonstrations - but this one I think is well worth the effort to help those in power understand we have not forgotten what they have done.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The result is because of a concerted effort by the organisation itself to breathe life back in to its campaign by promoting to its followers to vote. Clearly toffs do fuck all else during the day when they're not hounding foxes and have the money to burn on phone charges.

Anonymous said...

Wow, what a joke...

Anonymous said...

i cant believe that you are truly as ignorant as you sound. the countryside alliance recieved the award for creating a lobby to give rural people a voice in the debates that directly effect them, and not specifically hunting. thousands and thousands of rural people's economic and social viability have been struggling against policies introduced to buy urban votes. and when i say rural i dont mean old rich farmers who own half of the uk i mean people who labour from 4 until 10 everyday for sometimes as little as £50 a week. thats less than people recieve on benifits.

you also demonstrate your ignorance with your views on hunting; a large proportion of people who ride with hunts and are hunt supporters are these'working' and 'middle class' rural folk. Hunting did use to be an eite sport - a fifty years ago -now it is the greatest mix of income groups who collectivly enjoy each others company. clearly your bitter refrence to 'toffs' demonstrates more predjudice without illteligent evidence than any of these rural groups show. i do not hunt but have spent a good six months reserching the social and economic viability of hunts for work. where has your opinion come from? the daily mail?