wild camping banned how about banning landowners instead

Thu, Feb 28, 2008

They’re at it again. Moaning girners are complaining that the wild camping petition will flood the hills with yobs and neds who will destroy the wildlife and landscape. Well, I’ve got news for you lot. The hills are already full of yobs and neds, usually employed by the same landowners who are doing all the finger pointing at law abiding walkers. As if wildcats weren’t endangered enough, some ponce has killed one and used it as bait. Reports on the radio said the carcass was also surrounded by snares. This sort of thing is all too common on estates, where anything that doesn’t have monetary value is worthless and without profit and must be destroyed, as it impinges on the profitable parts of the business, such as pheasants, grouse and deer. Hold on, isn’t that a ridiculous generalisation of landowners? I’m sure only a minority indulge in such illegal practices but they sure as hell give the rest a bad name by association. Landowners? They’re all the same!

Exactly the same accusation is thrown at wild campers. They’ll destroy the land. The wildlife will be disrupted and disappear. Jings, crivvens, help ma boab, we must oppose wild camping at all costs. Well, this story proves you can say exactly the same thing about the landowners. So we can cancel that term from both sides of the equation and get down to some less knee jerking debate.

Time and again we’re told that countryside access is all about give and take. Well, if some halfwit is going to claim I’m breaking the law by camping overnight in the wilds, while he slices up the endangered wildlife, I’ve only got one thing to say. “Eat my fist, pal!”