'countryside alliance hypocracy

Brendan Boal b_m_boal at yahoo.com
Fri Sep 20 21:04:15 BST 2002


It may interest you all to know that I recently spent
9 days with the Totnes Genetics group cycling around
Devon and Dorset interviewing small dairy farmers. 
Although we were primarily seeking their views on G.M.
crops, we managed to get a pretty good handle on their
views on the world in general.  Despite many of them
being only too willing to unburden themselves about
the various issues that concern them, (milk prices,
organics, the abusive business practices of
supermarkets, destruction of social structures by rich
incomers etc…) it was striking that not a single one
of them even mentioned the Countryside Alliance
without first being prompted to do so.  When asked,
the overwhelming response was very much to the effect:
“They’re really nothing to do with the likes of me,
the whole thing is for them hunting people.”  In fact
only one farmer expressed even lukewarm approval of
the form: “They [note the ‘they’] don’t catch many
foxes so what’s the harm?” 
What was also noticeable on our travels was the
preponderance of Alliance placards displayed outside
of expensive homes that were clearly no longer working
farms.  In short, the very incomers farmers feel
alienated from are the ones providing a large measure
of the support for the toffs who are behind the whole
thing. 
We’re going to get a tidal wave of news coverage about
the ‘countryside’ coming to town in the next few days,
but be under no illusion, these people are
predominantly the rural rich (and their browbeaten
servants) and (as always) they will be there
exclusively to represent their own class interests. 
       


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