We are always complaining about shooting organisations. Shooters bemoan a lack of effective representation, saying our various bodies seem to settle for managing the decline of our sport. Over a pint, many agree the cause of shooting would be better served if all the existing organisations were merged into a single, bigger, united body.
Many have mooted this possibility over the years, but it has never come to anything. The failed attempt to merge the old British Field Sports Society and BASC in 1995 left a bitter aftertaste. However, the question has been given new impetus by escalating regulatory threats and the COVID-19 crisis. Don’t we deserve more than an alphabet soup of rival organisations?
Full disclosure: I am an elected member of BASC’s governing council. I am also a long-standing member of the GWCT, the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) and the British Deer Society (BDS). I am not a member of the Countryside Alliance (CA), but I support it in many ways. I am not writing to anybody’s brief except the Editor’s — and I am doing so from a personal perspective. I don’t claim to have definitive solutions; I am merely exploring the issues.
A commonly stated motive for amalgamation is that a wealthier and more powerful organisation would result. More resources could be devoted to fighting the real enemy, instead of being wasted on internecine squabbling and duplication.
この記事は Shooting Times & Country の October 07, 2020 版に掲載されています。
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この記事は Shooting Times & Country の October 07, 2020 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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