The National Trust - So many betrayed by the bloodthirsty few!

The National Trust has around 4 million members but sadly only around 3% of them bother to vote. What this means is a small minority who do bother to vote will manage to get there way. Recently, comedian Russel Brand gave a devastating and largely spot on public and passionate explanation of how capitalism dominates our lives. Sadly, he concluded that therefore people shouldn’t vote.

However if people take that advice then the Countryside Alliance in relation to the National Trust will manage to get there wishes which is support for Country Pursuits; shooting, hunting and stalking more widely available on the National Trusts estates.

Hare (Beagles), Stag & Fox Hunts Operate on National Trust Land

The National Trust has always supported the rural way of life and the Countrysdie Allaince has always managed to gain some elements of control of the trust. Since the hunting ban of 2004 the trust has paid lip service to the ban. Both fox and stag hunts frequently use National Trust  assets for hunting. The fox and hare hunts will stay that they are trail hunting and the stag hunts will say they are using the ‘Observation and Scientific Research’ exemption for hunting and the National Trust will blindly accept this explanation without question.

National Trust AGM 2013

Regarding the Ban the Badger Cull motion put forward by members - to vaccinate badgers on all National trust land and ban a badger cull.

National Trust members didn’t vote against a ban – they voted for it.

There were 7,807 votes in favour of the resolution and 6,583 against it.

So what happened? Well the National Trust chairman Simon Jenkins overruled the members’ vote by using a discretionary block of 2,111 proxy votes.

These are members who voted neither for nor against the resolution.

Jenkins decided to use the block of proxy votes to vote down the ban on culling badgers on National Trust land – ignoring the clear wishes and democratic will of National trust members.

This sort of voting activity has been followed before with the so called ban of stag hunting on National Trust estates.

Will the NT Allow Badger Culling?

Will the badger shooters be allowed on National Trust land to shoot and cage trap badgers? Well from past experience yes is the answer. The same narrative is being used that the BBC and the NFU keep pumping out; “this is a dreadful decease and our tenet farmers need our support and tacking the reservoir of bovine TB in wildlife needs to be undertaken”. Just not interested in cattle movements and cattle testing regimes.

Also Simon Jenkins and the trust are indicating that cage trapping and vaccination maybe too expensive for them to undertake nationally after the Killington Estate trial is complete, when it would be actually cheaper with so many willing volunteers ready and able to help!

If you look at the National Trust web site it is almost impossible to find any direct references to blood sports; they refer these activities as 'Rural Country Pursuits' and are hidden away from normal members. It all looks so wonderful, sweeping landscape gardens with an array of autumn colors. But try and look at who was elected and determine there background. Well from a brief inspection one was from the NFU Mutual. But quite often you will find that some of the trustees give occupations like Riding Instructor which often translates into Joint Master of the local hunt or Forestry Manager which again translates into runs the big local shoot and funds the local hunt.

As someone who monitors local hunts in the South West, I often find many small outlets of Nation Trust frequently invaded by the hunt and the times I have contact the local estate manager he could not have been more dis-interested in my observations. He will stop just short of telling me to bugger off you anti-hunt scumbag!

I have never been a member of the National Trust and I don't think I ever will. In fact I would advice people not to renew there membership and also cancel any legacy bequests they intent to leave to the trust.

I believe that is the only way to get the National Trust to steer at path that the vast majority of it's members consider ethical and in keeping to maintain the best in our countryside and the wildlife that we enjoy and not pandering to the blood sports minority at members expense.

You can always rejoin at a later stage if they take stock of your views and feelings on this matter.