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David Bellamy attacks 4x4s

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Karen696:
Just to let you know I got two responses from C & CC, both are pretty standard, but at least they acknowledged it, and then wrote a reply.

(I've included my letter for you to see what they were responding to).


--- Quote ---Dear Editor

I am writing to voice my concern over the article by David Bellamy published in your magazine.

I would like to quote from the article the particular piece that made ME see red  "if the off roaders want to enjoy the countryside they should walk, ....".

1.  In order to 'reach' the countryside, most 'walkers' drive their cars, often hundreds of miles.

2,  I was brought up in a farming community and I still have a number of friends 'in the business'.  I have seen and heard of plenty of totally inappropriate behaviour by 'walkers', littering and allowing their dogs to run wild with no concern for wildlife or farmstock, abusing farmers and landholders.

3.  So called 'Green Lanes' ARE roads, just untarmaced.  If you are driving a green lane you need to have a current driving licence, insurance, road fund licence and the vehicle must carry a registration mark - which allows them to be traced by the police.  Rather more than walkers, cyclists or horseriders have to have.

4.  True 'off-roading' at regulated/insured sites (which incidentally require planning permission) provides many farmers with income from land which would be at best marginal, perhaps land previously used as a landfill site, naturally boggy, hilly or even wooded.  Most of these sites provide valuable habitat, because they are not being drained, bulldozed or cleared.   I would not have been able to point out the variety of wildlife to my young son that I have been able to if this was not the case.

Finally, has Mr Bellamy considered the fate of the disabled amongst us?  Or is the countryside an exclusive zone for the use of the able bodied?

In my honest opinion, inappropriate and illegal behaviour, is inappropriate and illegal behaviour, done on two legs, four or four wheels.

I believe that the bad behaviour of a few shouldn't mean that all walking is banned, the same can be said of driving 4x4's.

Yours sincerely, (etc, etc)
      
<Jo.Saint@campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk> to me  
08:50 (1 hour ago)

Dear Karen,

Thanks very much for your feedback regarding David Bellamy's piece on 4x4s.

I hope you don't mind me responding on his behalf.

We have had a number of letters regarding his article. Some agreeing with his points. Others disagreeing. Most adding pertinent points to further the debate.
 
We did indeed ask him to consider this as a topic for his Mr President column. However, the key theme of his piece was the responsible use of these vehicles. He' certainly against illegal off-roading, but accepts that for many people a 4x4 is the ideal vehicle.
 
There will always be debate over 4x4s, and I look forward to featuring members' comments on the issue over the coming months.

 Meanwhile, thanks again for taking the time to contact us and giving useful feedback.
 

Nick Harding

Editor of Publications

The Camping and Caravanning Club
--- End quote ---

dew1911:
I watched that Global Dimming program last night, really put a new spin on things


btw that was aimed at tonycougar

tonycougar:
Don`t think I`ve seen that specific one but there are several floating around the documentary channels. All with the same spin, ie its gonna get hotter (because the world is on a 4 or 5 thousand year cycle) and then its gonna get colder, much colder, ie ice age and there is nothing we can do to stop it, and its NOT caused by CO2 emmisions only. There were`nt any cars around 5 thousand years ago and it still happened.
Thats when we will all need our 4x4s :D :D

PS I`m not sure whether it is 4 thousand years or what exactly (probably more like 10 thousand), but the point is its a long cycle that goes back to the last ice age!!!

Bob696:
there are also 'mini ice ages'. I seem to remember reading of one in the 15th century that caused massive famine as crops failed.

I did have a big rant planned about scientists makeing sure they get their next research budget but cant be asked. The greenies wouldnt listen anyway. (BP=before present btw)

Heres the link for those who want to read another version
http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/ice_ages.html
The playing with numbers bit about half way down is worth a read.
The article is very well referenced to academic sites by the way.

This quote sums up my thinking

--- Quote ---"Scientists who want to attract attention to themselves, who want to attract great funding to themselves, have to (find a) way to scare the public . . . and this you can achieve only by making things bigger and more dangerous than they really are."
--- End quote ---


Petr Chylek
(Professor of Physics and Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia)


--- Quote ---“The goal of modern propaganda is no longer to transform opinion but to arouse an active and mythical belief”
--- End quote ---

Jacques Ellul

tonycougar:
Yeah I was gonna mention that too but thought it was confusing enough :?

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