34 SEPTEMBER 2019 WWW.SHOOTINGGAZETTE.CO.UKRead all about itPolitical literaturemakesforencouraginganddespairingreading
in equal measure, as The Back Gun explains.Twenty-nineteen
appearsto bethe
yearof themanifesto.
Bydefinition,it is
"a publicdeclarationof intentor
aimsissuedbya politicalpartyor
movement"andboy,therearelots
of thoselitteringtheplace.They
areseeminglypopulatedbypeople
of highlyopinionatedintellectual
standingandworthyintent,who
justcan’thelpthemselvesbutmake
thelivesof welessermortalsbetter
informedandmorecomplete;and
sadly,probablylesswealthy.It has
beennighonimpossibleof latefor
TheBackGunto avoidtheever-
increasingvolumeof them,sprayed
abouttheplace,akinto theoutput
of a belt-fedGatling gun and about
asaccurate.
FromLabourcomesLand
ForTheMany, a manifestoof
rabidramblingswhichsuggests
a draconianpolicyof wealth
redistributionthatif evenhalfcomes
to passthenforgettheproblemof
increasingnumbersof peopletaking
upshootingandwatchtheruraland
shootingeconomyhealupbefore
oureyes.Shouldtheysecurepower,
ourMarxistchums– that’sKarlnot
Groucho– willscytheawayCapital
GainsTaxexemptiononour
mainhomesaddinga monumental
additionalloadonprettymuch
everyonein townandcountryalike,
re-nationalisealmosteverythingat
ridiculouslylowlyvaluesdecided
bythenewgovernmentanddent
theinalienablerightto leaveour
hard-earnedestateto ourchildren.
Godaloneknowswhereincome
taxleviedoneverythingthathas
valuemighttopout in this punitive
wealth tax blitz.Thismanifestoalsoproposesa
radicalschemefora government
of theleftto filchthelandon
whichourhousesstand,whichwill
comeas mannafromheavento the
left-leaningauthorofWhoOwns
England?Thispurportsto describe
howEngland’selitecameto own
ourlandanda manifestoforhowto
openupourcountrysideagain.If
youthoughtScotland’slandreforms
wereoffthescaleof rationality,this
bleatsabouttheperceivedinequality
of landownershipin thehandsof a
fewaristocratsandcountrysquires
andpositsno-oneshould own more
than half an acre.metres,thoughpresumablythe
legionsof meanderingpedestrians
wouldalreadybedoingthisand
creatinggreenspacesandaccessto
naturewithbeebricksand edible
planting.Vegetables?
WhileTheBackGunpondered
howthatmightbereceivedin the
shadowof darksatanicmills,there
arrivedunbiddenA Peoples(sic)
ManifestoForWildlife, a document
remarkableforitshubrisand
grandiloquencethatseeksthe
oxygenof publicityforthethoughts
of 18‘ministers’,eachsupposedly
headinga ‘ministry’in thebrave
newworldordergrowingin the
feveredmindof ChrisPackham.
Thisoneresemblesa curate’segg,
withgoodandbadideas,butthe
introductorycommentsdescribedas
Packham’sCreedseta tonewhich
is bothdisturbingandunhappyand
devaluethewhole.The 18 essayists,
alldescribedas conservationists,
noneof whoappearto havea
properjobandseveralof whom
writeforTheGuardian, appearto
supportgreaterpoliticalconsensus
onwhattheythinkneedsto
bedone,conservationpolicies
informedbysoundscienceandfact,
lobbyingfromvestedinterestgroups
workingto discreditsuchfactsto
beterminatedimmediately– a bit
harshsurely– anda newbody
establishedto addressclimatechange
andinevitably,wildlifecrime.
Amongthe‘ministries’advocated
is oneforleadammunition,i.e.its
abolition,andoneforrewilding,
i.e.itsintroductionandcollectively,
theytargeteveryaspectof the
countrysideweknowandenjoy.
Theonly‘ministry’thatis missing?
One for Silly Walks.A goodbitrightof centre,
indeedpennedbyoneof those
peopleto whomtheauthortakes
exception,is somethingcalled
HousingBritain:A CallToAction,
a designmanifestobynolessa
personthantheheirto thethrone.
Shootingforthemoon,andnotall
bad,thissuggests 14 bulletpoints
to steerourlandowners,councils,
propertydevelopersandbuilders
whichincludeinsistingonbeauty
at thebeginningof everyplanning
stage,two-metrewidekerbsto
prioritisepedestrians,slowingtraffic
by placing an ‘event’ every 60-80“Should they secure
power,our Marxist
chums – that’s Karl
not Groucho – will
scythe away Capital
GainsTax exemption
on our main homes.”ALAMY