SO the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has won the day. The goal to give everyone the right to access a complete coastal path around the whole of England has been put on the back burner by DEFRA Minster Huw Irranca-Davis. Interestingly, Mr Irranca-Davis was one of only three Labour MPs who voted against the Hunting Ban, the others being Kate Hoey (Chairman of the Countryside Alliance) and Jack Straw. I have dealt with Mr Irranca-Davis regarding hunting on Forestry Commission assets and he was as useful as a chocolate teapot.

Mr Irranca-Davis is a great favourite with the Countryside Alliance and one wonders if he will cross the floor of the house if re-elected at the next election.

The current course that Natural England has been told to follow is one of voluntary agreements at local levels.

As the British public were only given the Right to Roam (CRoW) in 2000, it just shows the type of urgency that landowners will put on any way forward.

The Countryside Alliance and the CLA have been fighting tooth and nail to prevent coastal access to the genera public as they did during the CRoW consultation process.

You can imagine the answer when Natural England asks landowners if they would provide coastal access to the public on their land. I am sure the response would be: "No thanks, it's private and that's the way it stays, now get off my land."

It's hard to imagine we have a Labour Government when countryside issues are decided in favour of countryside people time and time again.

Ban hunting and it's just ignored. Attempt to build wind farms and they are rejected. Try to open up the English coastline and the hunting and shooting lobby come out with all their well-organised pressure groups to scupper each and every issue.

The countryside set is untouchable under Labour, just imagine how it will be with a countryside Conservative government in power?

Graham Forsyth

Fairway Rise

Chard

(by email)