Well, it's again with thanks to our wonderful roving photographer that these images from the weekend's fishing industry protest can be shared, cheers Marcus!
In a carefully staged campaign around the country, protests were held by about 200 fishing boats at the same time in Whitstable, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Milford Haven and Newcastle, as well as in Hastings, aggrieved by what they consider to be an 'abject betrayal' by the Government over Brexit effectively being extended until the end of 2010, despite the referendum being in June 2016, nearly 2 years ago!
Boats came to join Hastings fishing boats from many ports including Rye, Newhaven, Eastbourne, Folkestone and Colchester. Essentially angry that, despite promises from Brexiteers in Ukip and the Tory Party that British coastal waters would be brought under the control of the British Government, that there had been no movement yet, and didn't look like there would be any movement until 2021 at the earliest!
However, as I've alluded to many times since Greenpeace came to town 3 years ago (blog), the real problem for Under Ten Metre Fishing Boats such as in Hastings (nearly 80% of British fishing boats are allowed only 4% of the total British catch!), which carry out sustainable fishing, was actually the British Government and Defra pandering to the 'bigger boys' and their larger trawlers, which carry out unsustainable fishing. Indeed, Defra even allowing them to sell off some of their rights to foreign vessels!
The Right-wing businessman and xenophobe, Arron Banks, who funds Ukip and made a huge financial contribution towards the 'Leave' campaign, appears to have been a spokesperson for the weekend's protests and is scaremongering yet again, asserting that the EU will attempt to "cull what is left of the British (fishing) industry" and that we are "staring down the barrel of a gun with this transition deal."
Meanwhile Defra have contradicted Banks, asserting that it had already negotiated with the EU, and that the British share of the common fisheries catch would not be reduced over the transition period, which is about "delivering a smooth and orderly Brexit."
So who do we believe? Personally I wouldn't trust either of them! Certainly not a major political funder and businessman who has his own agenda... Nor Defra, who have appeared to have been under the thrall of the large trawler fishing fleets elsewhere in Britain, and who have not supported the New Under Ten Fishermens Association (NUTFA website), and certainly not supported the sustainable fishing policy promised by the Coastal Champions 5-point action plan (blog) signed up to by our MP, the Member of Parliament for Hastings & Rye, 3 years ago!
The only thing I can add is, watch this space...
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