How to become a member of the Society of Ploughmen?

Pennine Ploughing

Member
Mixed Farmer
One very significant point in how the Executive operate and vote was made by the current Chairman in his own inimitable fashion.......'it's always unanimous'. Is that not something you would expect to see in North Korea rather than in Doncaster where fine upstanding men have fine upstanding values and independent views.
In the immortal words of Tom Charlton 'It's been like that for 40 years

please don't shoot the messenger here

but tonight i had a call from a SOP member, that member is not a registered member on here, and also does not follow this forum, but the posting of his name on here was brought to his attention by a none forum member that does follow this forum.

the man that called me was none other than Mr Tom Charlton, the man that was quoted in the above post,
Mr Tom Charlton has said, and wants it to be known that he has not indicated or said anything to the words of how bad the SOP has been at anytime, and as far as he has seen, and been at every AGM at the SOP since 1984,
and has seen the SOP to have been run in a good and professional manner, and all of the above is lies and rubbish,


as said dont shoot the messenger, and perhaps you should direct your reply to Tom Charlton, and not to me,
I was only asked to post this to put the matter right for Mr Charlton on a public forum, as his name was brought up on here
 

Howard150

Member
Location
Yorkshire
please don't shoot the messenger here

but tonight i had a call from a SOP member, that member is not a registered member on here, and also does not follow this forum, but the posting of his name on here was brought to his attention by a none forum member that does follow this forum.

the man that called me was none other than Mr Tom Charlton, the man that was quoted in the above post,
Mr Tom Charlton has said, and wants it to be known that he has not indicated or said anything to the words of how bad the SOP has been at anytime, and as far as he has seen, and been at every AGM at the SOP since 1984,
and has seen the SOP to have been run in a good and professional manner, and all of the above is lies and rubbish,


as said dont shoot the messenger, and perhaps you should direct your reply to Tom Charlton, and not to me,
I was only asked to post this to put the matter right for Mr Charlton on a public forum, as his name was brought up on here

No need for me to shoot the messenger John as the messenger is well able to shoot himself, but bear in mind in your ever changing world of changing sides, batting for both sides and gathering brownie points, then we all need to be mindful of what we have said in the past, private messages and e mails we have sent, all which will indeed come back to haunt us, is that not right John, and that's before we mention your very close affiliation to Jim Elliot, no doubt some of his thoughts you have penned on here. Sorry to say this John but there are times when you in trying to be the statesman occupying the moral high ground, seem very much to have been used as a spokesman.

One or two significant others, busily ticking like boxes on here would do very well to remember that also.

Said to me in the plainest of simple English whilst I was Judging at Selby ploughing match in early 2016 - not hearsay or rumour - said in reply to my statement 'I did not think you two blokes would be talking to me'
'David - why are you trying to change things? It's been like that for 40 years'

Interpret that as you wish, but plain English does not come much plainer. Nor will anything said on here ever have any bearing on what is by now well and truly petrified at Doncaster, howsoever it was achieved, by means fair or foul.
 
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Pennine Ploughing

Member
Mixed Farmer
I don't bat for both sides, and was never at any time looking for as you put it brownie points from either side,
however i will say that I have spoken to both sides in the past, and may continue to do so, as there is always to sides to a story, from this I find that in doing so, I have a far better judgement of who is right and who is wrong, and I will say rather than be white washed by one side and take it for gospel, David is there any harm in wanting to find out the truth, or is it a case of we should just all listen to what your saying, and take it as gospel, as you have a way with words and manage to twist the truth to how you want to see fit,

With regards to your comment about Jim Elliott, for everyone's benefit on here, Jim and myself went to school together, so that's how long i have known him, But that does not help in anyway when we don't agree on some subjects to do with the likes of the SOP. we do talk from time to time, but in no way am I a spokes person for him, on here or anywhere else,

as for standing on the high moral ground as you put it, Don`t think there is room for 2 up there, and you always keep putting yourself at the top. and wanting the last word every time, so no chance of being any room for me, and don't want to be up there anyway,

Regarding the comment of being used as a spokesman, yes I did post the reply for Tom Charlton, but no I did not contact him, and no I did not offer to post for him, However Tom did find my number somewhere, and did call me out of the blue, and yes after he asked me to post that he did not say that, I did agree to it, as for being used, NO I don't think so at all,
as for being used as a spokesman you need to look very close to home, as you seem to be the spokesman for the 5, looking back you posted a lot of info very fresh leading up to the 2016 AGM, info that could of only of come from the 5 within hours of things happening, yet there is some of the 5 registered as members on this forum on here, but none of them posted at that time, so when you talk about being used, its not me,

yes you are entitled your opinion as I am with mine, and if everyone agreed, then there would be no discussion to be had,
However can you stick to all the facts, and not just wanting to paint a dim picture by being economical with the truth

One or two significant others, busily ticking like boxes on here would do very well to remember that also.
just because someone likes 1 post, does not mean they agree with everything that person says, and why would they need to remember it?, will you be marking there card sometime in the future, because they don't agree with you,

why are you trying to change things? It's been like that for 40 years'
I take it he would not of asked "why are you trying to change things" if he wanted change and was unhappy, is this yet another case of you getting hold of the wrong end of the stick,

as for Doncaster being petrified, as you put it, I don't think they will be that bothered about a handful of people posting on here.


and thinking about it, its like an infant school yard, a handful cannot get there own way, so they go off in to 1 corner of the school yard, shout and call all the other kids names, spit the dummy out, and them be disruptive in class, and try to cause havoc where ever possible,
also its like divorce, when you part company, if you don't care or bothered at all about what your ex is up to or doing, you then simply don't care what they do, and never go out of your way to find out anything about them, nor the fact are you interested in any of your friends telling you about your ex,
but if you have any feelings for your ex, then you go out to make life hard for them, and keep rocking to boat for as long as you can, and even from a distance they try to lift the anchor and cause stormy waters,
and it sounds like its a very bitter divorce, as you will neither just walk away, or go back.
 

arcobob

Member
Location
Norfolk
I don't bat for both sides, and was never at any time looking for as you put it brownie points from either side,
however i will say that I have spoken to both sides in the past, and may continue to do so, as there is always to sides to a story, from this I find that in doing so, I have a far better judgement of who is right and who is wrong, and I will say rather than be white washed by one side and take it for gospel, David is there any harm in wanting to find out the truth, or is it a case of we should just all listen to what your saying, and take it as gospel, as you have a way with words and manage to twist the truth to how you want to see fit,

With regards to your comment about Jim Elliott, for everyone's benefit on here, Jim and myself went to school together, so that's how long i have known him, But that does not help in anyway when we don't agree on some subjects to do with the likes of the SOP. we do talk from time to time, but in no way am I a spokes person for him, on here or anywhere else,

as for standing on the high moral ground as you put it, Don`t think there is room for 2 up there, and you always keep putting yourself at the top. and wanting the last word every time, so no chance of being any room for me, and don't want to be up there anyway,

Regarding the comment of being used as a spokesman, yes I did post the reply for Tom Charlton, but no I did not contact him, and no I did not offer to post for him, However Tom did find my number somewhere, and did call me out of the blue, and yes after he asked me to post that he did not say that, I did agree to it, as for being used, NO I don't think so at all,
as for being used as a spokesman you need to look very close to home, as you seem to be the spokesman for the 5, looking back you posted a lot of info very fresh leading up to the 2016 AGM, info that could of only of come from the 5 within hours of things happening, yet there is some of the 5 registered as members on this forum on here, but none of them posted at that time, so when you talk about being used, its not me,

yes you are entitled your opinion as I am with mine, and if everyone agreed, then there would be no discussion to be had,
However can you stick to all the facts, and not just wanting to paint a dim picture by being economical with the truth

just because someone likes 1 post, does not mean they agree with everything that person says, and why would they need to remember it?, will you be marking there card sometime in the future, because they don't agree with you,

I take it he would not of asked "why are you trying to change things" if he wanted change and was unhappy, is this yet another case of you getting hold of the wrong end of the stick,

as for Doncaster being petrified, as you put it, I don't think they will be that bothered about a handful of people posting on here.


and thinking about it, its like an infant school yard, a handful cannot get there own way, so they go off in to 1 corner of the school yard, shout and call all the other kids names, spit the dummy out, and them be disruptive in class, and try to cause havoc where ever possible,
also its like divorce, when you part company, if you don't care or bothered at all about what your ex is up to or doing, you then simply don't care what they do, and never go out of your way to find out anything about them, nor the fact are you interested in any of your friends telling you about your ex,
but if you have any feelings for your ex, then you go out to make life hard for them, and keep rocking to boat for as long as you can, and even from a distance they try to lift the anchor and cause stormy waters,
and it sounds like its a very bitter divorce, as you will neither just walk away, or go back.
I cannot comment on what Howard said and the case he has presented but I have experienced similar problems. Your last paragraph is a good description of the way I feel about the SOP. I was a very enthusiastic and staunch supporter in my early ploughing career but, as I have posted many times on here, my wholehearted enthusiasm was betrayed beyond belief. Since then nothing has dispelled that feeling of bitterness and many things have happened to reinforce it . Until the vote (?) to remove the 5 I had hopes that things might change but I can categorically state that I will never again be a member of the SOP. This one event led me on a trail of learning and research which left me even more disillusioned. This does not prevent me from airing my experiences so that others may see a different viewpoint from yours or other supporters of the organisation. How they react is their affair.
 

Howard150

Member
Location
Yorkshire
No more nor any less than I would expect from you John.

After all you are no stranger to economy with the truth, design registered or design right?

You are without a shadow of doubt guilty of what you accuse me of in that you always consider your opinion to be gospel, whichever way it is presented or however we are surprised to find it comes at us.

Just one other small point in that petrified is turned to or set in stone and even you must agree that that is the state of play at dare I say it - Doncaster.

Please John - spare us any more from the gospel according to Relate.
 

Mrichardson

Member
A few societies round here, Scarcroft included, have allowed youngsters to plough at age 13 or over provided the relevant insurance was in place. Others refused point blank, insurance or not and others roped areas off where youngsters were competing to allow them to plough. What this has to do with the minimum age for joining the SOP, then god only knows.

Not a lot of point in rushing to join the SOP as some of the best young talent ploughing world style over the last few years has been sidelined / maltreated which has led to a parting of the ways. So much for the youth coaching policy which, forgive the expression, over the years has been non existant, whilst the main policy carried on somewhat incestuous at best. Abysmal showing when England - the country that pioneered plough development - is fielding septagenarian and octogenarian ploughmen on the world stage whilst Ireland and Scotland rampage on unchecked.

It's not only technique and capability which is lacking in tuition, but also the engineering skills required to produce world class work.

Thanks for the vote of confidence Nearly. Did not think for one minute that you had either holiday lets or that you had had Diane Abbot convalescing there! :D:D:D
H

It must be good to be famous! I have just spent 5 successful days at the great Yorkshire show, with 5 cows! With lots to talk about when we get home! The 1st to be said by one of my daughter inlaw to another daughter in law was, you will never guess who I was talking to at the show?!? He seemed to be a very nice man! No other than Haward 150! Say no More!! Maurice!
 
H
Ķ
It must be good to be famous! I have just spent 5 successful days at the great Yorkshire show, with 5 cows! With lots to talk about when we get home! The 1st to be said by one of my daughter inlaw to another daughter in law was, you will never guess who I was talking to at the show?!? He seemed to be a very nice man! No other than Haward 150! Say no More!! Maurice!
wonder if they had said" that they like the sop "they would have come away with the same opinion :whistle::sneaky:
 

Howard150

Member
Location
Yorkshire
wonder if they had said" that they like the sop "they would have come away with the same opinion :whistle::sneaky:

:p:D:D:D:D:joyful::LOL::D
...and some fell on stony ground...
Come on get real Ben. Not a lot of point giving out to the non ploughing public is there. Anyroad what wi' em both bein related to Maurice, then any one with an IQ ower 30 would be able to guess as to which side o't fence they're on!
 

Mrichardson

Member
I have received some very sad news today Robert Irving passed away yesterday after a long hard fight against cancer!
He was one of the magnificent five!
I admired this man for the courage he showed by standing up at the meeting and pointing out things that weren't right in the society. Every body knew he was right but Nobody else dare say it! And all he got was abuse!
I got to know him well and he was a self made man, milking cows for years like he did was a credit to him. He had a tremendous heard of Holsteins. Anybody who milks 300 cows 3 times a day with an heard average of 11000 litres deserves a knight hood!
In the schedule for the national he offered £100 to any new ploughman who ploughed at the national for the 1st time in the high cut class. He did this for years! I don't no how many received this money, but I bet he was never thanked for this donation

Rest in peace Robert your fighting spirit will be carried on by the army of people who thought you were a great man with lots of courage and strength to see that everything was done correct and straight!

Maurice
 
I was privileged to have been present at Robert Irving's funeral yesterday, it was a fitting end to a truly great man.
He was held in great esteem in Cornwall in every thing he was involved in, for his attention to detail. I hope he will be remembered for standing up for what is right and a shame that he was removed from the SOP as men like him are needed
to keep things on the straight and narrow. RIP Robert
 

Mrichardson

Member
I also had the pleasure of going to Roberts funeral and meeting his wife, his brother and sisters and his 4 children who were a credit to him!

The journey there and back was 800 miles. How Robert and Desmond Jenkins drove to every meeting at SOP. I just take my hat off to them both, because all they got was lies and abuse. I only go 10 miles and my wife thinks I mental!

The journey down with John Plowright was very enjoyable and I would have turned around after 4 hours.

Surprise surprise I was the only one there from all Yorkshire.

But it was a wounderful funeral, 2 rolls royces at the crem and the food was held in a magnificent hotel very very posh! Smoked salmon, sandwiches without crust and plenty of them! Thanks Robert,!,

News from the society of ploughmen is that they are getting record numbers of new members this year.

On the way back from Cornwall just before we reached Doncaster we passed the biggest artic Lorry I have ever seen, it said on the side super grand seed. That confirmed a router I have heard it is that every new member of the SOP gets a bag of this famous grass seed free!!
 

Howard150

Member
Location
Yorkshire
I also had the pleasure of going to Roberts funeral and meeting his wife, his brother and sisters and his 4 children who were a credit to him!

The journey there and back was 800 miles. How Robert and Desmond Jenkins drove to every meeting at SOP. I just take my hat off to them both, because all they got was lies and abuse. I only go 10 miles and my wife thinks I mental!

The journey down with John Plowright was very enjoyable and I would have turned around after 4 hours.

Surprise surprise I was the only one there from all Yorkshire.

But it was a wounderful funeral, 2 rolls royces at the crem and the food was held in a magnificent hotel very very posh! Smoked salmon, sandwiches without crust and plenty of them! Thanks Robert,!,

News from the society of ploughmen is that they are getting record numbers of new members this year.

On the way back from Cornwall just before we reached Doncaster we passed the biggest artic Lorry I have ever seen, it said on the side super grand seed. That confirmed a router I have heard it is that every new member of the SOP gets a bag of this famous grass seed free!!

Strange then (but not to some of us) that a genial well respected man such as Robert, given his reputation and success with a plough, coupled along with the bond he put up for the SOP at the national to encourage high cut ploughmen, has not had one single word of obituary from Doncaster. A sad end. Many lesser men do.

I do not doubt for 1 minute, the catch 22 situation which the SOP find themselves in over this issue - damned if you do damned if you don't, but let's not loose sight of the fact. It is a mire of their own making and this omission serves only to confirm what most of us good men and true already knew.
 

arcobob

Member
Location
Norfolk
Strange then (but not to some of us) that a genial well respected man such as Robert, given his reputation and success with a plough, coupled along with the bond he put up for the SOP at the national to encourage high cut ploughmen, has not had one single word of obituary from Doncaster. A sad end. Many lesser men do.

I do not doubt for 1 minute, the catch 22 situation which the SOP find themselves in over this issue - damned if you do damned if you don't, but let's not loose sight of the fact. It is a mire of their own making and this omission serves only to confirm what most of us good men and true already knew.
Exactly what you would expect from the"never to be challenged" brigade. No doubt the ice cream vendor and the horse ploughman had a word to say.
 
Strange then (but not to some of us) that a genial well respected man such as Robert, given his reputation and success with a plough, coupled along with the bond he put up for the SOP at the national to encourage high cut ploughmen, has not had one single word of obituary from Doncaster. A sad end. Many lesser men do.

I do not doubt for 1 minute, the catch 22 situation which the SOP find themselves in over this issue - damned if you do damned if you don't, but let's not loose sight of the fact. It is a mire of their own making and this omission serves only to confirm what most of us good men and true already knew.
I totally agree with you the SOP haven't said anything about Robert's passing. I've looked on the SOP Facebook page (after getting permission from my wife) ,nothing. I'm disgusted with this! I find it incredibly unfair when they say somebody that ploughed at the national a few years ago has passed away and Robert only ploughed last year at the national he could been mentioned and have been treated the same as all the other ploughmen, who are sadly no longer with us. I think they could have mentioned him. Robert was extremely passionate about the high cut, as he wanted to preserve it for generations to come.

I hope the SOP realise that the £100 for the first time ploughman in the high cut at the national isn't going to come off a tree.
 

arcobob

Member
Location
Norfolk
I totally agree with you the SOP haven't said anything about Robert's passing. I've looked on the SOP Facebook page (after getting permission from my wife) ,nothing. I'm disgusted with this! I find it incredibly unfair when they say somebody that ploughed at the national a few years ago has passed away and Robert only ploughed last year at the national he could been mentioned and have been treated the same as all the other ploughmen, who are sadly no longer with us. I think they could have mentioned him. Robert was extremely passionate about the high cut, as he wanted to preserve it for generations to come.

I hope the SOP realise that the £100 for the first time ploughman in the high cut at the national isn't going to come off a tree.
The propaganda machine will ignore this and try to glorify our prowess in the recent championships in Switzerland. Things are not good in the competition world and our mantle has slipped badly it appears. Well done the Ireland and N.Ireland boys. Perhaps they would be kind enough to run a ploughing school over here.
 
Has anyone had a reminder from the SOP saying that your subscription is due I was speaking to someone who has never been a member and has no intention of becoming one he also had a copy of the news letter with the letter. What a neck they have to do this are they short of members????
 

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