Guy Smith @ meeting with guth today

[gone up the hill]

Spin cycle the NFU do a lot more for you than you think. It's a pity that they don't put it over better.[/QUOTE]

I made the same comment yesterday but I not sure that GS would agree with that viewpoint but I hope he does! The RPA guy seemed to agree that more work could be done!

 

[Henarar]

What is the matter with some of you? You sit behind your keyboard shouting but are afraid to stand up for yourselves at a meeting. Grow a pair and demand what you want from the NFU

perhaps some members would not be as good at speaking at a meeting as you let alone demanding, [I for one seem to think about what I should of said after the meeting] but would that mean that there view is less relevant/worth less ?
some are better at expressing there view with a keyboard and in many ways that is a more 21st century way of doing things and would let any member make there view known at any time, but this has been discussed and rejected out of hand, for no good reason

 

[spin cycle]

perhaps some members would not be as good at speaking at a meeting as you let alone demanding, [I for one seem to think about what I should of said after the meeting] but would that mean that there view is less relevant/worth less ?
some are better at expressing there view with a keyboard and in many ways that is a more 21st century way of doing things and would let any member make there view known at any time, but this has been discussed and rejected out of hand, for no good reason

wot he said

 

[chaffcutter]

When have postal elections ever taken place for County delegates or any other offices? I've been a member all my working life and have never had a postal vote for anyone. I have represented the NFU on several other committees as well as being heavily involved in the county for a long time and this is news to me.

 

[Henarar]

WLA is a red herring , I'm all for it .... I'm not subsidising @Henarar et al , nothing personal mate.

could you put that in English ?

 

[An Gof]

When have postal elections ever taken place for County delegates or any other offices? I've been a member all my working life and have never had a postal vote for anyone. I have represented the NFU on several other committees as well as being heavily involved in the county for a long time and this is news to me.

We've had postal elections for Council Delegate in Cornwall in the past. There is only an election if more than one person standing. Perhaps in your area there is only ever one candidate.

 

[spin cycle]

could you put that in English ?

i believe he's saying that by being farm assured he's somehow covering for you.....but of course as farm assurance is 'voluntary' that can't be true

 

[gone up the hill]

perhaps some members would not be as good at speaking at a meeting as you let alone demanding, [I for one seem to think about what I should of said after the meeting] but would that mean that there view is less relevant/worth less ?
some are better at expressing there view with a keyboard and in many ways that is a more 21st century way of doing things and would let any member make there view known at any time, but this has been discussed and rejected out of hand, for no good reason

You would have NO problem standing up and speaking at a meeting

Yep it was dismissed out of hand for No reason, GS told me that he reckons there is only about 10 TFF members in Total that comment on threads about the NFU on here!

 

[spin cycle]

You would have NO problem standing up and speaking at a meeting

Yep it was dismissed out of hand for No reason, GS told me that he reckons there is only about 10 TFF members in Total that comment on threads about the NFU on here!

TBH he's probably right....thing is though why don't the other 14.990k members shout us down

 

[B&B Pig Man]

You would have NO problem standing up and speaking at a meeting

Yep it was dismissed out of hand for No reason, GS told me that he reckons there is only about 10 TFF members in Total that comment on threads about the NFU on here!

I'm an NFU member - well, the business is.

I've never had anything to do with the NFU, and quite frankly don't want to. They don't try to engage with me, nor me with them.

In reality I'm only still a member because dad was, and I just haven't got around to cancelling it yet. It is one of those expenses that pops up once a year - and you think 'I must cancel that when I have 5 mins' but never do.

I think a large majority of NFU members are in the same situation.

 

[Henarar]

i believe he's saying that by being farm assured he's somehow covering for you.....but of course as farm assurance is 'voluntary' that can't be true

so somehow if everyone joined he wouldn't have to pay as much
or am I somehow getting something for nothing
or is it a case of I have joined the club so everyone should be made to join, they will have press gangs next FFS

 

[bobk]

so somehow if everyone joined he wouldn't have to pay as much
or am I somehow getting something for nothing
or is it a case of I have joined the club so everyone should be made to join, they will have press gangs next FFS

The middle one

 

[drumeldry]

yes

I could simply delete your posts and ban you if i wanted ..........but your still here along with many others that don't share my views or opinions

surely thats proof

I rarely moderate anything myself and certainly never would do so on a thread I was involved in as a farmer / TFF member

But you have never banned any one ?

 

[Henarar]

You would have NO problem standing up and speaking at a meeting

a few tots of whiskey may help naa I am far to

 

[Clive]

But you have never banned any one ?

Only one person has been banned since we started - we had no choice as he used this site to break the law and I was saddened that he left us no choice by doing so

even then it wasn't my personal decision, we discussed it amongst our mod team and staff before we took action

no single person involved in the running of TFF has the power to ban anyone

 

[bobk]

But you have never banned any one ?

There's a first for everything .

 

[Henarar]

The middle one

so what an I getting
or more to the point what do you think you are getting
the folk that buy my cattle don't give a f**k that I am not FA

 

[bobk]

so what an I getting
or more to the point what do you think you are getting
the folk that buy my cattle don't give a fudge that I am not FA

Well I can get your meat in to Waitrose but you can't .

 

[exmoor dave]

But as a citizen of this country I have no option but to live under the government of the day, no matter who I voted for. I do not have to be a member of the NFU. Your comparison is flawed.

Just read through the thread, not meaning to pick on you Stu, but this comment stood out abit, I think you're wrong,
Whether you're a member of the nfu or not, as a farmer you will always be affected by decisions or agreements made by the NFU.
The first people the government et al speak to regarding farming is the NFU.
So just by not being a member isn't going to stop their decisions, negotiations, agreements affecting you.
Rightly or wrongly, whether you agree with them or not.

When I'm at a NFU meeting I am extremely critical of the organisation and everyone there knows how I feel and how i think they could improve. Ask any Derbyshire member!?

When I'm talking to non members I stick up for the NFU because it is the best we've got. But I would like these non members to come to meetings and express their views and vote for what they want. You can change things if you come along, but you can tap as many posts as you want and it won't make any difference.

Spin cycle the NFU do a lot more for you than you think. It's a pity that they don't put it over better.

Nail on the head
I've been to a few meetings this year and I think they do a huge amount of stuff behind the scenes, much of which most of us would never think of or we'd even find quite boring,
but they aren't great at showing what they've done.
Also to be fair much of what they do is on-going so it's hard to say we've "achieved this".
I wonder how much legislation is stopped or watered down before it reaches us?
What is certain is that we'd all be up in arms if we were hit with a constant barrage of legislation because we didn't have any representation to stop it.


Personally think the organisation probably needs reform,
But bare in mind, strength in numbers, maybe as a industry we need to back the NFU more and prehaps get involved more?
Obviously for this to work, it has to be easy for people to engage and folk need to feel that there involvement is valued and worthwhile.

Just a few thoughts!

 

[gone up the hill]

TBH he's probably right....thing is though why don't the other 14.990k members shout us down

Because according to GS they have never heard of TFF..