Conservative Photography

[Roger Hicks]

Playing devil's advocate for a moment, I'd expect the anti-hunting piece to leave out the participation of ordinary people. It's easy to get opposition to champagne quaffing toffs on horses.

Excellent point!

And unless we are prepared to play devil's advocate, we'll never learn to argue convincingly, whether verbally on through visual media. Arguing is not taught enough in schools. According to my wife (and other Americans I know) it's barely taught at all in American schools, though our 'adopted daughter' Aditi gives us the impression that it's much better taught in French schools. Separating the argument from the person is something that lamentably many people are unable to do at all (we all fail to do it sometimes), as evidenced periodically here on RFF.

Cheers.

R.

 

[Sparrow]

Playing devil's advocate for a moment, I'd expect the anti-hunting piece to leave out the participation of ordinary people. It's easy to get opposition to champagne quaffing toffs on horses.

I don't think support for the Act itself extended far from Westminster or much outside the small but vocal Animal-Rights/Hunt-Saboteur community ...

 

[Rodchenko]

Excellent point!

And unless we are prepared to play devil's advocate, we'll never learn to argue convincingly, whether verbally on through visual media. Arguing is not taught enough in schools. According to my wife (and other Americans I know) it's barely taught at all in American schools, though our 'adopted daughter' Aditi gives us the impression that it's much better taught in French schools. Separating the argument from the person is something that lamentably many people are unable to do at all (we all fail to do it sometimes), as evidenced periodically here on RFF.

Cheers.

R.

Thanks, Roger, but it was your question which prompted it.

I agree that we should teach debate and argument better in schools (though the debates we had at my school were very dull, stylised, rule-bound affairs). And it is important to identify and understand the arguments which are, or could be, presented by an opposing viewpoint. In fact, that's what a lot of my photography has been about - trying to plug the gaps, as it were, by demonstrating (as far as I can) my own viewpoint, and the reasons I have come to that conclusion. Frustrating sometimes, of course, and, necessarily, selective (as all photography is), but a good reason to pick up a camera, I feel.

 

[tbhv55]

But it's also passed off as a 'town v country' issue. I am a country boy, who grew up in the Dales. I, and many other country folk, find hunting revolting and despicably cruel.

I don't think support for the Act itself extended far from Westminster or much outside the small but vocal Animal-Rights/Hunt-Saboteur community ...

I grew up on a West Country farm, yet I find the entire hunting 'scene' quite abominable. Moreover, I know very few people who actually like it. Many people of my acquaintance are repulsed by it; a good number find it distasteful, but are prepared to ignore it; only a tiny few are in favour. I accept that "people of my acquaintance" can be dismissed as a selective sample, but nonetheless, I do live in the countryside, and my acquaintances are drawn from there.

 

[Sparrow]

I grew up on a West Country farm, yet I find the entire hunting 'scene' quite abominable. Moreover, I know very few people who actually like it. Many people of my acquaintance are repulsed by it; a good number find it distasteful, but are prepared to ignore it; only a tiny few are in favour. I accept that "people of my acquaintance" can be dismissed as a selective sample, but nonetheless, I do live in the countryside, and my acquaintances are drawn from there.

... how did you keep the various farmyard pests under control?

 

[Rodchenko]

I don't think support for the Act itself extended far from Westminster or much outside the small but vocal Animal-Rights/Hunt-Saboteur community ...

Latest poll (MORI December 2012) showed 76% support for the Bill. In 2010, the MORI poll showed 76% support, with 71% of rural residents. 2009, 75%.

Pretty consistent majority against hunting with dogs, if you ask me, including among country people.

But enough of off-topic...

 

[Michael Markey]

Dear Michael,

It was "Which is important!" (agreeing with you), not "Which is important?" (questioning your choice of subject matter).

I also completely agree with you about hunting; and with Wilde for that matter. The fact that they are "the unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable" does not give me the right to stop them, especially if I am a townie with no real idea of what the hunt involves. Banning the hunt was pure class warfare. I will change my opinion on this when another 'sport' involving the torture of animals for pleasure is made illegal, namely fishing.

And so we have both 'left' (me) and 'right' (you) united in our views upon what some on the left persist in trying to pass off as a right-wing issue.

Cheers,

R.

Dear Roger,

My apologies I should have paid greater attention.
However ...yes I agree with your conclusions.
Succinctly put.

Best

Michael

 

[Michael Markey]

I grew up on a West Country farm, yet I find the entire hunting 'scene' quite abominable. Moreover, I know very few people who actually like it. Many people of my acquaintance are repulsed by it; a good number find it distasteful, but are prepared to ignore it; only a tiny few are in favour. I accept that "people of my acquaintance" can be dismissed as a selective sample, but nonetheless, I do live in the countryside, and my acquaintances are drawn from there.

I think thats an accurate representation of the situation.

Indeed I think in some part the increased participation is a result of the fact that there is a ban ...but thats just my view.

For some its become a cross country riding club.
Yet for those on the extreme that is not enough and they want the activity stopped completely .

It is that which I object to and what motivates my participation as a photographer.

I say as a photographer but the reality is that I`m usually left holding two horses.

In such a situation going through the menu even on the GRD can be tricky.

I hasten to add I am far from being a champagne swilling toff 🙂.

 

[sevo]

... how did you keep the various farmyard pests under control?

The British aristocracy is about to lose its rat catching privileges?

 

[Bike Tourist]

"Taking one micro issue as an example, I don't believe that minimum wage laws are a good idea. I think they actually work against their intention by causing employers to move towards automation and less hiring. I believe they eliminate entry level jobs and make it harder for people to gain employment, experience, and self-respect. And they are an intrusion on a person's right to hire whom they want and pay them for their true market value. "

This might be true for, say, a sole proprietorship. Mom and pop might pay an individual what they thought he was worth. Walmart would not. A corporation is not a person (despite recent supreme court rulings) and has no ethics or morality; its only motivation is to make a profit. Without counterbalancing minimum wage laws there would be even greater inequity in living standards in the US. They are widening as it is.

 

[Sparrow]

Latest poll (MORI December 2012) showed 76% support for the Bill. In 2010, the MORI poll showed 76% support, with 71% of rural residents. 2009, 75%.

Pretty consistent majority against hunting with dogs, if you ask me, including among country people.

But enough of off-topic...

... really? ... I bet there wasn't a "don't give a toss" option on that poll ... 🙄

 

[Rodchenko]

Since the 2010 poll shows only 18% wanting repeal, I'd say there must have been.

 

[Michael Markey]

The British aristocracy is about to lose its rat catching privileges?

Not just yet , dear boy.

 

[Mcary]

Is that legal? As the IRS themselves say in http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small...ndent-Contractor-(Self-Employed)-or-Employee?

Consequences of Treating an Employee as an Independent Contractor

If you classify an employee as an independent contractor and you have no reasonable basis for doing so, you may be held liable for employment taxes for that worker (the relief provisions, discussed below, will not apply). See Internal Revenue Code section 3509 for more information.

In other words, there are at least three separate photo-essays here:

(1) Our unfortunate manual labourer

(2) Our cheating pseudo-consultant (pictures illustrating how he/she doesn't actually differ from an employee)

(3) Reductions in tax revenues, resulting in reduced public services (part of a wider essay on the social consequences of tax avoidance/tax evasion)

Cheers,

R.

Yes its very legal as the people I'm referring to generally work on contracts issued by the Federal Government which have very clear rules about whither a person working on that contract can be a 1099 consultant or not and violating these rules can result in a company losing its contract(s) and not being able to work on future contracts.

Reference 3 The IRS receives copies of 1099s so they know how much a person made and how much taxes they owes. The only difference is where the money comes from not how much is owed.

Example in the case of Social Security taxes the burden is split between the employer and W2 employee 50/50, on the other hand a consultant 1099 is responsible for all 12.4%.

Bottom line: as a consultant 1099 a person is assuming 100% of the responsibility for any and all federal, state and local income/work related taxes. This includes submitting monthly payments to the IRS or face penalties and even fines in some cases.

 

[sevo]

... how did you keep the various farmyard pests under control?

A bit less tongue in cheek - the way hunting is done in Britain or Germany (where farmers themselves are not permitted to hunt on their own ground) it is pretty much useless as pest control, and has a strong tendency to make matters worse.

 

[Sparrow]

A bit less tongue in cheek - the way hunting is done in Britain or Germany (where farmers themselves are not permitted to hunt on their own ground) it is pretty much useless as pest control, and has a strong tendency to make matters worse.

... you don't have cats then?

 

[sevo]

... you don't have cats then?

Not in the town house. In the country, we share the neighbours cats (or rather, they share us). But even though they do far more for pest control than the useless person of political eminence that owns the hunt, they legally are a poachers, and sometimes get shot...

 

[Sparrow]

Not in the town house. In the country, we share the neighbours cats (or rather, they share us). But even though they do far more for pest control than the useless person of political eminence that owns the hunt, they legally are a poachers, and sometimes get shot...

Em, so your laws forbid cats to kill things and then allow you to own firearms with which to shoot them?

 

[sevo]

Em, so your laws forbid cats to kill things and then allow you to own firearms with which to shoot them?

No. It forbids cats and farmers (and indeed anybody except the owner of the hunt and his guests) to own firearms or kill things by any other means (except by car on a public road). In the territory of a rarely visible hobby hunter (like ours) the consequence may be that you'll have boars digging up your lawn every other night, and deer out in the crops in broad daylight...

 

[charjohncarter]

The British aristocracy is about to lose its rat catching privileges?

There is always the Chunnel, maybe they could go there to catch a few new rats. And British photographers could easily document these events (to get the discussion back to photography).