The Story

The Story....so far

Having suffered a deluge of emails from R**** over the last couple of days, including the one put on in part in my previous blog, I’ve been thinking about what I  believe to be the antithesis of today’s world really is. responding to his comments on his blog only get's all my words removed and replaced by his sick ramblings.

The likes of little R**** is what we now seem to expect will happen if we ever have the temerity to have thoughts that don’t fit in the mould of their type. 

They are the type who infest today’s world of the internet, with their faux disgust at all things and anybody with success. I won’t give examples because you’ve all seen it the hoards that flock around the exclamations of the Daily Mail showing their mock disgust.

Not happy with their size or maybe their life, this type of individual will go out of his way to bully cajole harangue or nag away at decent folk until they capitulate, fall in with the gang, or just go away and let them get on with their bully boy/school playground tactics.

I’ve never made this public, but I will now .

As an ex  Barbel Society committee member (out of my own choice) I had a certain loyalty to my colleagues  and one thing I pride myself with is loyalty.

I don’t have to agree without question, but I must accept the majority line.

To a certain extent that even happened with R**** when I was a member of Hazelford Piscatorials with our little stretch of the middle Trent. I backed him with his tactics about protecting the fishery against those who had a grudge against the take over of the management of the water from the owning club.

What I didn’t accept, because I didn’t personally know an individual, was the constant dig by him and others who were ex committee members of the Barbel Society and certain members of the then existing Barbel Society committee. I had to find out myself.

Anyway in August 2008, having volunteered to join the committee shortly before to become editor of Barbel Fisher I attended my first committee meeting and met a number of committee members in the pub car park beforehand . 

Talk was a foot of an organised coupe d'etat to remove Steve Pope from his post as Chairman.

Those attending this pre-meeting meeting were, Mike Osborne, who became the “elected” spokesperson, Mike Berridge (a gobby foul mouthed Yorkshire man)  Mark Fox (a Jack the lad Essex boy) and John Smith(an ineffective individual, mate of Foxy). My memory fails me but I think Steve Richardson was there too.

The plot was laid and Mike O was put up as the front man, all I knew was they wanted Steve Pope out.

I had only met Steve in passing at the annual conference, and had a few telephone calls with him, since taking on the job. 

So at this time had no real personal view about him, he seemed to come across ok to me.

So there we all were sat around the tables in the pub meeting room, and Mike O gingerly put forward the proposal. 

There were a few points given by some and to his credit Steve who was obviously put on the spot, defended himself,and his thoughts of the Society and those around very capably.

It came to the vote, I abstained because in my view he showed his passion and not what people on the internet had inferred a dictatorial approach.

 This bloke wasn’t the dictator  he was made out to be by those who didn’t get their own way, he was however passionate about the Barbel Society and wasn’t going to let the likes of Foxy, who was lined up for the job in the car park, take over and potentially seriously damage the Society.

So Steve stayed on board, democracy worked, and those that started the insurrection, went off with their tails between their legs.

Then the fun started, and I have no doubt in my mind it was because Mike Berridge reported back, and probably always did from the meetings to R****, who at this time wasn’t even a member of the Barbel Society.

I was called all sorts of names, from traitor etc, etc, by some of R****’s opo's in the HPS, one of whom, the most vociferous  was the  fat follower and roccarselicker Chris Pearson.

So it carried on with HPS fully aware that all R**** wanted from me was another ally on the committee to knock Steve off the chair. It wasn’t ever said directly by him but it was obvious to me he was feeding the cattle amongst his “friends”

I told Rocca I wouldn’t be renewing my ticket for HPS and told the plotters many of them ex BS members, what I thought of them. I was barred from the HPS website well before my membership ended in March 2010, they didn’t like anybody speaking against  their aims.

And so it carried on and still does, none of the individuals, well Mike Osborne did, had anything to offer the Barbel Society, they wanted their own little club for the boys, and no doubt because of each of their temperament would have given R**** his little empire, if it lasted that long.

So there you have it R**** shows himself publicly to be a tiny man with a napolionic power complex, who attacks  individuals on a personal  basis when it must be obvious to him he is not going to get his way.

In short he has nothing to offer, never has he offered any  alternative.
Like many of the loud shouters, he must not be allowed to ever get his way, whatever that is!!