China's President State Visit to London ~ 20Oct15

The side-by-side 12 bore can be a thing of great beauty. I miss mine sometimes.

Moggy

Now youv’e blown it Moggs, we will now be inundated with American Hunters over here, as it would be cheaper for them to fly here shoot a pair of Pheasants, and nail them in their den. BIG game hunting in the U.K. As for what they spend, You could almost get a matched, tailor made Holland and Holland, side by side 12 guage shotguns for that……..:D
Jim
Lincoln .7

Hunting is a very expensive hobby…the licenses alone cost hundreds. Firearms or bows and ammunition are expensive, then all the gadgets that they need…clothes, camping gear, ATVs, GPS trackers, wildlife camers and all the other stuff people think they need in the outdoors.

In the UK you can buy a decent 12 bore, say a Beretta secondhand, for a couple of hundred. You’ll need a gunsafe, say another couple of hundred, a box of 25 game cartridges will cost six quid or so. Get permission from your local farmer to clear vermin (rabbits and pigeon) and you are what is in the US called a ‘hunter’. Five hundred quid, say $800 tops. A licence for a 12 bore (gauge) is less than $100.

Not an expensive sport at all here. But if you really want to become one of the over-equipped imbeciles who think spending money buys results, yes, thousands. Those who know will smile indulgently at you and mutter “All the gear and no idea” under their breaths.

Moggy

Jealous of our ability to do classy ceremonial ?

Yes, that’s it!

I’m sure know they ‘ll behave themselves militarily in the region (anyone car about “Free Tibet?”) and clear up their environmental issues and human rights abuses.
Yes, seeing the gold carriage will have them turning around in no time. 🙂

By all means show then a good time, they are your guests. Just don’t expect miracles based on displays based on your imperial past.

If people were dirt poor and shooting for the pot(as in the richest nation on earth*) I have no problem with that.

While most hunters eat what they shoot, the huge majority don’t do it because they’re poor.

Hunting is a very expensive hobby…the licenses alone cost hundreds. Firearms or bows and ammunition are expensive, then all the gadgets that they need…clothes, camping gear, ATVs, GPS trackers, wildlife camers and all the other stuff people think they need in the outdoors.
I like to take our English visitors to the local 120,000 square foot outdoor shop. Huge display of stuffed game animals on w faux mountain with waterfall, huge aquarium, even a real Piper J-3 suspended from the ceiling. The special gun room has a nice display of antique firearms.

No, the poor get money from the government or free food from charities.

Until they fall from grace then it will be a bullet in the back of the head!

Saves on pension costs.

Only eat free range meat,poultry and eggs Moggy.

I certainly would not kill animals for sport

Having lived for about 40 years in a small village about 20 miles from the nearest town I knew none locally who shot purely for “fun”. Their sport was to shoot wild animals and game birds for consumption. The sport, just as for anglers who fish for food, is in the hunting and the catch. A practice man has indulged for several millenia. There is some oddly mistaken notion that only the “posh” shoot for sport. That description would fit none of my ex-neighbours who worked on the land, in local shops in the town, were local tradesmen – a baker, a smithy, garage mechanic, a butcher etc as well as two of the three local farmers. All of whom had fully stocked freezers during the fallower months!!;)

‘Free range chickens’ are still transported packed in crates to a slaughterhouse, hung by their claws (many with broken wings) electrocuted to try and stun them, many aren’t, and then have their throats slit to bleed to death.

So there is no moral high ground to be taken by you about people who enjoy the sport of shooting where each animal lives a cossetted life in the wild and is then harvested quickly and cleanly where it lives. They all end up in the pot. It’s just another, kinder sort of farming.

Moggy

Only eat free range meat,poultry and eggs Moggy.

I certainly would not kill animals for sport. If people were dirt poor and shooting for the pot(as in the richest nation on earth*) I have no problem with that.

* assuming the yanks still are?

What will the Chinese take away from this visit? I’m sure the display of horses will impress them.

Imagine all the Chinese watching at home, they’ll think…”At least our high ranking party officials have cars.” 🙂

Jealous of our ability to do classy ceremonial ?

William the next King in waiting after his father is happy to be seen with Rhino’s and Elephants but is happy to be seen blasting birds out of the sky.

And why shouldn’t he be?

I didn’t know you were a vegetarian Paul? Or are you just one of those people happy to eat intensively farmed chicken that have their throats slit on your behalf by some poor sod on minimum wage , but think that harvesting birds that have been bred very free range is wrong because you don’t do it?

Moggy

Until they fall from grace then it will be a bullet in the back of the head!

What will the Chinese take away from this visit? I’m sure the display of horses will impress them.

Imagine all the Chinese watching at home, they’ll think…”At least our high ranking party officials have cars.” 🙂

Too true – rights of any sort expected by sentient adults are indivisible from their responsibilities.

Unlike you, having given it some thought, I’m all for ‘human rights’ if it is properly balanced by human responsibilities.

Hell will first freeze over.

Apropos human rights, this country was all set to get into bed with the Saudis over a deal to train their prison staff. He who cast the first stone, and all of that.

I thought you lot hated the very concept of human rights anyway?

Good points. They won’t tho’ find favour with many on this forum !

To be fair to the Chinese, I don’t think we have any right to bring up human rights when we live in a country that is suffering from an epidemic of forced marriages, FGM, Institutionalized racism (quotas based on skin colour rather than ability, Black Police Association etc) etc

Couldn’t agree more Paul, whats the betting he has not made a bid to H.M. to buy Buck house whilst he is here.

Jim
Lincoln .7

John I am pleased he stuck to his guns on this. Even his Father who said”
During a state visit to China in 1986, he famously told a group of British students: “If you stay here much longer, you’ll all be slitty-eyed”.

Screw the chinks you will get a lot of support for them on Teeside and Scotland. Money spent on pageantry and banquets does not put dinner on British plates!
Philip should have boycotted it as well!
Just as a bye the way William the next King in waiting after his father is happy to be seen with Rhino’s and Elephants but is happy to be seen blasting birds out of the sky. Two faced bald headed git. Yes I know flap ears is no better and his horse faced wife likes Foxhunting.

My advice for what its worth is get in tune with the majority of the populace and you might have a job in years to come!

Tiananmen Square anybody?