Focus on UK Metal Detecting: Guessing

"Mark, these sad people are not worth
the reply: they are just doing it to annoy".
"Yes, people who counter sweeping assertions with evidence-
backed arguments are really annoying, aren't they?" 

There was dreadfully slimy opinion piece in the Guardian "Being a detectorist has its moments to treasure" (Friday 2 January 2015)hare written by an ex-archaeology student Mark Wallace which of course UK metal detectorists were delighted about. Less palatable for them was that there were a number of comments which showed that there are those out there in the great Guardian-reading British public who are less than convinced by the spin and are asking awkward questions. Good for them. Since detecting forums are largely a gathering place of superficial airheads, there was no substantive discussion of the issues raised for "the responsible hobby" by the latter comments (see the thread " Re: Guardian article on detecting"). One commentator wrote of one "heckler"

I have no idea who scouseexile is but in my mind he looked, sounded and acted much the same as Zahi Hawass [emoticon].

"Allectus" (Sat Jan 03, 2015 8:38 pm) has a go at guessing his identity, but has a problem, he thinks it was 'he-whose-name-cannot-be-mentioned-in-metal-detecting-forums, so he tries a rebus:

Try closer to home Skute. Try someone residing in a European Capital city that begins W. [emoticon].

Let's get one thing straight, if I write a comment to a newspaper article or on a blog etc., I have no reason at all to use another name other than my own. That way people can link the comment to what I say elsewhere on the Internet (such as here). I have no reason to hide my name (unlike most metal detectorists it seems, "Allectus" and "Skute" are not real names). Also I would capitalise it.

I hate to disappoint the gentlemen but I am not a Scouse exile, nor am I the Scouseexile, who (any fule kin chek) has a profile on the Guardian as long as your arm. What is interesting though is that Scouseexile was saying all the right things, he or she is aware of the HA artefact erosion counter and understands its implications, is aware of a lot of other things that have been rehearsed by the critics of current policies on artefact hunting in the UK. Metal detectorists are kidding themselves if they think that in the whole wide world, there are only Paul Barford and Nigel Swift who are eager to hear some answers to their questions about said policy.   I do not know who "scouse exile" is. Neither do I agree with everything he or she says about other things on other topics I see discussed in the profile. It is nice to see however that we are in agreement on the metal detecting questions that need to be asked.

It would be even nicer to see that it is the so-called "responsible detectorists' that are asking them.