Don't Expect too much from the NCMD [UPDATE]

 

The 'current news' section of the website of the National Council for Metal Detecting gave the fullest attention that you could expect from such an organization to the announcement made by the Prime Minister on 4th December on outdoor leisure activities. Here's the latest NCMD update on the Covid situation in the UK and its relevance to artefact hunting. Do you think they're miffed by the explicit definition of "outdoor exercise" this time leaving no room for the sort of stunt these geriatrics tried to pull last time ("sent a letter of complaint to the Government on the singling out of our hobby for restrictions")? 

Update (two hours later):

a reader is concerned that my comment above is too obscure for "the average Baz". Even though this blog is about artefact hunters and not for them, just to be clear to all my readers, the point I am making is that the isolationist geriatrics of the NCMD have made NO recent comment to their members about the new regulations and what it means for them and the hobby.

 Update Two Days Later: 

The lightning intellects of the NCMD managed to read through the few pages of national guidance in just two days (Latest Guidance Lockdown 6th January 2021):

the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have been more flexible about what exercise and leisure activities are allowed. However, in those countries, we would still urge you to consider carefully if it is the right thing to do – the only safe action is stay at home at this time.

[in other words decide for yourself if metal detecotrists are exceptional and thus excepted from having to abide by the same rules and principles as everybody else, innit?]  

Looking forward to the future lifting of the national lockdown in England we are continuing to lobby the Minister to rethink the rules on detecting on private land in Tier 4 areas. As lockdown is eased we believe allowing people to detect on beaches, whilst not allowing them to detect on private land, is nonsensical.

Umm, which one is a public open space and which one is private? What is so difficult for these people to grasp here? Golf courses and croquet lawns are also private property, so what is the government's reasoning on their closure in the view of the NCMD-exception mentality?  Is the problem the lack of appreciation what is meant by private property? Why can the NCMD not grasp either the difference between exercise and a leisure activity (entertainment)? 

In any case, notifying the landowner of what objects are being removed from the property and getting them signed off in a transfer of title protocol involves meeting the landowner or their representative.