HICKATHRIFT PRESS

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It’s no secret that I love Land Rovers. I started writing about them nearly 30 years ago—in May 1997, to be exact—and in the years that followed edited the two biggest magazines on the subject, Land Rover Owner and Land Rover Monthly, wrote the unauthorised biography of the marque (The Land Rover Story, published by Evro) and co-wrote the Haynes Manual of Off-Road Driving with my late mate, Vince Cobley.

As a result of all this, I became known as a Land Rover writer. No complaints there—I see that as a compliment. But when I started writing my own Substack a few years back, I wanted to broaden my range of topics. That’s why I called it Not Just Land Rovers. It was my way of warning Land Rover fans that I’d be talking about stuff that didn’t bear a green oval badge.

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I think they’ve got the message now, so it’s time for a name change that better reflects the content. Country Matters fits the bill perfectly, because at heart I’m a country lad and rural affairs are dear to my heart. It works on a second level, too, because “country matters” can also be interpreted as meaning my nation is important to me. Which it is. And out here in the sticks, in Divided Britain 2026, rural life is being deliberately misrepresented by politicians.

I take particular offence to chancers like Nigel Farage trying to win seats in rural Britain by deliberately creating division and then pretending he is on the side of the poor, repressed rural folks. He isn’t. He’s another posh, rich boy attempting to use typical far-right tactics to pull the wool over the eyes of those he sees as the gullible peasants, in the hope that they’ll be fooled into voting for him. After all, it worked for Donald Trump in America. But Farage doesn’t fool me—and I’ll be shadowing him every step of the way.

Likewise, the so-called Countryside Alliance. They too try to pretend they are the voice of all rural people, when in fact they are the pathetic squealings of a minority of vicious criminals who wish to carry on the illegal and cruel practice of hunting with hounds. There aren’t enough of them to carry any clout, so they like to pretend that all country folk are on their side. Worse, they try to pretend that hunting is the thin end of the wedge and that pursuits like angling will come next. They won’t.

Anglers are the eyes and ears of the riverbank, shore and lakeside. They fight pollution and abstraction. They care about their quarry and protect fish stocks. Best of all, they do not trample across the countryside in the illegal pursuit of terrified, sentient creatures, so they witness them being torn to pieces by hounds.

Such actions may have been considered acceptable for entitled Norman barons in the 12th century, but hunting was declared illegal in Britain early in the 21st century. The vast majority of people, including country folk, want it to remain banned—along with the so-called trail hunting that was used as cover for some hunts to carry on as normal even after the ban.

The Countryside Alliance is a classic Trojan Horse operation, pretending to be something it isn’t. The fact that one of their biggest supporters is Nigel Farage, who has vowed to repeal the hunting laws if Reform gains power, speaks volumes.

To provide a balanced perspective, I also do not trust the Green Party. It’s unfortunate, as environmental issues represent a pressing and existential threat to us all. However, the Greens have been infiltrated in a Trojan Horse manner—this time by displaced Marxists. Politicians who were too far left for Labour have switched their allegiance to the Greens. The party is now led by Zac Polanski, who, perplexingly, appears to be Jewish with antisemitic tendencies. The mind boggles. In my opinion, the Green Party should have focused solely on environmental issues and remained apolitical.

Me? I don’t have any political allegiances or affiliations. Born and bred in the country, I take people as I find them—and apply the same yardstick to all political parties and their leaders. Yes, I’m a vocal yokel all right.

Hopefully I’ve set out my stall for what you can expect from me in the future. Don’t worry: there won’t be very much politics, unless absolutely necessary. It will be mainly about the everyday realities of rural life. Yes, I still explore the countryside in my faithful 1984 Land Rover Ninety, whether it’s my native Norfolk or my current home in Northamptonshire’s lovely Nene Valley, which I share with my two dogs. I’ll often chuck my fishing tackle in the back too, because it’s a great way of enjoying the countryside.

From my cottage, practically within casting distance of the river, I run a small indie publishing company (The Hickathrift Press—named after a folk hero from my corner of West Norfolk) and write and produce books in collaboration with an amazing gang of like-minded friends. I’ll be telling you about them, too.

Yes, I prefer a rural idyll and the peaceful life, but by heck I’ll kick up a fuss if and when idiots like incompetent or greedy politicians threaten it. Just watch this space.

• Did you enjoy this article from Hickathrift editor Dave Phillips? You can follow Dave’s regular COUNTRY MATTERS for free by clicking HERE.