canoeing is absurd

oh yes it is, read about it here. For 10 of the 21 years I lived in Reading I lived very close to the south bank of the Thames - this area was much used by amateur canoeists, those who did not belong to clubs with boathouses (which were mostly on the north bank), who used to walk past my house, canoe under arm, to get on to the river. I couldn't see the harm in it - good exercise, a chance to enjoy the river, and canoes do not have engines so create no noise or pollution. I used to do a bit of canoeing in my schooldays, as I grew up on the banks of the Grand Union Canal in Bedfordshire, and it was great, though in those days we didn't have canoes you could put under your arm, they were heavy and made of wood. But Mr Salter knows different and wants canoes banned. Whoever is selected for Labour in Reading West in a couple of weeks' time should be asked at the hustings if they support canoeists or anglers. (Clue: the correct answer is it's not one or the other, both can use the river at the same time if they do so responsibly, the urban Kennet banks that worry Mr Salter so are not in Reading West anyway, and there are animal cruelty issues around angling, although if you want to get upset about animal cruelty I suggest that chicken farms are the place to start.)