There you go!! Again freedom of speach has been supressed!!

It's a very sad day if you ask me!! Peter Borrett has discontinued his popular blog, a black day for all collectors. Why you may ask? Reading between the lines I imagine he has been bullied and not for the first time. I am a very close friend of Peter, he is a  good person, I choose my friends carefully and have few!! I know of several occasions when he has been asked by fellow collectors to remove sesitive but factual blog posts and he has done so, wrongly in my view. No one can choose all their words perfectly but as long as the facts are accurate that should be enough. 

We live in the western world, in a so called "democracy" but if we can't write the FACTS, do we? Is the corkscrew collecting world becoming a dictatorship where people can only write or post what others want. The most negative thing about this situation in my opinion is that if we can't point out the negative issues of our hobby how can these points be addressed, as collectors is that the world we want or do we want problems discussed and addressed?

I think one of the main goals of the CCCC and ICCA should be to attract new collectors thus keeping the collecting market strong, these bodies or clubs are the collectors representatives. People who blog and make comments about our hobby, if quoting the facts accuratly can in my view  no way damage our hobby, these blogs are enjoyed by many collectors and keep us enthusiastic and interested. In my opinion our hobby is likely to be damaged if we don't encourage existing collectors and attract new ones.

Many are working to attract new collectors I know and that is cool but are the working class being targeted? NO!! large wineries in recent years have entered our circle but once they have built collections will the corkscrews they have bought re enter the market in the mid term? Probably not. Will this help keep our hobby healthy? We need to look in other places too.

There are many collectors in the UK, along with those in many other countries, are they attracted to the two main collectors clubs? If not why not. Requesting some one to remove their blog to me is WRONG so don't ask me to do so .... ever as the request will fall on deaf ears.

Bullying should be eradicated before we leave the classroom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I for one, am again very unhappy.