It's past time that I stopped picking on the author and take up what I think could be considered the book's more interesting aspect...
How important is it that these ways of life are preserved, and to what extent, and in what form?
The Wikipedia article about the
Lake District Economy says "Sheep farming remains important both for the economy of the region and for preserving the landscape which visitors want to see." Rebanks made a similar observation about the sheep playing an important part of maintaining the landscape. But that's the sheep, not the shepherds or the farming lifestyle.
And Wikipedia about the
Herdwick sheep says "Herdwicks survive largely due to farming subsidies and the aid of the British National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty."
So it's costing money to keep this system going. Rebanks himself gave us this quote from Beatrix Potter:
Quote:
I respectfully maintain that work, business and the undisturbed customary use of centuries should be set before idle amusement.
Mrs Heelis (Beatrix Potter) in a letter to The Times,January 1912, objecting to an aeroplane factory on the shores of Windermere
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Rebanks gave us this for the words "undisturbed customary use", but we might equally well highlight "work, business" and "before idle amusement". If we end up supporting this culture only to enable the idle amusement of the tourists then we have to consider such business details as return on investment, and the possibility some better business model may be proposed in the future. After all, how many, no longer economic, traditional lifestyles are we supposed to keep going?
The way things are headed, it is possible to envisage the Lake District being turned into something like this
Pioneer Settlement (in Swan Hill, Victoria, Australia), where there are "attractions" and "rides and cruises" staffed by actors in fancy dress. Okay, those like the blacksmith must know something of the work, but their livelihood depends on their tourist value, their decorative skills not their practical skills. So I can imagine a future in which the shepherds exist not to earn a living as shepherds, but to earn a living as tourist attractions and as maintenance personnel for the fells.
Not saying I like it, but I could see it happening ... perhaps even in the next generation.
Think of the economies of scale and the possible advantages to the sheep where a large company runs things and keeps trained veterinarians on hand for professional health care. And machines like those they have in vineyards to
pick grapes, but these put the rock walls back together (maybe a bit of invisible glue or mortar here and there because they will last longer and the tourists won't notice). And so on.