Peter Underwood

The first six of my 12-part series on Living Afloat - published by Towpath Talk over the past year are now available as downloadable pdfs - and they are free here for anyone who found them useful. The other half dozen will be up soon. http://www.norburywharfltd.co.uk/new_page_3.htm

I tend to read this stuff on a small smart phone screen rather than a laptop these days and find it useful to be able to see a summary before deciding whether I want to pursue the whole thing. Small screen, big fingers and bad eyesight is also the reason for literals like hiters for hirers. Perhaps I have made the assumption that most others have the same approach. Not a major problem to post whole thing rather than a link but at least as many seem to have no problem with the link as object to it. I could do both? I still object to those who want to invent motives for my rants and my methods of disseminating them. My motives are perfectly simple - I live on a boat full time, I travel the system full time and I want to be able to continue to do that and enjoy the history, variety, and people that make it one of the last true communities. When that is threatened only a coward keeps silent.

Can't say I am too upset by any of it but I take the easiest route when I have something I think is worth saying and say it once and then link to it. I talk to a series of waterways audiences from Waterscape's pages to Twitter boaters and Facebook boating friends as well as my own blogs and their followers. The reactions fascinate me and help me get a feel of boater opinion, which I will then reflect back in other ways. What I find curious about this forum is the unusually high levels of personal hostility about honestly expressed opinions as I don't meet it elsewhere about exactly the same material. Wonder why, but not going to worry about it. Janet Have to admit that when we first owned a boat it was a series of targets, long days etc. Not suggesting that is necessarily wrong, just that there is another way and some hirers might prefer laid back

A hiter is a mistyped hirer. I respond to many requests to write guest blogs and offer them to forums like this as a link rather than cut and paste. That way anyone who finds the topic interesting can take a look and those who don't can pass on without wading through hundreds of words. Oh and I would just like to say how nice it is when you are made welcome in a forum. Thank you everyone who makes me want to stay here and keep posting. I will do my best to keep it up.

A ring too far? This may interest novice and experieced hirers http://norburywharfltd.blogspot.com/

Or even unused? The powder that is

Let me explain the political con trick. Cameron needs some large scale working example to rescue his failed 'big society' idea. The idea put forward by Labour to make BW into a charitable trust is too good to ignore. However, there has been no political desire to do this for the waterways and the cuts agenda has been allowed to hijack the debate - now it is not enough to create something which has a chance of benefitting the waterways it has to save ludicrous amounts of cash. Despite that the politicians, aided by BW, pretend it is still the right solution. Worse, this is nothing like the 'National Trust' of the waterways originally promised but an unelected body being given draconian powers and probably run by the same overpaid people.

I know I am slow, blame my age, but I learned 40 years ago that responding to personal abuse was a waste of time and it was clearly a mistake to attempt to explain myself on this forum where, for some people personal attacks are clearly acceptable. So from now on I will not respond to anything containing such abuse ir questioning my integrity. Deal with the issue or be ignored

Tell me what makes you such an aggressive little person that you have to attack anyone who disagrees with you. You must be terribly insecure.

Last week we went to a Red Kite feeding centre in West Wales to see hundreds of these once-rare birds wheeling and turning. It set me thinking that we have seen many more buzzards and kites in the past couple of years than ever before, especially on the Shroppie, Coventry, N Oxford and GU in Northants. More than I recall from a rural Suffolk childhood. Watching three buzzards being mobbed by crows here at Brewood led me to wonder whether other boaters are also spotting more of them?

Can I assist in makung a distinction which is very clear to me after 43 years as a journalist. Writing sn article for a publication requires balance and demands a lack of speculation, other than that indulged in by those you are reporting. Writing a blog is a much more personal expression of opinion, rather as good newspapers make a clear distinction between news and comment. Just because you are a journalist doesn't mean that everything you write has to give both sides and anyone reading a blog or a forum post would be wise to expect personal bias Can I assist in making a distinction which is very clear to me after 43 years as a journalist. Writing an article for a publication requires balance and demands a lack of speculation, other than that indulged in by those you are reporting. Writing a blog is a much more personal expression of opinion, rather as good newspapers make a clear distinction between news and comment. Just because you are a journalist doesn't mean that everything you write has to give both sides if it is within the context of a comment and anyone reading a blog or a forum post would be wise to expect personal bias and opinion.

Unlikely to agree with NWC fans. Hopefully we are all cansl fans and happy to fight for what we each believe is best for the system's future.

Not really as sophisticated as some seem to fear. No real knowledge of the Google search techniques and similar stuff. Not even trying to make money. The simple reality is that a number of people have been kind enough to ask if it was possible to access earlier articles on line. Norbury were good enough to offer space on their website. I have already been paid by TT and was simply trying to offer it as an additional resource to potential liveaboards. Not even trying to promote TT. I am freelance. The use of the third person was simply so that any TT reader would better recognise the series to which I was referring. No intention to ruffle any feathers merely to add to the collective resource of experience expertise and opinion. Similarly I only offered part of my CV on another discussion about the NWC because someone had somewhat rudely questioned my expertise. And LoneWolf thanks for that. We are both well and still doing our best to encourage drunkeness all over the system. Hope to cross with you again soon.

Chris Well said, you express yet another dimension of my concerns. I apologise. One civil engineet then.

Sue and anyone else who feels I am negative, that is not my intention. My objective, as someone whose whole life is now invested in the waterways is to honestly point out that that I and many others fear the NWC will be detrimental, especially to boaters for two key reasons, lack of funds and lack of accountability. Those fears are shared by the Waterways Group of MPs many directors and owners of canal businesses and even the IWA and RBOA to some extent. Even though my preference is for state ownership on political and democratic grounds I would give my support to an accountable charity (that means elections) that was able to show it could meet the financial criteria for steady state maintenance of the system. All the independent financial assesments are clear there is a £20-45m shortfall and that doesn't take account of disasters like the Shroppie or Mon and Brec breaches. It is no good going into this saying "I am sure there are civil engineers" who will step up. Wishful thinking does not keep canals open. As I talk to canal people I do not find many convinced that the NWC as currently proposed will be better than BW. I spend my life on the cut, winter and summer, rural and urban. I would be more than happy if any of the NWC advocates could convincingly demonstrate that it will be properly funded and accountable. All I hear is wishful thinking combined with acceptance of the big society PR stunt. (and I recognise those having run 2 PR firms) If you want positive how about campaigning for a proper financial contract, at least £20m more than is on the table, indexed? How about fighting for an elected charity board that accurately reflects the key boater constituency? How about fighting to ensure the whole show is not still run by the same executives on the same pay, pensions and bonuses that currently drain BWs coffers by mullions each year? I'll join you on all three

I do wonder if you know what a proper working hack actually does. In reporting on five large canal festivals this year alone, mosy of tohem run by or linked to canal societies or museums I have managed to chat to dozens about their work. I talk to hundreds and attempt to reflect the views of a large cross section and I have observed growing concern about the NWC. If your only contact is with those who favour it I can understand your complaint about negativity.

If it interests anyone I have owned boats for 18 years, lived on board for 8 years, and currently travel the system year round. This year alone running from the Shroppie to the Peak Forest to Ellesmere Port to Rickmansworth to Braunston, to Birmingham. Now visiting the Shroppie again before moving east. Spent lot of time on the L&L and started boating on the Yorkshire Ouse. Also been a political journalist and interviewed every PM between Wilson and Hague and won awards for investigative journalism. In addition I have run two businesses. If anyone thinks they are better qualified do let me know.

Don't know what dream world you live in, I have great respect for the WRG but their activities are nothing to do with maintaining the system. You certainly capitulate to political propaganda very quickly, or perhaps because you believe in the same approach. I prefer to continue to campaign for what is really needed to ensure we still have a working system in 20 years. I and all the others who see the dangers, including MPs, may well lose but at least we will have tried.

Mostly because those people with the necessary skills, willing to devote the necessary time don't exist, especially in March on the BCN or in Burnley. You would just get another example of the I'm allright Jack society with canals cared for only in prosperous middle clads areas.

I would suggest the NWC is far from a done deal. To begin with the Charity Commisioners have a legal duty to ensure a charity is financially viable before it is registered and the NWC will clearly not meet that criteria. That would take more tax cash, as MPs have recognised. In truth, if the funding were committed, if the responsibility for keeping the system open remained with accountable ministers, if the charity was properly elected not appointed, if the failed board-level management were swept away then I would not object so strenuously. However, I do fundamentaly believe the preservation and functioning of such an important national asset IS a function of government. It is always easy to dismiss inconvenient arguments by making sweeping assertions such as 'there is no alternative'. I am not so downbeat and think the least I owe the waterways is to fight for what I see to be the best option for the future. I don't buy the cuts argument - that is pure political dogma, like the 'big society', I want to be part of a society where we all care for the things we value through a fair tax system properly applied to all, even Philip Green.

It may interest liveaboards and wanabe liveaboards to know that there are plans to publish all 12 parts of Peter Underwood's Living Afloat series on the Norbury Wharf Ltd website over the next few weeks. I will provide links here as they go live.

Coal on a solid fuel stove every time. Kept us cosy at -8 last winter and keeps us in hot water from big kettle as well as cooking most winter meals.

The alternative to pointing out that the emperor has no clothes (or money and accountability in the case of NWC) is to accept that we are getting screwed and decide to accept the slow abandonment of our waterways. If you do raise your voice you may find you are not alone.

New Waterways Charity a dangerous Con Trick http://norburywharfltd.blogspot.com/

There seems to be a lot of reinventing the wheel here. It may help to know that Towpsth Talk is currently running a 12 part series on Living Afloat and you can see those published so far on my blog here http://peterunderwood2.blogspot.com/ The Residential Boat Owners Association also publishes a bopk on the subject and is well worth joining.