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Canal boat operators forced to let outsiders ply their trade


Alan de Enfield

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Argy-bargy in Bruges: canal boat operators forced to let outsiders ply their trade | Belgium | The Guardian

 

For decades, five families in Bruges have run the tourist boats that chug serenely along the beautiful Flemish city’s picturesque canals. Day in, day out, the guides describe the medieval belfry, low-sweeping bridges and rich history of this “Venice of the north”.

 

To comply with EU law, the municipality will, in 2027, end the existing licensing regime, after which concessions will be open to tender, and competition encouraged. With the boating companies also obliged to invest in electric boats – at €200,000 a vessel, double the cost of a diesel engine – the future is uncertain. A wary eye is being cast at boat companies in Ghent, a rival city since the Battle of Beverhoutsveld in 1382. The nickname of Stroppendragers for Ghent dwellers was earned after the gentry there were forced by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, in 1540 to parade with ropes around their necks after a failed rebellion.

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1 hour ago, Briss said:

1382.... 1540.... perhaps it's about time to move on from old grievances and silly nick-names.

Actually I found the historical references interesting.

I may not always agree with Alan's comments and posts, but a bit of historical referencing can be fascinating.

Thanks Alan!

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1 hour ago, manxmike said:

Actually I found the historical references interesting.

I may not always agree with Alan's comments and posts, but a bit of historical referencing can be fascinating.

Thanks Alan!

The historical references are interesting... but I was thinking back to 1980 in one my first lectures at uni by Mr. Campbell, and one of the students in my year went up to shake his hand... he was a Macdonald. The feud goes back to 1692 and they still felt it necessary to declare there was no enmity between them. Many years later my then wife and I were introduced to a Campbell and, after a few glasses of wine, I recounted this story. He bridled at this... he still hadn't forgiven the Macdonald clan for their treachery. The pig-headed stupidity of this has stuck in my mind ever since.

 

EDIT: The Glencoe Massacre if you're interested.

 

Big edit: I've got this the wrong way round... it was the Campbells who displayed the treachery... he didn't like to be reminded of it... even after 300 years!

Edited by Briss
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2 hours ago, Briss said:

The historical references are interesting... but I was thinking back to 1980 in one my first lectures at uni by Mr. Campbell, and one of the students in my year went up to shake his hand... he was a Macdonald. The feud goes back to 1692 and they still felt it necessary to declare there was no enmity between them. Many years later my then wife and I were introduced to a Campbell and, after a few glasses of wine, I recounted this story. He bridled at this... he still hadn't forgiven the Macdonald clan for their treachery. The pig-headed stupidity of this has stuck in my mind ever since.

 

EDIT: The Glencoe Massacre if you're interested.

 

Big edit: I've got this the wrong way round... it was the Campbells who displayed the treachery... he didn't like to be reminded of it... even after 300 years!

 

The Historic rivalry beween the McDonalds and the Campbells goes back further than 1692, but the Masacre has served to reinforce that rivalry for more than 300 years  Yes the masacre did happen and the Officer leading the mission was Captain Robert Cambell, but only because the intended Commanding Officer, Major Duncanson failed to turn up to fulfill the King's orders. Most of the soldiers were lowlanders, and not Highlanders bearing the Campbell name, but somehow the truth has been buried by the Myth.

 

 

Edited by David Schweizer
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23 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

I was amused to feel that the canal authority was dong as well as BW as it then was. Our trip boat bounced over an underwater obstruction the first time we took the trip. No sign of it the last time we went a few years ago.

In the UK it is likely to be shopping trolleys. Not in Ghent though. Here's one of their annual clear-ups under way

 

Tam

 

 

DSCN0060 copy.jpg

Edited by Tam & Di
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In niche markets this is the road to perdition - once the pointy heads start looking for "barriers to market entry" they won't stop, forgetting that the paying public do have a choice in that a boat trip is entirely optional.

 

For example, owning boats will be an unfair advantage against new entrants, and then businesses will need to be split between companies that own the boats and companies that operate them, each bidding for the other one's work. The bureaucracy will be far more expensive to manage than the old licensing system, so fares will have to go up and wages down, business will flounder and before you know it no trip boats will operate any more, or they'll all be operated by some Euro-conglomerate that operates identi-trip boats in every major city with a canal - a kind of Norbert Dentressangle of passenger boats that can withstand the tight margins imposed by the new rules but actually charges far more than the old guard. 

The incumbents may have not been competitive but they had a vested interest in keeping the business viable - given 100+ years of operation they seem to have been succesful at this bit.  

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