Fund Britain's Waterways. Birmingham Campaign Cruise. 12th - 13th August

[Alan de Enfield]

17 minutes ago, wandering snail said:

See https://www.itv.com/news/central/2022-11-15/canals-will-go-to-wreck-and-ruin-over-failure-to-commit-to-funding-upkeep

 

Shouldn't that be 'rack and ruin' ?

 

What do they teach kids these days "A-level make up your own language" ?

 

What's the meaning of the phrase 'Rack and ruin'?

To go to rack and ruin is to fall into a state of complete disrepair or destruction.

[sigsegv]

7 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Shouldn't that be 'rack and ruin' ?

 

What do they teach kids these days "A-level make up your own language" ?

I don't know man, it's a doggy dog world and people with literary knowledge these days are a diamond dozen

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

I saw the boats gather in the morning and disperse after midday. 
Impressive sight. 
But missed the speeches. 
Were they (the  speeches) any good?

 

Great to see Nuneaton and Brighton attending. 
Watched the pair go down the the first lock while sipping a pint of Trooper on the balcony of the Flapper with a very knowledgeable/informative Brummie. 
 

[john6767]

Just now, Goliath said:

I saw the boats gather in the morning and disperse after midday. 
Impressive sight. 
But missed the speeches. 
Were they (the  speeches) any good?

 

Great to see Nuneaton and Brighton attending. 
Watched the pair go down the the first lock while sipping a pint of Trooper on the balcony of the Flapper with a very knowledgeable/informative Brummie. 
 

The speeches were on a zoom webinar, and I understand Facebook live, so the Facebook one should be available.

 

The ITV Central news that has just been on had a good piece, well I would say that as the second interview was me!  If you missed it ITV+1 at 7:45 or ITVX when it’s made available.

[ditchcrawler]

4 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Shouldn't that be 'rack and ruin' ?

 

What do they teach kids these days "A-level make up your own language" ?

 

What's the meaning of the phrase 'Rack and ruin'?

To go to rack and ruin is to fall into a state of complete disrepair or destruction.

Is it maybe a purposely intended play on words using wreck

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

6 minutes ago, john6767 said:

The speeches were on a zoom webinar, and I understand Facebook live, so the Facebook one should be available.

 

The ITV Central news that has just been on had a good piece, well I would say that as the second interview was me!  If you missed it ITV+1 at 7:45 or ITVX when it’s made available.

Right on, I’ll have a look. 

Phoned me sister down in Hastings this morning, she already knew about the gathering/protest from the national news. 
 

but..were the speeches any good?

Edited August 13, 2023 by Goliath

[john6767]

There is also a short piece at the end on the BBC midlands local news, which is on iPlayer now.

[MtB]

5 hours ago, sigsegv said:

I don't know man, it's a doggy dog world and people with literary knowledge these days are a diamond dozen

 

Excellent. Another student of the "eggcorn"!

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/the-top-ten-eggcorns-9685844.html

 

 

 

[Allan(nb Albert)]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

Is it maybe a purposely intended play on words using wreck

I googled when the article first came out because it did not look right.
 

Quote

The word rack in this case ["rack and ruin"] is a derivation of the word wrack, an archaic word that means wreck.

 

Edited August 13, 2023 by Allan(nb Albert)

[Heartland]

It was an important event where boats gathered on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal at the Mailbox in Birmingham. Three working boats were there ATLAS, BRIGHTON & NUNEATON were there with another SWIFT moored up further away.

 

The Narrowboat Trust presence (BRIGHTON and NUNEATON) was most important as they are still working narrowboats and need a working waterway and not one that has descended into decay.

 

For all those Boaters that attended the message made is important even if the media seems to be less interested.

 

 

 

This image shows the busy science on Sunday August 13th at the Mailbox and surrounding area.

Edited August 14, 2023 by Heartland

[Rob-M]

22 minutes ago, Heartland said:

SWIFT moored up further away

I was running a couple of boat trips on Swift from the Roundhouse, round the Icknield Port loop and the Oozells Street Loop so wasn't able to take the boat down to the Mailbox.  I did stroll down during lunch and had a chat with some of the crew on Atlas.

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Heartland said:

It was an important event where boats gathered on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal at the Mailbox in Birmingham. Three working boats were there ATLAS, BRIGHTON & NUNEATON were there with another SWIFT moored up further away.

 

The Narrowboat Trust presence (BRIGHTON and NUNEATON) was most important as they are still working narrowboats and need a working waterway and not one that has descended into decay.

 

For all those Boaters that attended the message made is important even if the media seems to be less interested.

 

 

 

This image shows the busy science on Sunday August 13th at the Mailbox and surrounding area.

If I was an outsider I would call it a flop. 34,000 boats on the system and a campaign rally to save the waterways and 40 turn up, I think it understandable the media weren't impressed, more go to the IWA National, Now if there had been 1000 boats someone would have taken notice.

[Heartland]

Like the question how many people can you get in a Mini, how many boats fit in the Mailbox Basin. The event may have had 40 registered to comply with the regulations, I suppose, but there were more than 40, still, much greater numbers are needed. I wonder how many will attend the event outside the House of Parliament later this year?

 

May be the future of the waterways will be different?

Like this recently posted image near Llangollen or the Go Boats that are very much in evidence at the Mail Box these days.

 

 

Edited August 14, 2023 by Heartland

[sigsegv]

While at the demo, I had an idea - what if, as well as a gathering of boats at a particular location, we also had an event where every boater, no matter their location, sounded their horns at a given date and time. Apparently 8.5 million people live within 1km of a waterway, so many people would hear it. This, along with banners, posters, signs etc promoting FBW's cause might help increase coverage. Are their bylaws, noise ordinances, etc that would prevent this being possible?

Edited August 14, 2023 by sigsegv

[Alan de Enfield]

16 minutes ago, Heartland said:

May be the future of the waterways will be different?

 

It is already changing with canoes, SUP, rubber rings, Aldi Inflatables etc.

 

The number of boats registered / licenced by C&RT is falling every year as folk get disgruntled with the waterways.

 

(Although C&RT seem to struggle with the licencing figures and differing numbers are quoted in different documents.)

 

Boater satisfaction surveys show a steady fall in numbers 'satisfied' to 54% (2022) , from 55%  in 2021 & 67% in 2020

 

 

 

[Sea Dog]

19 hours ago, MtB said:

 

Excellent. Another student of the "eggcorn"!

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/the-top-ten-eggcorns-9685844.html

 

 

 

Hmm, are you sure that particular newspaper is a reliable sauce? I think the once dependable Independent may be rusting on its laurels...

[Allan(nb Albert)]

52 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

If I was an outsider I would call it a flop. 34,000 boats on the system and a campaign rally to save the waterways and 40 turn up, I think it understandable the media weren't impressed, more go to the IWA National, Now if there had been 1000 boats someone would have taken notice.

I think the press were confused regarding the financial case.

 

Government made it clear that they had no commitment to fund CRT beyond 2027 but had decided to do so anyway. Furthermore, they planted the suggestion that they were actually increasing grant. 

 

Quote

To date we have awarded them £550 million funding and, with this further commitment, are now supporting the Trust with a further total £590 million between now and 2037 – a significant sum of money and a sign of the importance that we place on our inland waterways.

On the other hand, CRT/IWA/FWB say the new £400 offer represents a reduction of over £300m in real terms without explaining how that figure is arrived at.

 

Not really much of a story unless a few trustees resign in protest or CRT admits its financial failures.

... or CRT applies to abandon a canal or two.

 

 

 

 

[Stroudwater1]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

If I was an outsider I would call it a flop. 34,000 boats on the system and a campaign rally to save the waterways and 40 turn up, I think it understandable the media weren't impressed, more go to the IWA National, Now if there had been 1000 boats someone would have taken notice.

 

I have with sadness to agree. Have been working all week then a family event planned late last year on the weekend so couldn't get there.  Direct action almost always has an effect. We really need several hundred boats there, canals almost blocked with them to have an effect. There were almost twice as many boats at the Commonwealth cruise last year. 

 

Perhaps modern boaters don't really care as long as the Hawkesbury to Napton and other long pound motorcruiseways are open and the canalparking lots within many miles of London can be moored in. 

 

At least it was organised though and thanks to those involved for doing so.  I guess perhaps its a start. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[IanD]

45 minutes ago, Allan(nb Albert) said:

I think the press were confused regarding the financial case.

 

Government made it clear that they had no commitment to fund CRT beyond 2027 but had decided to do so anyway. Furthermore, they planted the suggestion that they were actually increasing grant. 

 

On the other hand, CRT/IWA/FWB say the new £400 offer represents a reduction of over £300m in real terms without explaining how that figure is arrived at.

 

Not really much of a story unless a few trustees resign in protest or CRT admits its financial failures.

... or CRT applies to abandon a canal or two.

 

 

AFAIK the calculations from FWB just took the current grant level and inflation-linked it to get constant real value, and showed that the proposed funding (which will fall in pounds and even more in real terms) over that period fell about £300M short. The maths is pretty simple...

 

"Abandoning a canal or two" sounds simple but isn't in reality, and it's debatable whether doing this (for the obvious expensive-to-maintain culprits) would actually save CART any money if they have to pay back part of the grants used to reopen them, as well as any legal costs including fighting the inevitable protests and possible appeals to the courts to keep them open.

 

It's the same reason there are still some "ghost trains" -- including one near me, one direction once a week -- because it's cheaper to keep running these than to officially close a service.

 

https://www.mylondon.news/news/news-opinion/i-went-west-london-ghost-22697399

 

(now replaced by a "ghost bus", but still running one direction once a week...)

 

https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/london-trains-west-london-ghost-25460779

 

36 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

 

I have with sadness to agree. Have been working all week then a family event planned late last year on the weekend so couldn't get there.  Direct action almost always has an effect. We really need several hundred boats there, canals almost blocked with them to have an effect. There were almost twice as many boats at the Commonwealth cruise last year. 

 

Perhaps modern boaters don't really care as long as the Hawkesbury to Napton and other long pound motorcruiseways are open and the canalparking lots within many miles of London can be moored in. 

 

At least it was organised though and thanks to those involved for doing so.  I guess perhaps its a start. 

 

 

I think FWB haven't really had enough time to get going and build up a lot of momentum and support from boaters since the government recently -- after much delay! -- announced their plans for future CART funding.

 

Hopefully this will get more support in future as more boaters cotton on to what's going on, and have more time to plan any get-togethers/protests.

 

Or maybe many -- including ex-canal-boaters on CWDF -- will be apathetic and just sit there moaning about how the canals are falling to bits and nothing can be done and they're all going to close, so that if this happens they can say "I told you so"... 😞

Edited August 14, 2023 by IanD

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Heartland said:

Like the question how many people can you get in a Mini, how many boats fit in the Mailbox Basin. The event may have had 40 registered to comply with the regulations, I suppose, but there were more than 40, still, much greater numbers are needed.  

 

 

 

Is that how protests work now, you ask how many people can come to comply with regulations, I thought it was a protest against funding cuts, not a rally.  Will anyone take notice of such things?

[Sea Dog]

22 minutes ago, IanD said:

Hopefully this will get more support in future as more boaters cotton on to what's going on, and have more time to plan any get-togethers/protests.

Although this hasn't seemed to work well for striking doctors, Just Stop Oil, et al, who's cries appear have fallen on the deafest of deaf ears. Let's not stray from General Boating into politics, but sad to say that a few more narrowboat horns, commendable though our cause might be, are probably not going to push doing a U-turn on CRT's long established tapered funding agreement further up HMG's current options list. 

[IanD]

1 minute ago, Sea Dog said:

Although this hasn't seemed to work well for striking doctors, Just Stop Oil, et al, who's cries appear have fallen on the deafest of deaf ears. Let's not stray from General Boating into politics, but sad to say that a few more narrowboat horns, commendable though our cause might be, are probably not going to push doing a U-turn on CRT's long established tapered funding agreement further up HMG's current options list. 

So is it better to do nothing?

 

If there's even a small chance of this stirring up enough attention to change things -- especially after the next GE -- then surely it's worth a try?

 

Otherwise nobody would protest about anything, and we'd just all supinely accept whatever sh*t the government drops on our heads... 😞

[Allan(nb Albert)]

26 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Is that how protests work now, you ask how many people can come to comply with regulations, I thought it was a protest against funding cuts, not a rally.  Will anyone take notice of such things?

Fairly obviously, CRT have to be informed regarding number of attendees so they can charge FBW the correct amount for holding the event on CRT property.

[Alan de Enfield]

Canal and river campaigners in Birmingham hold demonstration to save the canals | Watch (msn.com)

[IanD]

BTW the petition signature count is up to 38000...