Video about CCers

[Ange]

Well said Mr F - have a greenie.

[tree monkey]

 

I have to agree, but with so many similar threads on the go, I must admit I have stopped trying to follow them all - it is becoming rather depressing, (to me at least!).

 

When I campaigned for a "Boater" place on CRT Council, I thought it very important to run on a "ticket" that sought to find common ground, and to try and knock down some of these artificial divides and categorisations - hopefully many agreed with that, as I estimate I had similar amounts of support in my endeavours from CC-ers or non CC-ers, (or maybe I mean live-aboards or non live-aboards, but I'm sure you get my drift!).

 

For a while I naively thought a lot of progress was being made in that direction - not by me, particularly, but a lot of people who seemed keen to kill old attitudes, and look for common ground when we engaged with CRT.

 

Unfortunately from my perception we seem to be slipping back far more into the "us and them", or at least it would seem so if you believe Internet forums, Facebook groups, and the like.

 

Take for example the idea that "it is the CC-ers keeping many canal traders alive, and without them lots of canal-side businesses would fold, and not be there for the non-CCers", (not sure if that came up in this thread or another one). Of course it is possible to counter that with "how many canal-side businesses would remain if the only boats that were out there were the 5000 or so CC-ers, and the near 30,000 non-CCers didn't exist".

 

In my view going round such loops gets us nowhere - I think the future of boat ownership and boating would be far more secure if we were to realise that many of our requirements are common, (we mostly all need to buy diesel, and get boats blacked), but that the canals and rivers only work so well because of the huge differences in how we make use of our boats, (those of us who put in maybe a 1000 or so miles in a year probably wouldn't enjoy it much if everybody tried to, because it would be gridlock, so why get uptight about people not moving large distances - thank goodness many don't!).

 

Perhaps I'm just too much of a dreamer when I hope that it is possible to do things that may improve things for many boat owners, but which don't have to have adverse effects on others, (except maybe a very small number who have very little concern for anything other than their own personal agenda, and who probably will never be willing to see the waterways as a resource that can accommodate us all, if we are prepared to act in a way that the majority would call reasonable).

 

I think I urgently need to get boating again, as the continual recycled debate you refer to really isn't doing much a lot of the time other than perpetuating divides that I consider most unhelpful!

 

Final thought: Look at the thread title here "Video about CC-ers", but the main boater shown in the piece is someone who has currently given up CC-ing, and now moors permanently on a residential mooring. Another one featured has also alternated between having a home mooing and being a CC-er. Can't we call it "Video about boaters", which would then be valid whatever those shown in it decide to do about their future mooring or cruising choices - why should it matter?

[Guest]

 

I have to agree, but with so many similar threads on the go, I must admit I have stopped trying to follow them all - it is becoming rather depressing, (to me at least!).

 

<SNIP>

 

Pretty well spot on Alan.

 

Very well put....