How Britain's barge-dwellers are fighting a battle to stay on the water

[Delta9]

"Crackdown on affordable homes" Excellent article in the 'Mirror'

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/money/crackdown-affordable-homes-how-britains-7440031

[alan_fincher]

Irrespective of the rights or wrongs of the situation (or the article!), why, oh why, do we have to go through this ritual of calling them "bargees"?

(Incoming!....)

[Paul H]

Because they are a persecuted ethnic group with their way of life under threat

Apparently.

[Guest]

What are these 'mysterious rules' these 'bargees' speak of?

 

 

..

Edited February 25, 2016 by MJG

[frangar]

I would make my feelings known about the people in the article….I cant bring myself to call them boaters as they don't seem to want to boat….but I think the thread would quickly locked and I would be sitting on the naughty step……...

 

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

[Dave_P]

Full of in inaccuracies as usual. The most interesting one is the one which undermines the point of the article, where it says you have to move at least 15-20 miles a year. Surely the average reader will be thinking, "that's not much, commute further than that daily".

 

I'm a little disappointed with myself that I haven't reached 100 miles so far this year... Still, it's only February!

[Paul C]

You have to admire the NBTA for getting the publicity for their side of the debate in this article. It will be interesting to see the comments to see how the debate rumbles on on The Mirror website.

[Martin Megson]

You have to admire the NBTA for getting the publicity for their side of the debate in this article. It will be interesting to see the comments to see how the debate rumbles on on The Mirror website.

 

 

You have to admire an organisation with Traveller in it's name which seems to want it's members to be allowed not to move

[Richard10002]

An unbelievably spun article!!! Taking the so called rules, that CRT has interpreted to the detriment of these non travelling travellers, at their word:

 

If you have to move every 14 days, and at least 20 miles a year, you actually have to move less than a mile each time you move.

 

The fact is that these so called travellers have almost certainly chosen a spot that they call their own, and have no intention of moving at all, (other than for fuel and oblutions??). Effectively, they are creating a "home mooring", in a spot not designated as a long term mooring, (leisure or residential), without having to pay for it.

 

The rules that they sign up to, when they buy their "cheap accommodation", along with their license, are fairly clear in the sense that they do not give you the right to remain in one spot for the term of the license. Where they are perhaps not clear is on how far you actually have to move each 14 days, and in what direction.

 

There is no way that a "bona fide navigation", or a "continuous cruise", could be evidenced by a boater who remained in the same spot all year, other than the occasional foray for fuel and toiletting, and perhaps the occasional weekend away.

[twbm]

'Marcus, the bargees’ representative, constantly moved while growing up and considers his boat his first permanent home.'

 

Nuff said ..

[Alan de Enfield]

You have to admire the NBTA for getting the publicity for their side of the debate in this article. It will be interesting to see the comments to see how the debate rumbles on on The Mirror website.

 

One can only wonder why the National Baton Twirlers Association gets involved with boaters.

 

http://www.nbta.org.uk/

 

NBTA is a non-profit making organisation formed for the advancement of Baton Twirling and its associated activities. The aims of the NBTA are to provide all twirlers and their associates, teachers, judges, parents and corps directors with an active programe of events and to promote the common interest of said events at all levels within a competition structure. The National Baton Twirling Association is framed and held together by two great principles: FAIRNESS AND DEMOCRACY.

[waterworks]

I've read that exact article before months ago.

 

It does the job of getting CRT the bad publicity they deserve , but its not really accurate. The real problem is them abusing the law.

[Sabcat]

This is too funny, I've seen him before. He took it on himself to remove a smoke bomb at a demo recently. ######

Edited March 1, 2016 by DHutch
language/insult removed

[Sabcat]

[billS]

This is too funny, I've seen him before. He took it on himself to remove a smoke bomb at a demo recently. Tosser.

 

as in he tossed it back?

 

p.s why does the hairy person in the picture want me to kill the housing?

[Ex Brummie]

Try parking a motorhome on a National Trust Car Park and see how long they let you stay there. CaRT are too reasonable sometimes.

[Mike Todd]

An unbelievably spun article!!! Taking the so called rules, that CRT has interpreted to the detriment of these non travelling travellers, at their word:

 

If you have to move every 14 days, and at least 20 miles a year, you actually have to move less than a mile each time you move.

 

The fact is that these so called travellers have almost certainly chosen a spot that they call their own, and have no intention of moving at all, (other than for fuel and oblutions??). Effectively, they are creating a "home mooring", in a spot not designated as a long term mooring, (leisure or residential), without having to pay for it.

 

The rules that they sign up to, when they buy their "cheap accommodation", along with their license, are fairly clear in the sense that they do not give you the right to remain in one spot for the term of the license. Where they are perhaps not clear is on how far you actually have to move each 14 days, and in what direction.

 

There is no way that a "bona fide navigation", or a "continuous cruise", could be evidenced by a boater who remained in the same spot all year, other than the occasional foray for fuel and toiletting, and perhaps the occasional weekend away.

I thought that the guidance (cannot be a rule) referred to range not distance. It would be quite difficult to claim a range > 20 miles if the total travel was only 60 miles. Certainly I would doubt if the Man on the Clapham Omnibus would consider it to constitute bona fide navigation, but until tested in front of a judge, who knows?

[Guest]

Try parking a motorhome on a National Trust Car Park and see how long they let you stay there. CaRT are too reasonable sometimes.

Greenie.

 

Or indeed lots of places. Try parking a caravan or motorhome overnight in a Cornish lay by and the local authority/police will be down on you moving you on a damn sight faster than CRT move overstaying boats on.

Edited February 26, 2016 by MJG

[bassplayer]

Greenie.

 

Or indeed lots of places. Try parking a caravan or motorhome overnight in a Cornish lay by and the local authority/police will be down on you moving you on a damn sight faster than CRT move overstaying boats on.

Gone off caravans now then Martin?

[Guest]

Gone off caravans now then Martin?

Why do you ask that?

 

There are so many places to camp legally there is no need to try and pitch illegally, it does of course cost money which is why some try to take the mickey.

 

There are opportunities for (legal) wild camping' though we haven't tried it yet and Cornwall isnt exactly flush with places where you can. Scotland is better but I haven't explored the options fully.

 

I caravan as I boated ie within the rules.

Edited February 26, 2016 by MJG

[Neil T]

Be all of the above as it may it's quite clear by now that you can do a fair few miles, have a home mooring, and still fall foul of ever changing (hence 'mysterious') rules. And those rules are applied differently in different parts of the country by people not always fully conversant with them, or happy to rule their own roost in their own way. The airing of personal politics doesn't change that. Nor does vilifying people as tossers.

 

 

The Cut's a fractious place these days.

Oh hang on - no it isn't. The virtual cut is a fractious place.

[jenlyn]

Be all of the above as it may it's quite clear by now that you can do a fair few miles, have a home mooring, and still fall foul of ever changing (hence 'mysterious') rules. And those rules are applied differently in different parts of the country by people not always fully conversant with them, or happy to rule their own roost in their own way. The airing of personal politics doesn't change that. Nor does vilifying people as tossers.

 

 

The Cut's a fractious place these days.

Oh hang on - no it isn't. The virtual cut is a fractious place.

Greenie.

Why do you ask that?

 

There are so many places to camp legally there is no need to try and pitch illegally, it does of course cost money which is why some try to take the mickey.

 

There are opportunities for (legal) wild camping' though we haven't tried it yet and Cornwall isnt exactly flush with places where you can. Scotland is better but I haven't explored the opinions fully.

 

I caravan as I boated ie within the rules.

There are many many places in Cornwall to "pull in" for the night.

[Guest]

There are many many places in Cornwall to "pull in" for the night.

 

And there are many places where overnight stopping is not permitted. I know a family member who has been moved on after stopping in a lay by on the road from st. Austel to Mevagissey for example.

 

This being the point you have to stay within the rules where they apply or you get moved in in days if not hours.

[jenlyn]

And there are many places where overnight stopping is not permitted. I know a family member who has been moved on after stopping in a lay by on the road from st. Austel to Mevagissey for example.

 

This being the point you have to stay within the rules where they apply or you get moved in in days if not hours.

Owing to the width of the road from st austell to mevagissey, I'm not surprised. The "lay by" may well have been a "passing place". Someone must have reported them, the chances of seeing plod, plod along that road is itself an exception.

 

Edited for an errant Looe.

Edited February 26, 2016 by jenlyn

[Graham Davis]

There are many many places in Cornwall to "pull in" for the night.

 

There are, and they are called official camp sites!

In the summer it is very difficult to find anywhere to wild camp in Cornwall, and there is a very great risk of being moved on by the Police and others.