Out of touch with reality

I HAVE just read a copy of GOBA News, [Great Ouse Boating Association] concerning the transfer of the Great Ouse from the Environment Agency to Canal & River Trust, and I can only believe the writers are completely out of touch with reality. writes James Henry.

Sid Fisher, its Chairman tells us that he wants CaRT to take over from the EA remarking that the All Parliamentary Waterways Group found that 'the Trust was indeed proving to be a great success and had achieved more than was originally expected of it'. But no mention of what this 'great success' was! All I can see is loss after loss, as narrowboatworld, and particularly Allan Richards, clearly shows, whilst the canals get less and less maintenance.

Dredging policy and budget

Ian Cox at the GOBA AGM told that, and again I quote: 'they (CaRT) have developed their commercial and donation bases which give the CaRT opportunities we can only dream of with EA navigation. A dredging policy and budget for one example'.

Then General Secretary of GOBA, Alistair Reid in his report says that; 'It is time to hand the navigation over to the Canal & river Trust who seem to have fewer financial constraints'!

Taken in

I'm afraid these people have been taken in by the CaRT propaganda machine, for all us boaters who have to suffer the condition of the waterways under CaRT and its ever decreasing maintenance, can tell those at GOBA that if they get their wish it will most certainly be a case of 'out of the frying pan into the fire'.