Victor: Having your say

WHEN dear Thomas told me I was to write on Saturday instead of my usual Sunday I wasn't expecting doing both!

But your responses to my efforts have brought forth—I do like that phrase!—many rather good suggestions that I really must pass on.

Those Trustees

Martin Cox suggests I should remind the Trustees of the Canal & River Trust that regarding boat seizures it is their  personal responsibility for ensuring the charity operates within the law, he quoting the  Annual Report filed with the Charity Commission:

'Trustees uphold the Trust’s adherence to legislation and regulation'.

To that, all I can remark is that the trustees are failing in their duties, but wonder if those worthies were even aware?

Funding source

Martin Bailes believes that I missed an obvious funding source for CaRT, of which I must agree, he telling that if each of those 440,000,000 visitors could chip in £2 then there'd be enough money left over to employ another Online Engagement Wellbeing Consultant or two after spending the £800,000,000 they've already accounted for.

He asking if anyone knows how we can get in touch with them.

Alas, a non-starter Martin, you are not allowed to upset those precious visitors by actually asking for money.

Promoted to the point of their incompetence

Having just read Victor's article Brian D Jarrett tells of an email sent to CaRT some years ago suggesting they read the book The Peter Principle.

This book, Brian tells, makes a clear statement that people are often promoted to their point of incompetence, adding that we clearly see this across this trust and also the fancy titles doled out.

Incompetence certainly rings a bell Brian!

Not so excellent

T.Lang of course had something to tell, he remarking that he too saw the the 'excellent condition of the waterways' Press Release, though he is not sure whether this is what CaRT actually believes, soaked as it is in its own importance or just  to get money from the government.

Most likely the first but if the second not a cat in hell's chance, no matter all the 'wellbeing' churned out.

To which I can but agree.

New

Caroline Gibbs is a new contributor, remarking that she has been both boater and reader for many years and asks what happened to the previously much flaunted 'vibrancy' of the waterways, that we had pushed at us all the time, but I always thought it silly for how can the waterways be vibrant?

That has gone by the board thank goodness, but we have another saying pushed at us now of 'wellbeing', but again how the cold, dirty waterways promote 'wellbeing' (especially to the 28 who drowned in Manchester) we are not told, but we see it all the time now as it is supposed to impress the government!

I see that Peter Hardy of the Chesterfield Canal Trust is pushing it now so all the restoration trusts and societies will soon also be on the band wagon.

I agree Caroline there's far too much of it, so it becomes meaningless.

An easy one

That was an easy one—with the readers doing all the work!  Only hope I'm back to a single column again in future.

Victor Swift