Under Siege??!!!

**boatone** · 10-12-06, 12:36

OK, so we seem to have lost the two major battles. Licence fees are increasing by 12% pa for the next three years AND diesel prices will rise substantially as well. Just to pile on the agony there will presumably be some increase in mooring costs as well.

So, whats to be done? Are we all going to just grimace and bear it? Or would it not make sense for us to get much better organised and more militant to at least ensure that we get the best possible deal for what we pay?

I would like to see an Inland Waterways wide demonstration of solidarity sometime in the spring when all the boats are back on the water. A large gathering in one place is always going to be difficult to achieve but how about EVERY cruiser and narrowboat on the waterways displaying a large banner over a particular period of several days with a harmonised attack on all the waterways towns and villages and their associated newspapers together with PR in papers. on TV etc?

A veritable flood of boater power!

What say you?

**byron** · 10-12-06, 12:46

Sorry to say it, done and dusted. The best days of boating are over and done with. Diesel at 5p a gallon, no rules or regulations, freedom of the seas, I hate being old but at least I enjoyed boating when all Yotties (power & sail) were gentlemen with pride in their seamanship and common sense ruled the waves.
We will get no support from the public as Yotties are percieved as monied snobs and the waterborne pariahs akin to Foxhunters.

**Force10** · 11-12-06, 00:24

[ QUOTE ]
Sorry to say it, done and dusted. The best days of boating are over and done with. Diesel at 5p a gallon, no rules or regulations, freedom of the seas, I hate being old but at least I enjoyed boating when all Yotties (power & sail) were gentlemen with pride in their seamanship and common sense ruled the waves.
We will get no support from the public as Yotties are percieved as monied snobs and the waterborne pariahs akin to Foxhunters.

[/ QUOTE ]

I wonder why?..........couldn't be due to the way that SOME people behave could it?

**bobgosling** · 11-12-06, 09:25

Nearly half a million people marched on parliament to oppose the ban on hunting. Nobody in power took a blind bit of notice.

I would estimate the chances of getting the derogation back again are zero, nil, nada, zilch, etc. In fact I'm quite certain that you will find that boat diesel will end up costing exactly the same as road diesel.

Vote UKIP and if we leave the EU, we may be in with a chance of making our own rules again.

**Thamesbank** · 11-12-06, 09:52

Agree we need to unite, but against what exactly? Who are the enemy here?

**alistairedw** · 11-12-06, 10:47

1 European Union
2 Gordon Brown
3 DEFRA

Probably in that order.

**byron** · 11-12-06, 13:12

[ QUOTE ]
1 European Union
2 Gordon Brown
3 DEFRA

Probably in that order.

[/ QUOTE ]
I did vote UKIP last time [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] If you all vote me in as dictator I will take us out of the EEC and make a deal with the Yanks. Since the invention of the H Bomb we have been a static aircraft carrier for them, now it's time we became a manufacturing base for them with direct access into Europe.

**reginaldon** · 12-12-06, 10:21

Better deal with Canada & the Scandinavians

**Loddon** · 26-12-06, 19:37

[ QUOTE ]

I would like to see an Inland Waterways wide demonstration of solidarity sometime in the spring when all the boats are back on the water. A large gathering in one place is always going to be difficult to achieve but how about EVERY cruiser and narrowboat on the waterways displaying a large banner over a particular period of several days with a harmonised attack on all the waterways towns and villages and their associated newspapers together with PR in papers. on TV etc?

A veritable flood of boater power!

What say you?

[/ QUOTE ]

As a protest against the Defra cuts its already been running for some weeks.
See
http://www.saveourwaterways.org.uk

Julian

**ianc1200** · 27-12-06, 19:49

Julian

What you doing here? This is a Thames forum where we have a go at narrowboats (and by implication wide beam steel thingies which take up even more space).

Are you going on the 16th protest cruise? I believe I'm helming (Oh the shame!) NB Earnest.

Have a good New Year

IanC