It's not a good day!

I have been taken to task by my reader! Apparently I am a bit to hard in my criticisms (I call it observations) of the Canal And Rivers Trust. 

I hold a viewpoint and it's this: The Inland Waterways have primary users and secondary users. The primary users are the boaters who are after all the "raison d'etre." The secondary users are all the other parties who have an interest in supporting and enjoying the  Inland Waterways .

Many boaters had an "us and them" attitude to BW which has been inherited by CART and feel that they are still at war rather than part of a partnership. This is a hangover from the bad old days of British Waterways. Things I believe will not change until there is a exit of the unwanted and much disliked ex BW individuals at the top.

It would seem that as a new organisation CART need's to be given some time to make the changes to turn around the old British Waterways mentality and to have enough time to embrace the new charitable ethos. CART however is not in such a "Honeymoon" position because it's the same old people doing the same old job with all the panache and expertise they sported previously. 

No, I'm sorry but the "Honeymoon Period" is something I reserve for the government of the day. Give the new ministers a chance to be brought up to date by their masters the Whitehall Mandarins. Then they are fair game once again. 

I was hoping for sweeping change and clear out of the old management team at BW when the change to charitable status was announced. I had hoped for a group of new people at the helm. Bringing with them enthusiasm, drive, charisma and ideas. People who could inspire and encourage a new beginning. Instead we got a cut down British waterways board and the only change I can see is a change of name.

OK, I'm not being charitable enough with CART. So lets have a look at their first attempts at raising some enthusiasm, drive, charisma, ideas, inspiration,  encouragement and leadership.

CART Enthusiasm: They have brought their version of Chuggers (Charitabe Muggers) to our streets. (A fund raising concept that is now so passé and bound to end in abject failure. More and more local authorities now are looking to curb the activities of the enthusiastic chugger crews.)

CART Drive: The top team took a self inflicted pay cut. (However they still get paid more than the Prime Minister and are amongst the top echelon in the Charity pay league.)

CART Charisma: (Intentionally left blank as nothing was found in this category)

CART Ideas: Plant forests in narrow-boats and carve poetry into lock gates. (maybe they are waiting for the trees to grow and then use them to repair lock gates)

CART Inspiration: Gave us the ever changeable and inflated kite flying visitor numbers to the waterways. (The numbers do not add up.)

CART Encouragement: Encouraging cyclists to use the towpaths as rat runs. (This has brought the high speed cyclists into conflict with boaters, fishermen and walkers. Some cyclists treat the towpath as some sort of training velodrome.) 

CART Leadership: A boater has been threatened with libel action by the Trust. (CART is now in a legal action within a few weeks of coming into being. That will bring with it a great deal of much needed positive publicity and costs.)

So what do CART need to do. 

CART Charm Offensive: How about conducting a Charm Offensive! Wiki describes Charm Offensive as "A publicity campaign used by politicians that attempts to attract supporters by emphasizing their charisma or trustworthiness." (That idea will not hold water)

CART Listening and Engaging: Starting with boaters as the primary funding source. (Porcine avionics the Pigs shall fly and put on a display)

The last few years have taken on the look and feel of the post war era. As the infrastructure slowly falls into decay. Lip service is paid and the old ideas of pay at the top fixes everything, continue. (Give a lot of money and a bonus to the top few - just like it's done in banking) A ex-BW management team that creates a feeling of Royston Vasey revisited. 

For those not in the know, Royston Vasey is a small fictional town in the north of England, and the setting of a television comedy series "The League of Gentlemen." The town has a sign which declares "Welcome to Royston Vasey. You'll never leave!" 

A village of eccentric and weird people who look like they've been intermarrying for too long and are suffering from a particularly demented variety of xenophobia that drives them to extremes of tetchiness and psychosis. 

Royston Vasey's history is recorded from its earliest beginnings. Mentioned in an appendix to the Domesday Book as "an hutte with a pigge outside" to the construction of a town hall designed by Albert Speer.

The preceding radio series "On the Town with the League of Gentlemen" was set in the equally fictional and almost identical town of Spent. There are local shopkeepers Edward and Tubbs the Denton family of toad-breeders obsessed with maintaining their household rituals at all costs. Inept veterinary surgeon Dr Chinnery, who's never yet saved a patient. Barbara, the local transsexual taxi driver (one of the more well adjusted characters) Pauline the demonic Restart Officer at the local Job Centre. Lance, the sadistic owner of a Joke Shop which sells poisonous sweets and the ever-popular finger in a matchbox (with a real finger)

Later....