Hippopotamus Spotted on the Canal!

I think the Canal and River Trust has completely an utterly lost the plot.....

The trust is orchestrating something akin to a crusade against people that the trust perceives are bending or breaking the rules.  To be honest, I don't have a problem with that - after all its a simple enforcement issue. Enforcement is after all not rocket science. So enforcement should not prove to be beyond the reach of the trust.

Continuing on from Elephant Spotted on the Canal!

It's not rocket science, though what's happening seems to be because of flawed thinking by some alien from another planet. So what else have the denizens from planet Zarg come up with.  

Not only have all the compliant boaters now got to get a move on. While the non compliment ones, enjoy their life of leisure - a continuation of business as usual.  But now with no expense spared, comes a second hoop for everyone to jump through.  In the latest instalment of - animal crackers - aka the CaRT guidance for boaters.  

The problem is that every fully compliant and innocent boater is fast becoming part of the 'friendly fire.'  Another American euphemism for innocent victims. Friend being quite appropriate when it comes to the trust! You are now required to be able to prove where you are, at any time, to the trusts satisfaction.  I ask a simple question - why?

When the government came up with its flagship idea for electronic tracking (tagging) so that naughty people did not have to be put in prison. At the same time spending millions of pounds on technology. So that the naughty ones could be could be tracked and their movements traced.  The ultra modern technological tracking system crashed and burned when the naughty people wrapped the tags in kitchen foil. The counter measures employed by the naughty people was a technique they used whenever they went shopping - well to be more accurate shop lifting. The trick was to line a carrier bag with kitchen foil and those tags tracking tags attached to garments don't work.

Planet Zarg however, has now come up with a sort of reverse tracking system where innocent people enjoying themselves on the Inland Waterways have to be tracked and traced. But not only that, the nice compliant boating people have to do it to themselves.  So compliant innocent boaters have to be able to prove that they are - well innocent!

Identification Aid

Now call me old and cynical if you must, but I have also spotted the Hippopotamus that is stood alongside the Elephant in the room. It's a simple problem with an even simpler solution. Tracking and tracing boat movements on the canal to the satisfaction of the trust - is an issue for the trust. 

The non compliant or naughty boater will certainly not provide the trust with information to the trusts satisfaction. Even if naughty boater could be bothered to keep a record anyway. No court in the land requires the accused to self incriminate. So the requirement to keep a record of your movements and to provide it on demand is totally worthless.