 Report
by Jim Marshall on the Annual Meeting of British
Waterways held 12th October 2006
After several years of being held at the
Institute of Civil Engineers (a mere stone, or brick’s throw
from Parliament), the venue was changed this year to Austin
Court at the junction of the Birmingham Canal Navigations and
the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. I must admit to a slight
disappointment at not meeting the worthies of the waterways
beneath the marble vaultings and portraits of the icons among
canal engineers – Rennie, Brindley, Telford, et al. I was
beginning to get a taste for mingling among the Shades of
Yesteryear.
Changing the venue to a canalside building at
the focal point of the canal system was an inspired move. Austin
Court has been there since 1803, and has been home to just about
every conceivable industry in its time – nails, cycles, gas
masks, a brewery, lime, general wharfage, boat trips, and is now
very much in the 21st century with all the facilities we have
come to expect – bars, lecture theatre, parking, etc. Outside
was an assemblage of working vessels, old and new, with BW
workers proud of the work they do, and the tradition of service
they provide. They were delighted to show us all round their
boats and discuss their jobs and the satisfaction they get from
being the smiling face of BW that the public has come to know in
recent years.
It was an almost psychic act to move to
Birmingham. A couple of years ago, the then Minister for
Waterways, Alun Michael, was ‘able to run over, pursued by
Mr.Fox, the hunting lobby and a couple of whips’ (his joke!). A
few platitudes later he was able to return to the corridors of
power and leave us all to get on with the serious business of
self-congratulation and networking. This year Barry Gardiner MP,
Minister for the Waterways, was due to attend “subject to
parliamentary business”. A three-line whip saved his bacon, and
allowed him to shelter behind David Milliband’s skirts. He would
have been slaughtered by the assemblage of baying hounds, in
much the same way as in 2001 MAAF tackled Foot and Mouth
Disease. Changing the name to DEFRA (Dept. of the Environment,
Farming and Rural Affairs) must have detracted someone’s
attention from MAAF’s monumental incompetence! They will need to
change their name again! Allying the waterways with the farmers
means that, in short, BW will lose £15m. a year for four years
payable towards the £200m. fine imposed by the EU on DEFRA for
their maladministration of the farm subsidies. There are more
pen-pushers in the UK administering the Fund than there are
farmers receiving it!! The waterways must pay – the farmers have
already been paid…….
As about 250 invitees from user groups around
the waterways gathered at Austin Court, all the talk was of this
breaking news. Someone asked what I thought was the average age
of those in the room. “60?”. “No, not us! Them! The executive
directors, and the Board”. “A touch under 50!”. Just like
policemen they are looking younger, and they want to infuse our
experience with their youthful (!) energy. Their motto is
‘Openness and Accountability’. They could add ‘With Passion and
Honesty’. The speeches given by the Chairman, Tony Hales, at his
second Annual Meeting, and Robin Evans, the Chief Executive,
emphasised these phrases. (They can be found at
http://www.britishwaterways.com/annual_meeting/index.html
reported verbatim). These occasions are usually ones of
self-congratulation. BW have changed, and will continue to
change, our waterways. They are no longer the domain of a
privileged few, or the long-distance narrowboat. They are for
everyone – “our waterways are probably the single biggest
catalyst for rural and urban regeneration in the UK enriching
many people’s lives” - Tony Hales. There are more than 2000
miles of safe and accessible waterway, 29,000 boats, and
300,000,000 individual visits per annum. Robin Evans is an award
winning angler. Their passion and commitment are contagious and
have spread throughout the BW organisation, and to the public
beyond. They talk of their employees as ‘our family’, ‘our
people’. I believe that those on the platform are genuinely hurt
by DEFRA’s incompetence, not just because they have been struck
down whilst running for the distant finishing tape, but largely
because of the injuries inflicted on their friends and ‘family’.
After the presentations from the stage, the
audience had its turn. An impassioned plea from the UNISON shop
steward set the tone. It was greeted warmly by all present, as
was Robin Evan’s response. .The DEFRA stooge tried to hide
behind his microphone and was asked if he would have the courage
and courtesy to turn to the audience when addressing it. A new
society – Save Our Canals - was formed. Senior members of the
Inland Waterways Association made impassioned pleas. John Welsh
of the National Community Boats Association pointed out that
more young people came off the streets and onto the water each
year than spent their holidays on hire cruisers, thereby
acquiring the self-confidence that comes from learning to steer
boats, work locks, and make friends. It is cheaper to sponsor
such boats than spend £40,000 per prisoner per annum. Maybe
someone should take the Minister for a long boat trip, and ask
him if we could be removed from DEFRA? – any volunteers?
Throughout the meeting, and at the entrance to
Austin Court, a crowd of about 50 was protesting at the loss of
funding, jobs and possible closures. Their sincerity was
tangible. There are plans afoot to block the navigation soon
where it will hurt most and get the maximum publicity. (See
www.savethewaterways.org.uk)
Are Openness, Accountability, Passion and
Honesty keywords when judging the way our public bodies should
be run? - Oh, Yes, Please! |
