Foot and mouth good for Boating?

[Guest]

With the countryside cut off and all the grockles left high and dry on the weekends, maybe this is a great time to give boating a push, promotion wise. Maybe someone in some sort of boat industry thingy should swing a national campaign into being to get people on the coastal waters, maybe we as boaters should be shouting to our local press, and anyone else we can think of, that this is a great time to try out the water, could be a great boost for UK seaside resorts as well.

We are busy planning our summer schedule, and our relatives are suddenly dead keen to spend weekends on board! Most of whom are ussually found trecking through hills and dales. So lets get out their and get new people onto our boats, more people boating can only be a good thing! (Or can it?)

 

[Guest]

Assuming you're putting it forward in an 'Tongue in cheek' manner, can you really imagine the rambling brigade afloat!

Boots, anoraks, maps and no understanding of VHF procedures, Lord help us. It's bad enough seeing them on the tow path or cliffs, never mind in charge of anything more powerful than a vacuum flask.

 

[Guest]

This disease is a human and animal tragedy and your suggestion is brash and tasteless.

 

[Guest]

What a waste of space your comments are. For some people there is no boating at all.NM.

!

 

[Guest]

I am attracted to the sea to escape from crowds of people, so rather selfishly I would rather not try and attract too many "converts" just because they have nothing else to do.

 

[Guest]

for some the foot and mouth crisis is a tragidy beond all imagination . only a fool would think it good for our passtimes. jh

 

[Guest]

Re: aha, at least three reasons for hardly any postings hereabouts...

It wasn't a tasteless nor brash suggestion IMHO, and the personal attacks unwarranted.

I wd've though that rambling quite a reasonable parallel, in terms of freedom, plenty of views, fresh air, together with the need for self-reliance and so on. I spose it's only people in the boat industry have interest in getting more on the water, so can watch with interest.

Who's the guy that sniped (on a boat forum) that harump "there's no boating for some of us!" Eh?

 

[Guest]

Foot and Mouth is serious but it in the lakes its stopped boating as well. The only public slipway was closed approx 3 weeks ago and hasnt been opened since.

 

[Guest]

I can't think what good it can do to have your bedding and bunk boards nibbled away, to say nothing of the droppings - - oops, sorry ! I thought you meant futon mouse !!

 

[Guest]

Well I have certainly pushed open a hornets nest of bitterness here, and would like to take this opportunity to apologise to anyone who was caused offence by this posting.

Lets make this perfectly clear. We have family who are directly affected by this, as dairy farmers in Dorset. I am daily in direct touch and contact with people who are in dire straights over the entire crisis. I am thoroughly familiar with the smell of disinfectant.

How many people on this forum, or in the UK overall really understand the impact that this crisis is actually having in terms of the needless deaths of thousands of animals, the human costs, and the economic impact on the individal and our country?

The cost of this disease to the country has so far been estimated at £9 billion, and does not look like stopping. The US economy is on the verge of recession, and this crisis will probably drive the UK economy into a serious recession next year. Millions of people will be effected by this.

The Boating industry is seriously effected as well. BW has shut down all of the inland waterways, and on the Trent Alone this is going to cost the boating industry millions of pounds. Newark and Farndon marinas are doubtless pulling their hair out.

This is going to be a miserable summer for this country.

I believe, and burn me at the stake if this is bad, that we have a responsibility to try to make the best of a bad situation. This is not profiteering. This is attempting to do something which will help this crisis and lessen the impact that it will have. If we can encourage people to find alternative outlets for their leisure time, then this will positivley impact the overall situation.

I do not believe that allowing ourselves to settle into a period of national misery and deppression will in anyway benefit the situation.

I was surprised at the bitterness of some of the replies listed above, and was hopeing for some more informed debate. This country faces serious problems, and we need to start thinking about ways that we can help alleviate these problems.

 

[Guest]

doug , are you suggesting that we framers incourage the movement of people and there transport . how will that stop the spread of F&M . our farm is less than 2 miles from an infected area in south bucks,would you realy be happy for the residents of my area to decend on yours!!!!!.

 

[Guest]

Sorry Brian, I am not trying to cause any grief here, you are absoloutley right that we need to keep the general public out of the countryside at this time.

What I suggest instead is that as a alternative to going into the countryside people could go out on the Solent, or Torbay, or have a holiday at the seaside in Blackpool, or Brighton.

Our friendly enviroment minister Michael Meacher actually wants to start getting people back into the countryside, something that is absolute nonsense.

I had the dubious pleasure this weekend of standing next to him whilst he was being interviewed in Melton by ITN, and I quote;

"the countryside is not closed, all the regular countryside attractions are open, and people can go walking on tarmaced roads, they just need to stay away from farms and farm animals."

This is complete nonsense of course, we need to continue to keep people out of the countryside, but at the same time we need to keep people who are unnaffected by F&M at this time spending money in the tourism industry. This country does not need, nor can it afford, a substantial and serious blow to the tourism industry. UK residents going abroad on their holidays has lead to a serious downturn in tourism in this country over the last 20 years, and the F&M crisis is already causing a serious downturn in visitors from overseas. But their is a lot more to the UK than just country parks and hill walking.

Whilst many people have criticised BW for closing the waterways I happen to agree that this is nessecary, we do not need people bringing pets into the heart of the countryside at this time, and the couple from Nottingham who had to crane their boat out and then complained, should have known better.

People who are living with F&M have to take the responsibility to ensure that they are not contributing to the spread of this disease, however the vast majority of people in this country are living in London, or Birmingham, or Manchester, and to them this crisis has nothing to do with them, it just keeps them from being able to strand themselves on some Welsh mountain, or walk their dog down a canal path. These people will simply choose to go, in even larger numbers than now, abroad, and then we will be in even more trouble economically.

The farming industry has been getting the shaft for the past several years, but I dont think that it is fair or right that just because the farming industry is in trouble, then the rest of the economy and hundreds of other small businesses should go to the wall as well, sort of a "sympathy reccession".

My business is not directly in farming, but I am still 30% down trade wise directly due to this crisis. Nothing that I can do can affect this, and encouraging more people to go on seaside vacations will not help this either.

But maybe this redirection of the tourism pound will lead to a resurrection in the economies of communities that are being themselves badly hit by declines in fishing, tourism and other marine industries. Maybe we dont have to flush our economy down the toilet, maybe there will be someone still paying taxes after all of this is over to help pay the bills.

We are in real danger of causing a massive divide between the farming industry and other industries in this country, If a whole wack of businesses outside of the farming industry go to the wall because of a crisis that they neither understand or had anything to do with, then the long term resentment that this will cause will be huge. We have a responsibility to work to lesson the impact of this crisis on the community as a whole, this applies to everyone, farmers included. A lot of industry outside of the farming community is suffering as well as the farmers, and I believe that the whole country will do just about anything nessecary at this time to help the farming industry, So why are people resenting the idea that we should be attempting to help the tourism industry through this crisis? Are they not innocent victims of this disease, as well?

We love boating, and we want to be able to continue to go boating in the future. I also love introducing new people to boating. If this country goes into recession over this crisis it will hugely impact this industry, and for no apparent reason.

Getting people out of the farming communities and onto the sea will help the farming industry by removing traffic from the countrysides, and helping to preserve the UK economy, which the farmers will need to help them recover from this crisis. Maybe if the farming industry says to people at this time, "keep out of the countryside, but go to Blackpool instead," they will also make new friends and allies in the tourism and marine industries, allies which the farming industry will desperatley need in the future.

My sympathies are firmly with the farmers at this time. And my partner and myself are deeply upset at what is happening. I pray to god that you and your family will not have this horrendous disease visited upon you.

I have now spouted off at lenght about this, something which I had no intention of doing when I started this thread. I only wish that I could do more to positivley help at this time, I feel that there is a oncoming juggernaught bearing down upon us, and I can do nothing about it.

Doesnt anyone out their have any positive suggestions as to what we as boaters and non-farmers can do to help fix this mess?

 

[Guest]

Yacht clubs seem to be adopting a very responsible stance. Every year about a dozen or so clubs have a rally to my private moorings on the Thames. Several clubs have already contacted me to ask if the should cancel the dates they have booked for 2001. For the moment I am adopting a wait and see attitude and will be taking whatever action my immediate neighbour wants me to. He runs a Dairy Herd. In short I am saying to clubs "ask me nearer the rally date"

 

[Guest]

byron are your moorings over the river and down a bit from a well known pub.

 

[Guest]

well said NM

well said NM

 

[Guest]

well spotted ;-)

 

[Guest]

keep up the good work with the fireworks regards john hale

 

[Guest]

They ain't my fireworks, thats the Beetle & Wedge. I let them set them off on my bank so their customers can enjoy them better.

 

[Guest]

Farmerso we need them? Discuss

Whilst I have a great deal of sympathy with farmers and anybody whose livelihood has been affected by this terrible disease (my own business included but to a lesser extent) and at the risk of being abused as a stupid ignorant townie, several things bother me about this whole business

The farming industry seems to be the only industry that can get away with poisoning its own stock, not to mention its own customers, with all manner of diseases and then immediately put it's hand up for compensation. If any other industry did this, it would be sued through the courts for years and rightly so.

Agriculture accounts for only 1% of UK GDP and yet farmers receive about £8000 p.a in subsidies each. As 'feeding the nation' is no longer an issue, why do we continue to support this grossly inefficient industry when cheaper and arguably better produce is available from other countries, including Third World countries whose agriculture industry perhaps more merits our support. Would'nt these subsidies be better utilized to support industries in which the UK can be leaders?

I run my own business and I would be very stupid if I didnt insure my stock against damage. Why havent farmers insured themselves similarly and why doesnt the NFU run some kind of compensation scheme for itself rather than bleating to the government for help every time something unforeseen happens?

Why is it Prince Charles puts his hand in his pocket for the farmers but not for other equally disadvantaged people such as steel workers in Wales, shipyard workers in Scotland, miners in Yorkshire or any other smokestack industry you care to name?

Farmers may be cash poor but many of them are land rich. As with any other business which operates in a changing market, maybe farmers have to consider doing other things with their land. In my area I see farm buildings turned into industrial parks, land turned into golf courses and farms themselves turned into visitor attractions.

All abuse accepted but only with reasoned arguments

 

[Guest]

Re: aha, at least three reasons for hardly any postings hereabouts...

Now whos a bad speller and grammer STUDENT. "wd've" whats that about and "spose" when i was at school it was surpose.