On 29/01/07, Will Chapman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> could we please recognise that the enemy is based in Whitehall not > Watford. I am sorry to break ranks here, but I do not agree with this simplistic appraisal of the situation. Yes, the DEFRA cuts were a profound blow to the waterways; but many of us, even on this list, are not willing to go from that point to concluding that therefore BW = good, Government = bad. Some of us are seriously concerned that Robin Evans' entire strategy for the waterways is based on hanging onto a half billion pound property portfolio. The earnings this yields is public money as much as a direct capital grant from the treasury would be. Some of us think it is inevitable that sooner or later a Brown or Cameron government will prefer to inject this money into the economy immediately, and support the waterways subsequently by annual grant, inefficient though this may be. Some of us think the thrust of BW policy should therefore be to make the case for adequate and continuing grants now, rather than waste energy and effort messing around in a property market that is most properly the remit of private enterprise. Steve [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
