Mike Stevens wrote: > On Friday, May 18, 2007 1:26 PM [GMT+1=CET], > Will Chapman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> Steve Haywood wrote: >>> Personally, I can't say at this stage whether it's true, that BW's >>> presentations on the whole of the cuts issue has been devised to >>> hide the fact that they've been getting more from their property >>> portfolio than they have declared; I can't say whether they have >>> 'wilfully withheld information' from the government; that they have >>> done this 'with the intent of deceiving the general public.' All I >>> know is that the government believes this, and >> Wrong..government don't necessarily believe this - we will have >> to wait for the EFRA sub-Committee report before we know what >> they believe. At the moment all you can say is that Gardiner >> appears to believes that he has been misled; > > I'm not even convinced of that. What we know is that Gardiner, or the > spin-doctors behind him, curently find it convenient to claim that he has > been misled. That's not the same thing at all. It may be a stratagem to > prepare the way for a change of approach without losing face (by no mean > unknown in negoatiating situations - remember,I was a professional > negotiator for some years). >
I think you have a point there Mike. Also we do know that two key people that where part of the link between defra and BW have gone. The day-to-day link, Sabine Mosner, has left altogether and Robert Lowson (her boss?), the civil servant that took Gardiner's place at the BW AGM, has also moved on so it could well be that Defra are having trouble finding a paper-trail. Cheers Will -- Will Chapman Save Our Waterways www.SaveOurWaterways.org.uk
