This has just popped into my inbox from the IWA. Note that the SOW petition has just passed the 5,000 mark.
"The protest cruise past the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday 16th January was a resounding success. There was a good selection of boats, large and small, all with appropriate banners. Eight MPs, a selection of TV crews and media reporters, and representatives from all the user main user groups (including IWA vice presidents David and Sheila Suchet and Chris Coburn) took part in the cruise aboard the passenger vessel Kingwood (provided free of charge by King Cruisers) organised by IWA and British Marine Federation. The rain just held up for all the MPs to stand out on deck and wave their support; there were no accidents or unwanted incidents, and the media coverage exceeded expectation. The event appeared on the breakfast, lunchtime and early evening news of nearly all the TV channels, featured on Radio 4's Farming Today programme in the morning, and a seven-minute live interview with John Fletcher on Radio 5 Live at peak-listening time in the afternoon. David Suchet featured as 'IWA's spokesman' on BBC News. The event also featured on local radio programmes throughout the country, with a selection of IWA branch chairmen giving interviews, as well as in many newspapers, including, prior to the event, the Daily Express and Sunday Telegraph. There are photos of the cruise on IWA's web site www.waterways.org.uk and also at www.saveourwaterways.org.uk The MPs present for the cruise were Charlotte Atkins (Staffordshire Moorlands), Tony Baldry (Banbury), Peter Bottomley (Worthing West), David Heath (Somerton & Frome), Chris Huhne (Eastleigh), Bob Laxton (Derby North), David McClean (Penrith & Border) and Gwyn Prosser (Dover). Anne McIntosh (Vale of York) was unable to participate but visited the passenger vessel prior to the cruise to express her support. In the news item circulated by the Association on 13th January, we said "Arrangements had also been made for the minister to visit IWA's stand at the Boat Show – the only permanent presence of the inland waterways community there protesting about the cuts – to meet a delegation of IWA members; but the minister failed to show up". IWA has since been advised by British Marine Federation that there was a mix-up over the ministers' itinerary for his tour of the Show, and that it was not the minister's fault that he did not visit the stand. British Marine Federation, the Show's organiser, determines which exhibitors any visiting minister sees when they visit the Show. On this occasion, unknown to IWA, its stand was omitted from the list in the briefing provided by the Show's organisers to the minister's officials in advance of the event, and a small delegation of IWA members and representatives from other user groups had gathered at IWA's stand to meet the minister. The minister's visit to the show started with a private meeting at which representatives from invited national organisations including John Fletcher, IWA national chairman, were able to question the minister directly. British Marine Federation had organised the minister's tour of the show with the aim of giving the minister the opportunity to meet with exhibitors who run businesses on the inland waterways, and had hoped to include IWA's stand as an additional stop on the tour. Unfortunately, so many exhibitors engaged the minister to talk about the funding cuts during his tour that timings over-ran, and there was not sufficient time for the additional visit to IWA's stand. These circumstances were not known to IWA, or to any of those gathered at IWA's stand, until Sunday 14th January. Those gathered at the stand to meet the minister were disappointed and hence had widely disseminated the seeming news that the minister had apparently failed to turn up. It is now apparent that at no time prior to, or during, the visit were the minister or his officials aware that he was expected at IWA's stand as part of the tour of the show. British Marine Federation has apologised to IWA for the confusion caused and IWA regrets any consequent misinformation or embarrassment. IWA is grateful to British Marine Federation for its facilitation of the minister's visit and for directing a significant portion of the ministers visit to enable him to hear of waterway users' and business's concerns. The close co-operation and joint working together of very many members and officers of all the waterway user groups, waterside businesses and others who make a living from the inland waterways has been the greatest strength of the current campaign. The resolve of waterway campaigners to make their voice heard and 'save our waterways' has made a real impact with government and political observers, and although the past cuts to the grant-in-aid for British Waterways and the Environment Agency have yet to be restored, there appears to be a halt to the cuts. The next few months will be vital in the campaign, as ministers are setting budgets for all parts of government, which will affect spending over the next three years. IWA considers that it is therefore essential that the next round of waterway protest events, due to take place over the weekend 3rd to 4th March, are well supported. IWA is urging all its branches and allied groups to show their support – and in particular to demonstrate support right across the waterway community, and to show strength of support from the wide diversity of people who use the waterways. A range of events are already under preparation, including a showpiece spectacle event at Braunston involving IWA's Northampton Branch, Braunston Marina and the Historic Narrow Boat Owners Club. The recent stormy weather has demonstrated the fragility of the 200-year-old waterway network, with yesterday's breach on the Brecon & Abergavenny Canal (full details and pictures on IWA's web site), and trees blown down across many waterways. All this unexpected additional damage to the canals and river navigations will require additional work and additional funds to put right, straining budgets and resources yet further. However, the stormy weather coincided with another demonstration of support for the waterways - The Save our Waterways petition on the Prime Minister's web site has, today, reached 5,000 signatures – see http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/SaveOurWaterways/ -- Nigel Stanley Yahoo! 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