David wrote: > I'm not a boat owner but am frequently on the water skippering the > local Canal Trust trip boat. In my opinion, every boat should have to > display a valid licence, just like on a road vehicle (do agricultural > vehicles have to display one? I don't know). Even if your 'terms of > employment' are such that you get a licence as part of your job, > there's no reason why you should not have to display a valid licence. > There should be nothing on the licence which may stigmatise anyone, so > if it's being paid by the DSS or whomever, that needn't be shown. BW > boats should have to display a valid licence as well for exactly the > same reason. > > I've seen only this week, hung from a local roadside lamppost, a > number to ring if I see an un-taxed car. There's no reason why BW > couldn't do something similar (if they don't already, maybe not from a > lamp post...). My view is that every licence fee collected is a few > more bricks in a lock wall repair, and as system users, that's > something that is in all our interests. I fully understand that some > people just like to keep their heads down and get on with life. No- one > says you have to report unlicensed boats, but if there's a suitable, > easy-to-use framework in place, for those that are happy with > reporting these ne'er do wells, they can continue to do so as far as > I'm concerned. > > I'm now back to lurk mode.
An excellent, sensible post. Please don't lurk though as we need more people with the guts to stand up and be counted when it comes to defending the rights of the majority against those who will continue to take everything they can as long as it suits them (over 7% according to the last BW Annual Report....and that's the numbers that BW know about or admit to). Roger
