Victor: Taking control

IGNORING that from CaRT concerning 'focussing on its customers', there is one thing that is a vast improvement in its stated new policy—that the boss-man is making sure that people report directly to him in future, including the replacement for Sally Ash, she previously under Simon Salem.

So it would seem that at last Richard Parry really is listening to the boaters and realising that everything is the garden is far from lovely, with the appointment of two reliable people reporting direct, instead of to the 'old guard', so now managers will perhaps not be allowed to let things slide as they certainly have been doing.

And I am most impressed with his choice of Dean Davis, a bloody good manager, but would have despaired if he had chosen, to my mind, the useless Darren Green, responsible for the 'terrible six' broad locks on the Trent & Mersey.  So obviously Richard knows what he is about—there is hope yet.

But there are more of the 'old guard' that still need to be ousted, perhaps starting at the top with the re-installed Chairman Tony Hales.

Boats to spare

Not being a football fan, only ever seen one match in my life, way, way back in 1966, which incidentally we won, we then having the vast choice of English players, so I'm not sure just how many players actually form the England team, (or 'squad' as I understand it is now named) but they have all been offered a free boating holiday with Drifters.

It must need a lot of boats if each player gets a holiday, that really leaves me to ask, have Drifters such spare capacity?

(I watched that particular match only as the former local Chesterfield goalie, Gordon Banks, was in goal.  A bit different then, eh? No histrionics, hugging and biting—for then men were men and pansies were flowers!)

Who is he kidding?

I was not surprised to learn from Emma Payne that the broken locks on Hillmorton Flight were not reported on CaRT's Stoppage site. Here's just one picture of the hundreds of similar ones we have of 'top marks' structures.

It certainly would not have looked good with that fella giving the 'structures top marks' with a stoppage notice at the same time telling that a lock beam had fallen off!

Nothing so sure that the fella hasn't cruised the waterways, but is just more of the never ending PR.

A conundrum

'Fixing the inherited problems will take time' wrote Kevin McNiff, but as however Richard Parry denies there are any problems, David Davis wants to know how will he fix them?

Moreover, he asks, how many years has he got to fix them, at the current rate of maintenance underspend, before everything is derelict?

Victor Swift