THE 'Bargees' are at it again—complaining that their children cannot go to school as they have to move their boats under the rules of their continuous cruiser licence.
Their latest demand now is 'No evictions of Boat Dwellers! Full 12 months boat licences for all! Let boat children go to school!'
Misnomer
The National Bargee Travellers Association—whose title itself it something of a misnomer, for the last thing they want to do is travel, though all have continuous cruiser licences.
The association is organising demonstrations telling people that Canal & River Trust with its punitive and unlawful enforcement policy against boaters without permanent moorings has seen many boat dwellers on the Kennet & Avon Canal having their licences restricted to six months; threatened with losing their homes; being pressured into giving up their homes; boats being seized and boat children's education and welfare suffering due to the long distances they are being forced to travel to school.
Permanent mooring
As most boaters are aware, if you wish to stay in one place to be able to send your children to school or go to work, then you pay for a permanent mooring. If you wish to cruise the waterways you can do with a continuous cruiser licence, so then don't have to pay for a permanent mooring.
But the 'Bargees' want the best of both worlds—wanting to stay in one place yet not pay for a mooring, though of course this is never mentioned in its propaganda.
They prevent children attending school
They themselves are preventing the children attending school by not having a permanent mooring that will allow them to do so. Surely they can't really believe their own disinformation that they should be able to stay in one place on a licence that clearly states 'continuous cruising'?
Their licence is very, very clear. What on earth do they believe 'continuous cruising' means?
Any 'boat children's education and welfare suffering due to the long distances they are being forced to travel to school' is caused by the decision of the boaters themselves, by having a continuous cruising licence, and certainly not by the Trust.