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HAVE YOUR SAY

ARE OUR CANALS TOO PRECIOUS TO BE SOLD OFF BY THE GOVERNMENT?

Will our canals be sold to the highest bidder?

Sunday May 27,2007

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(9)

THE inky waters were once the commercial lifeblood of Britain.

But the canals that coursed through our industrial heartlands may be offered to sale to the highest bidders – a scheme branded as “barmy” by critics.

Their value as lucrative real estate has attracted the attention of developers, and in a review of the funding of canals the Government is considering selling off its 2,200 miles of inland waterways.

It could see a £1billion sale of the towpaths, store buildings, lock-keepers’ cottages and waterside properties that all form a part of the canal system.

For the thousands of narrowboat fanatics, weekend visitors and those who make a living from the water, it is an idea they hope drains faster than a lock.

British Waterways has the third largest number of heritage structures in the country after the Church and the National Trust, a portfolio that is exciting the moneymen at the Treasury. But last night the threatened privatisation was branded “the ultimate absurdity” by MPs.

What do YOU think? Are our canals too precious to be sold off by the government?

NOT NOW THEY ARE NOT, NOW THE IMMIGRANTS HAVE STOLEN THE FISH STOCKS!

11.08.07, 9:19pm

They are useful leisure grounds for all except the many millions of fishermen that have practised catch and release for generations to safeguard stocks!

To see their good work plundered and destroyed in just a couple of years of this immigrant invasion, the government came out with a crazy idea of banning fishing a few years back.

Looks like they have enforced the ban by allowing the stock to be plundered and now intend to get their way by means of claiming the fish need protrection.

We all need protection from these immigrants our property our children and our livelyhoods so I for one will vote BNP from now on!

• Posted by: The_Way_I_See_It • Report Comment

WHILE WE'RE AT IT...

30.05.07, 7:06am

Why not sell the roads, the public parks, the beaches, every bloody thing. Air? We should be paying for that, especially as we exhale CO2 and the government has to keep that under control. Selling our canals? What next? It seriously wants to make you want to grab the toffee nosed pricks who suggested it by the collar and throw them before the people for a good hard kicking. Repeat after me "By the people, for the people".

• Posted by: legalal • Report Comment

ARE OUR CANALS TOO PRECIOUS TO BE SOLD OFF BY THE GOVERNMENT?

28.05.07, 7:58pm

what are we seeing a new era in labour just like the past selling off what belongs to the people hundreds died making these waterways know enjoyed by the mass population .
when some bueracat wants to make a quick buck to make his or her job look good and then we have developers owning a massive part of the uk they will fence off and block public acess to these areas and the rich will get richer by robing natural assets from the people .
Labour are you realy for the people or what ?

• Posted by: melmorris • Report Comment

VON_SPREUTH 11:25 A.M IS NOT EARLY MOST OF US HAVE DONE HALF A DAYS WORK!

28.05.07, 1:47pm

But you are right it will be a considerable donation to the gold plated pensions of these crooks!

• Posted by: The_Way_I_See_It • Report Comment

DON'T SELL THEM OFF!

28.05.07, 1:16pm

It’s a shame that more of our waterways are not used as much as they could or should be, probably due to lack of investment, but selling them off is NOT the way to go! For those people who have not visited a canal/waterway I suggest you get off your bums and go take a look. I am sure you have heard the expression ‘pretty as a picture’ so to see just what this really means go and visit some of our canal locks as many of the lockkeepers have gardens/grounds that are damned near picture perfect. A great deal of time, effort and dedication (and their own money) goes to ensuring the ‘picture postcard look’ that not enough people get to see. Quite apart from our waterways being a vital resource (for many reasons) they also provide many hours of enjoyment to thousands of people every year!

• Posted by: Cynical_sid • Report Comment

MORE PUBLIC ASSETS IN M.P'S BANKS.

28.05.07, 11:25am

Yet more public assets being sold of to be locked up in Politicians pension funds in the canal Islands.

(Sorry. It's early. I really CAN do better :-)) )

• Posted by: von_Spreuth • Report Comment