DandV

There is another party in this. The vendor. A party who most certainly has already a signed contract with the broker., to proceed to represent them in locating and negotiating with potential buyers in an agreed manner, including any offer being made subject to the brokers standard conditions. So those brokers standard conditions are most likely already in place in the preceding contract, that between vendor and broker. That was certainly the case when we sold our boat through a broker. And when choosing a broker, as a vendor we wanted to minimise our chances of being stuffed around on the sale by someone playing the "it needs this and this doing" when the boat was entirely as expected of a boat of it's age, visual condition, and as described.

Certainly Foxhangers on the K&A had the sound signals on a sticker just below the instrument panel when we hired from them in 2009. But the reality was the only sound signal we ever heard was a warning about tiks some where over there, when passing the miles of poorly moored, and maintained boats. Been there, done that! Also washed the windscreen on the car instead of a solid flash of full beam headlights.

It is a pretty hostile environment out there. It requires actually quite a lot of competence to adequately house and feed yourself consistently. Lots of people fall short of those abilities. And lots more actually choose ways that fall foul of generally accepted standards just to maintain some choices in their lives. Certainly a lot about George's previous behaviour does not endear him, but I think you would be extremely optimistic to think that a spell inside will either reform him or increase his competence. But nor will allowing him to continue the way he has been. If CART does not get him, his chosen poor living conditions, and inclement English weather will, but will just take longer. He certainly already doesn't look in great shape for his years. I am just concerned that too often prison is just being used as a convenient, but extraordinarily expensive way, of our societies, temporarily hiding problems out of sight. Halfway houses too, are very largely truely dire, halfway to dead, George is probably right in resisting going to such places.

Conceded, George is very problematic. But jailing him? Is that really the best solution given that it will at most be temporary. Certainly evict his belongings from his current site. Then see where he turns up next, and deal to that. He might then start becoming more amenable to dealing with those that are trying to reach out towards him.

It is imprisoning people that is for most part swerving problems. Putting him away only temporarily defers the problem. It is not a solution. How long a sentence will Geoge get? Ok, for the period of that sentence George won't have a housing problem, and CART, and everyone else won't have a problem with George's choice of where to live. But do you think a period of imprisoment, followed by throwing him back out into the streets will in anyway better equip him to find his way in the world without pissing people off? I think the opposite is more likely. I think there are better ways, and countries other then Britain and NZ are actually getting better results, with less recourse to parking so many problem people, for the most part, temporarily in prison. Collectively, we are neither making enough effort to keep people out of prison, andwe are not dealing effectively with those in prison, given that for the very large majority, sentences are finite. They are coming back into our outside society, whether we, or they are ready for that or not. I think in Britain, and NZ, at the moment there is abundant evidence that both housing and mental health assistance is currently very difficult to access for those that need it most.

There is a massive difference between incarceration rates between otherwise broadly comparable countries. The countries with the highest incarceration rates do not have the lowest crime rates, perhaps more the reverse. So what are those countries most like us doing differently that reduces their penal services costs, and achieve relitively lower crime rates? I suggest that they are not so dependant on their police service, and penal system to provide the social services of adequate housing and mental health services.

Prisons have got to be the most expensive, and least effective social services solution available. Prisons should be very largely reserved only for those who a pose a distinct danger to others.

Very sobering reading. You all gave the gentleman absolutely the best chance. You can all be really proud. And best wishes to everbody who witnessed the scene, you all must be suffering the after effects.

Universal on our surf patrol rigid inflatable boats for obvious reasons as their very purpose is to get close enough to board people in the water, in far from benign conditions. But a shroud would considerably impede the unfortunately too often task, of clearing rubbish and weed off the propellor of a narrowboat.

Again a lovely photo essay of how things were. Thank you Peter

Who needs privileged access to restricted proprietary data when you have the Canal World Forum. Well done. Hope the repair goes well.

Spending chosen balmy nights there in a tent in the middle of summer should be delightful. But being in a situation that spending your entire winter nights that way, is actually your best option, is truely dire.

Agree, George should no longer be CRT's problem. Agree, George most likely still has a big problem, himself, as well as now being homeless. Unfortunately, there are tens of thousands of "Georges" and "Georginas" living on the fringes of our generally affluent societies. Some of them very young. This is a huge problem that collectively descent into neoliberalism economics is very illequiped to handle. But not addressing this problem effectively , and it's related problems, is certainly going to cost more later, a threat to the very coherence of our societies. And these problems are not unique to the UK, in anyway. We all depend on making our societies as coherent, as possible. Living on the edge is fertile ground for extremism.