education | National Bargee Travellers Association

The campaign against the surcharge (the charge for not having a home mooring) started with a massive influx of people joining, and the campaign set up many working groups to facilitate the large range of strategies and tactics people put forward. After a while, it became obvious to most that there were too many strategies and tactics compared to the number of people actively doing things. Therefore, the campaign decided to agree on a set of strategies and tactics.

After much discussion, we, inside the campaign, have decided on a strategy to stop the surcharge. The strategy is twofold: while we are trying to make inroads with finding allies within Parliament (lobbying MPs, Lords etc) to be against the surcharge; we will also be using our leverage to take on CRT’s public image by protest leafleting at the very events and places CRT is trying to improve its image.

The reason why leafleting at CRT stalls works is that it undermines CRT’s public image. The whole premise of CRT’s existence is based on its “charity doing charitable work” public image, and of course, its donations are linked to how people view it. This is why it spends millions of pounds on PR events and social media, etc. CRT has written to NBTA twice now asking, then demanding, we stop leafleting at their stalls. It has obviously been having a serious effect on CRT, and there is no way CRT can stop us. Leafleting at CRT stalls will stop when CRT stops the surcharge; it is our leverage, its the reason CRT will stop the surcharge because CRT needs their public image more than it needs it charge the surcharge. Get involved to be part of the actions that will stop the surcharge. Email stopboatlicencediscrimination@gmail.com to be involved.

With strategy of lobbying MPs, if successful, rather than fighting CRT time and time again over never-ending iterations of their attrition of our community, we might just possibly see government seeking to regulate CRT excesses on our behalf. Long shot. But if it works it will save us many, many more battles.

Our first ‘Drop in Session’ back in November was just a start. Our second session was planned for February 11th but has morphed to a meeting with Andrew Cooper MP, who we met at the first session, so that he might understand our case more fully, then to advise our next parliamentary steps.

Hundreds of boaters and supporters alike turned out for this demonstration of community, solidarity and resistance to CRTs plans to dispossess us from our homes on the water. Before we arrived, Paddington Basin was empty, but at the Boaters’ Easter Regatta we’ve demonstrated exactly what boaters mean to the waterways by filling it with life, celebration and a sense of community.

We sincerely hope that CRT will sit down with boaters, drop clearly discriminatory policies like this licence surcharge and ensure that our contribution to the waterways is acknowledged, and way of life respected. However, if they do not, boaters will continue to resist their plans fiercely by making it less desirable to make boats without home moorings pay more.

To make it less desirable for CRT to continue with the ‘surcharge’, we need to hit CRT where it hurts. This means undermining its public image and its income.

To damage CRT’s income, the best way we have at our disposal is a licence strike. However, for a licence strike we need relatively large numbers to have an impact. It is on the cards but we don’t have the numbers yet. Please sign up by clicking the link to express your interest in helping to make it happen: http://tinyurl.com/licencestrike

Other than finances, the other thing CRT prizes highly is its public image. It’s not just that CRT’s donations are linked to how people view it. In addition to that, the whole premise of CRT’s existence is based on its public image: that it is a charity doing charitable good. This is why it spends millions of pounds on PR events and social media etc. But as long as CRT continues with its plan to charge boats for not having a home mooring, we will work tirelessly to undermine its public image. Most of us don’t want to be undermining CRT. However, since this is one of the best tactics for leverage we have, we must!

Therefore, we ask that people who are opposed to this discriminatory licence fee increase to join us in leafleting against CRT, at the very events and stalls where CRT are trying to improve its public image. Some of us have already had great success and amazing public support in such actions at CRT events. Until CRT backs down, let’s use our leverage, let’s attend its events and stalls and let the public know what CRT is really about. Email stopboatlicencediscrimination@gmail.com to be involved in this.

CRT has wanted us gone for a long time now, but we’re still here – our lives may be nomadic, but events like the Boaters’ Easter Regatta show our community is here to stay.