batrabill

What is the obvious conclusion. JP you do love a nudge nudge wink wink. An answer would be better.

No one going to answer the question ?

Genuine question: if you are serious about all this stuff, don’t you have to sort this.... The National Parks website lists 15 NPs. Since the objective I assume, is to never have anyone refer to the Broads as an NP, aren’t you on a hiding to nothing is the UK National Parks does exactly that?

I would have thought you were in favour of not wasting your toll and Council tax money. I think saying its a joke is a bit thin...

And what happens then? Someone has to go and remove the "bit of plastic". That someone has to be paid. There's a cost to jolly japes.

I am aware of that Vaughan, but I am banned from using his real name as he is banned from using mine. It’s a long story.

Fred I respect your view and have no beef with any individual - I rather admire the Jenny woman for her relentless work on one side of the debate. But we ALL have prejudices and biases. I heard a fascinating report that those with the highest level of education - PhD and Masters were found to be most blind to their own biases. (They thought they were right because they knew they were clever) So yes I’m biased and have my prejudices. But for me, that is actually the point, and why I enjoy putting an alternative view here. I live on the water here in the Broads and it’s wonderful and beautiful. I go on my computer and I read on here and on Facebook and elsewhere, that the Broads are in a terrible state, in the grip of one mans megalomania, and that if we don’t all rise up boating will be banned! My bias is that I look around and that view appears to be just wrong. If you don’t notice that many, many, many threads here are started with a negative view (spin) of the BA, then that is a bias. Because life is short, I don’t want to go back and do the research, but I would stake my house on being able to demonstrate that there is a marked tendency for news to arrive about the BA in negative form. I enjoy, as Marshman also said, putting the alternative view. Why?because I like this forum - it’s a local news site, but I don’t like seeing things I think are wrong go unchallenged.

Grendel, yes you are right, but you introduced Gentlemen’s Yachts! This was all about a harmless sign a long while ago.

Cap fit?

That doesn’t really make sense Paladin(e). What you have said there is ‘I’m happy with my prejudices, and I don’t like the fact you don’t agree with me’ Didnt your attitude to the BA change greatly when your tolls went up a couple of years ago?

Absolutely the BA, not JP, (another "spin" is "it's all one man, the people on the frontline are great") are Spinners. So is every single institution in the world... To accuse the BA of presenting the facts to suit them is to be a child - of course they do. But there is a ton of spin on here. If you cant see it it may be that you are suffering from confirmation bias.

Cambridge Dictionary Spin: a particular way of representing an event or situation to the public so that it will be understood in a way that you want it to be understood Spin isn't untruths, it's presenting things in a way that supports your case. Like talking about the speed restrictions and not mentioning that Sandford wasn't invoked.

Good luck with proving there in no “anti-NP” spin from many on here. See Fred above with the old Sandford stuff.

Heavens, this looks like a warning of what happens in “another National Park” that is, “bad things”

That is proven wrong on this very thread. The behaviour of NPs is used repeatedly to demonstrate how things will be worse if the Broads were a full NP. The fact that there is b****** all evidence is exactly my point. The Broads is plainly a de facto NP and happily balances the principles of National Parks with the needs of navigation.

Grendel, your Gentlemen’s yatchs case is even weaker than the speed restriction- by miles! In Broads terms it’s like someone wanting to do the same on Horsey. Always difficult to compare but the comparison seem similar. How would a proposal like that be viewed by you? I don’t have a strong opinion about Gentlemen’s yachts - I’m not even sure what they are - but it is you that introduced this story to back up your view about how NPs behave. If the speed restrictions on Windermere are a weak example, then this is wafer thin. Whatever the planning authority, I think any scheme which would change the ambience of an entire lake would quite correctly be looked at very closely This proves NOTHING about NPs The Lake District or anything.

The point here is this: since I moved to the Broads from another part of the country I have been amazed by how often you hear negative views of National Parks as an idea. National Parks have good and bad aspects but on the whole they are viewed positively by people all over the country Here in the Broads the story which is promoted by a very vocal group of people is that National Parks are a BAD thing. Specifically for boaters. The speed reduction on Windemere is the most often used example to suggest NPs are anti- boating. (Is this the only example btw? Until the new plan to put 10 forty-foot boats on Grasmere ) But even this isn’t a very good example is it? There is tons of boating on the Lakes. Boats are everywhere. As a sailor I’m not fond of water skiers - they don’t mix well with other forms of boating and my personal opinion is that Jetskis are the work of the devil. Its odd odd that a group that value the peace and tranquility of the Broads use going fast in Windermere as their only go-to example of the evil power of NPs! The case that The Lake District NP is anti-boating is REALLY WEAK. I don’t want the Broads to be a full NP. There is no need. It’s already an NP in every meaningful sense, and the Broads are in fine shape

Go on....

What is your point?

I’d be interested to see where Marshman said he wants the Broads to be a National Park. Shouldnt be hard to find since you seem so sure that’s what he thinks. I’ll wait.

I live in Ludham and was dissapointed that the Parish Council came out against it. There's a fine line between "character" and being a dump. In my view Ludham Bridge is a bit of dump and the development seems a sensible way to proceed. Change is the law of life. I completely support CambridgeCabby's view.

From personal observation, the vast majority of a accidents would be prevented if people indicated. If you are in the wrong lane, and it happens to all of us, the least you can do is tell other people what you intend to do.

But Grendel, that’s still making a link between the mythical effects of NPs and things you can’t do. It is equally valid to say “Welcome to the Broads but don’t expect to be able to get up on the plane on Hickling.” The 10 forty-foot boats at Grasmere are a change from what was there before If this was a plan for Ranworth inner would you be reacting in the same way? I suspect there would be howls of disapproval

But you are being a bit cheeky there because Grendel said: ... explicitly saying that what happens in the Lakes could happen here. And you well know that comparisons with all the terrible things that happen in NP's has long been part of your story. No they might not, but you also know that waterskiing on Windermere was NEVER a Sandford-style conflict between boating and nature. It was much more about safety, noise, and the character of any area of naturaL beauty. Windermere is thick with boats of all kinds. Tough for the waterskiiers, but like lots of people I don't think they should be there. As I have pointed out many times, the Lake District happily stages a SPEED event on Coniston. Perhaps you'd be better off warning that they might want to do similar on Hickling if full NP status was achieved. Horrors! I may start a petition - NO KILLER SPEED EVENT ON HICKLING! IT MIGHT HAPPEN!!!!

With the greatest respect, anything is possible, but as adults we should surely try and judge what is important and meaningful and what is just scaremongering. The Lake District has a complex and very successful relationship with boating which provides all kinds of boating. I’ve sailed on 5 different lakes. There is little evidence that being a NP is “bad” for boating in the Lake District. You are currently really pushing the RSPB line but do they really drive policy in the Broads? Or is it crying wolf for the millionth time ?