【Full Steam Ahead】S0……
nes on a p to divide up our fishing grounds. The politis in London, they sell our livelihoods as bargaining chips in exge for sothing else. And those Fren in their giant trawlers, their sh is sller than the law allows, they''''re taking all our juvenile fish! They don''''t give a da about us! What are you people in Whitehall doing? Just haviings and surrendering?"
"Yes!"
"He''''s right!"
"They don''''t give a da about us!"
"The quotas are a joke!"
The atsphere ignited instantly, repressed anger finding an outlet.
Cyril, at the side of the stage, ched his fists, his pal slightly da with sweat, ready to signal security to escort the Minister out at any nt.
Charles raised a hand, not to push down, but extending it forward in a gesture of request. The noise gradually subsided.
"A very good question," Charles said, looking in the dire of the young n. "And your na is... sir?"
"ToPenrose."
"Thank you, To To be blunt," Charles said, "we all know the on Fisheries Policy is a jor proble a plex issue involving the is of ltiple tries and a loiation cycle. In the short ter we ot ge the bureaucrats in Brussels. We work to and the rules, to fight for better ter, but if we sily tear up the rules, then torrow, our boats could be seized on the high seas, and we wouldn''''t be able to sell our cat any rket oi. That is a worse oute, would you agree?"
Toopened his uth but couldn''''t refute the cold reality.
Charles tinued, "However, illegal fishing by fn vessels... we should not be powerless against proble on our own doorstep. Tell , To when was the last ti you saw a fishery patrol boat? Do they e often enough? Are their boats fast enough? Do they have enough authority? they seize those illegal vessels on the spot?"
"A patrol boat? One ca last nth, did a lap a. Their boat isn''''t even as fast as ours!"
"Even if they catch the it''''s just a fihe bastards are back the day!" another fishern shouted.
"Enfort issues. Cyril, hat down," Charles said, turning to Cyril and watg hiscribble furiously in his notebook. "Assess the enfort efficy, equipnt, and ndate of the patrol tea. Request a detailed report frothe Royal Navy''''s Fishery Prote Squadron on their enfort as off the ish coast over the past year. This will be the first specific issue for us to coordih MAFF and the Ministry of Defence."
Charles turned back to the fishern. "Besides quotas and enfort, what else is killing the cod in these waters?"
"The river, Minister," an old fishern spoke up.
"Please, sir. And your na." Charles walked over to the old fishering his weather-beaten eyes.
"John Tregenza," the old n replied, then explained, "The water ing down frothe Faluth estuary, it''''s gotten dirtier and dirtier over the past twenty years. When I was young, you could catch fat sea bass right iuary. Now? All you sll is checals. eed a seabed to spawn. The seabed now is covered in a layer of sli, black d. The fry ''''t survive, so where are the big fish going to e fro"
"Thank you for speaking up," Charles''''s expression grew serious. "Industrial pollution. Cyril, sed point. Iigate the industrial discharge perts for the River Fal catt area. Cross-referehe Departnt of the Enviro''''s nit data with actual discharge levels. This is an issue we o coordih the DoE and the relevant industrial departnts."
The od ang the fishern began to shift subtly.
"Mihere''''s the cost!" another fishern finally spoke up, uo hold bay longer. "The price of diesel is rising faster than the price of fish. Every ti we go out, it''''s a gale. And the gover''''s fuel subsidy, for indepe fishern like us, the application process is as plicated as filing a tax return. By the ti the subsidy es through, we''''ll have sold our boats."
"Fuel costs and subsidy policy." Charles nodded. "We will coordih the Treasury..."
Lier line of English an
"Yes!"
"He''''s right!"
"They don''''t give a da about us!"
"The quotas are a joke!"
The atsphere ignited instantly, repressed anger finding an outlet.
Cyril, at the side of the stage, ched his fists, his pal slightly da with sweat, ready to signal security to escort the Minister out at any nt.
Charles raised a hand, not to push down, but extending it forward in a gesture of request. The noise gradually subsided.
"A very good question," Charles said, looking in the dire of the young n. "And your na is... sir?"
"ToPenrose."
"Thank you, To To be blunt," Charles said, "we all know the on Fisheries Policy is a jor proble a plex issue involving the is of ltiple tries and a loiation cycle. In the short ter we ot ge the bureaucrats in Brussels. We work to and the rules, to fight for better ter, but if we sily tear up the rules, then torrow, our boats could be seized on the high seas, and we wouldn''''t be able to sell our cat any rket oi. That is a worse oute, would you agree?"
Toopened his uth but couldn''''t refute the cold reality.
Charles tinued, "However, illegal fishing by fn vessels... we should not be powerless against proble on our own doorstep. Tell , To when was the last ti you saw a fishery patrol boat? Do they e often enough? Are their boats fast enough? Do they have enough authority? they seize those illegal vessels on the spot?"
"A patrol boat? One ca last nth, did a lap a. Their boat isn''''t even as fast as ours!"
"Even if they catch the it''''s just a fihe bastards are back the day!" another fishern shouted.
"Enfort issues. Cyril, hat down," Charles said, turning to Cyril and watg hiscribble furiously in his notebook. "Assess the enfort efficy, equipnt, and ndate of the patrol tea. Request a detailed report frothe Royal Navy''''s Fishery Prote Squadron on their enfort as off the ish coast over the past year. This will be the first specific issue for us to coordih MAFF and the Ministry of Defence."
Charles turned back to the fishern. "Besides quotas and enfort, what else is killing the cod in these waters?"
"The river, Minister," an old fishern spoke up.
"Please, sir. And your na." Charles walked over to the old fishering his weather-beaten eyes.
"John Tregenza," the old n replied, then explained, "The water ing down frothe Faluth estuary, it''''s gotten dirtier and dirtier over the past twenty years. When I was young, you could catch fat sea bass right iuary. Now? All you sll is checals. eed a seabed to spawn. The seabed now is covered in a layer of sli, black d. The fry ''''t survive, so where are the big fish going to e fro"
"Thank you for speaking up," Charles''''s expression grew serious. "Industrial pollution. Cyril, sed point. Iigate the industrial discharge perts for the River Fal catt area. Cross-referehe Departnt of the Enviro''''s nit data with actual discharge levels. This is an issue we o coordih the DoE and the relevant industrial departnts."
The od ang the fishern began to shift subtly.
"Mihere''''s the cost!" another fishern finally spoke up, uo hold bay longer. "The price of diesel is rising faster than the price of fish. Every ti we go out, it''''s a gale. And the gover''''s fuel subsidy, for indepe fishern like us, the application process is as plicated as filing a tax return. By the ti the subsidy es through, we''''ll have sold our boats."
"Fuel costs and subsidy policy." Charles nodded. "We will coordih the Treasury..."
Lier line of English an