【Full Steam Ahead】S0……
d shorthand filled the blank pages of the notebook as the wore on.
As the senar was about to clude, the old fishern nad John called out to Charles.
"Minister..." his voice was hoarse. "What you''''ve said... quotas, enfort, the enviro... it''''s all true, I uand. But these are big proble, they''''ll take a long ti to fix. I want to believe you, but... we''''ve been prosed so ny things, so ny tis. Yroups, your reports, they i. But boat, week, it''''s going to be repossessed by the bank because I ''''t ke the loan paynt... the ''''sustaiure'''' you talk about help pay that bill?"
Charles was silent for a nt, then finally shook his head gently. "I ''''t, John."
"I ot interfere with the ercial decisions of a bank, John. But I prose that I will do everything in power, in a personal capacity, to call the bank nager and try to secure aension for you. I ot guarahe oute, but I guarantee I will ke that call."
"At the sa ti, your case will bee the first and st powerful piece of eviden our push for a prehensive review of the existing gover support syste. We will coordih the Treasury to exane why these seengly effective sches prove so slow and rigid in the face of real hardship. John, I ''''t prose I save your boat. But I prose that your plight will drive us to kno those seengly closed doors in Whitehall, to find a re effit, re hune solution for everyone like you."
He turo Cyril, who uood iediately and took a step forward, addressing John Tregenza. "Sir, if you would rein behind after the eting, I''''ll o take down your specific details."
---
After the senar, Charles deed an invitation to lunch with the MAFF officials, opting instead for a private rooon the sed floor of a sll pub overlooking Newlyn Harbour, where he and Cyril ate alone.
The air slled faintly of wood wax and beer.
The waiter brought two plates of the local fish and chips. The batter was golden and crisp, stearising frothe fish, but Charles barely touched his fork.
He just held a glass of local pale ale and stared out the window.
The faces frothe ''s eting—a xture of anger, nuness, hope, and despair—still haunted hi
"Cyril."
"Yes, Minister?" Cyril was carefully cutting a sll piece of fish. He looked up at Charles''''s voice.
Charles didn''''t look at hi his gaze fixed on the grisea outside, on the fishing boats bobbily with the tide in the harbour.
"I''''ve been thinking... what did I actually aplish this " Charles began slowly.
"I let thevent, I proposed solutions—enfort, pollution, subsidy procedures... but did you notice, Cyril, there was one word I deliberately avoided the ei."
"Brussels, Minister?"
"Exactly. Brussels." Charles gave a bitter sle, his gaze returning frothe window to et Cyril''''s worried eyes through his glass. "I deliberately avoided Brussels, deliberately sidestepped the real heart of the proble the on Fisheries Policy. I feel as though I spent the telling a series of feeble lies, letting thebelieve their proble were about patrol boats and discharge pipes. I talked about everything except their st tral predit—the CFP that decides their fate—about which I intained a shaful silence. Because I know that on that issue, no tter how eloquently I speak, it''''s just ety words."
Charles prodded the freshly fried fish on his plate with his fork. The crisp golden batter encased pearly white flesh and slled delicious, but it tasted of sawdust. "They spend all day looking at these boats, thinking about how to get theout to sea again instead of being repossessed by the bank. And I... I only sit here eating the fish they caught, talking about distant issues that require an ''''inter-departntal w group'''' to ve forward."
"I really have bee the ''''hypocritical inister'''' on this trip," he said very quietly, as if to hielf.
"No, Minister." Cyril gently put down his knife and fork. "You
As the senar was about to clude, the old fishern nad John called out to Charles.
"Minister..." his voice was hoarse. "What you''''ve said... quotas, enfort, the enviro... it''''s all true, I uand. But these are big proble, they''''ll take a long ti to fix. I want to believe you, but... we''''ve been prosed so ny things, so ny tis. Yroups, your reports, they i. But boat, week, it''''s going to be repossessed by the bank because I ''''t ke the loan paynt... the ''''sustaiure'''' you talk about help pay that bill?"
Charles was silent for a nt, then finally shook his head gently. "I ''''t, John."
"I ot interfere with the ercial decisions of a bank, John. But I prose that I will do everything in power, in a personal capacity, to call the bank nager and try to secure aension for you. I ot guarahe oute, but I guarantee I will ke that call."
"At the sa ti, your case will bee the first and st powerful piece of eviden our push for a prehensive review of the existing gover support syste. We will coordih the Treasury to exane why these seengly effective sches prove so slow and rigid in the face of real hardship. John, I ''''t prose I save your boat. But I prose that your plight will drive us to kno those seengly closed doors in Whitehall, to find a re effit, re hune solution for everyone like you."
He turo Cyril, who uood iediately and took a step forward, addressing John Tregenza. "Sir, if you would rein behind after the eting, I''''ll o take down your specific details."
---
After the senar, Charles deed an invitation to lunch with the MAFF officials, opting instead for a private rooon the sed floor of a sll pub overlooking Newlyn Harbour, where he and Cyril ate alone.
The air slled faintly of wood wax and beer.
The waiter brought two plates of the local fish and chips. The batter was golden and crisp, stearising frothe fish, but Charles barely touched his fork.
He just held a glass of local pale ale and stared out the window.
The faces frothe ''s eting—a xture of anger, nuness, hope, and despair—still haunted hi
"Cyril."
"Yes, Minister?" Cyril was carefully cutting a sll piece of fish. He looked up at Charles''''s voice.
Charles didn''''t look at hi his gaze fixed on the grisea outside, on the fishing boats bobbily with the tide in the harbour.
"I''''ve been thinking... what did I actually aplish this " Charles began slowly.
"I let thevent, I proposed solutions—enfort, pollution, subsidy procedures... but did you notice, Cyril, there was one word I deliberately avoided the ei."
"Brussels, Minister?"
"Exactly. Brussels." Charles gave a bitter sle, his gaze returning frothe window to et Cyril''''s worried eyes through his glass. "I deliberately avoided Brussels, deliberately sidestepped the real heart of the proble the on Fisheries Policy. I feel as though I spent the telling a series of feeble lies, letting thebelieve their proble were about patrol boats and discharge pipes. I talked about everything except their st tral predit—the CFP that decides their fate—about which I intained a shaful silence. Because I know that on that issue, no tter how eloquently I speak, it''''s just ety words."
Charles prodded the freshly fried fish on his plate with his fork. The crisp golden batter encased pearly white flesh and slled delicious, but it tasted of sawdust. "They spend all day looking at these boats, thinking about how to get theout to sea again instead of being repossessed by the bank. And I... I only sit here eating the fish they caught, talking about distant issues that require an ''''inter-departntal w group'''' to ve forward."
"I really have bee the ''''hypocritical inister'''' on this trip," he said very quietly, as if to hielf.
"No, Minister." Cyril gently put down his knife and fork. "You