Where’s the unlikeliest spot for a picnic you know? Saddam Hussein’s former superyacht perhaps - no joking!
This is an odd story for sure, but one that drew me in to explore further. The 121-metre superyacht, al-Mansur, was commissioned by former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in the 1980s. It has been lying capsized in a river in southern Iraq for years. But now it seems it has become a popular tourist spot for sightseers and even fishermen, who use the rusting hulk as a spot to enjoy picnics and a cup of afternoon tea. How very British, I thought!
The vessel was one of three yachts owned by Saddam. It was built by the former Wärtsila shipyard in Finland and delivered in 1983, and in doing so, became one of the largest yachts of its kind in the world. Well, it sounds like the perfect place to stop for a cup of tea and marmalade sandwiches too as and when I find myself passing through Basra and an interesting location for that essential ‘selfie’!
UK canals set to deteriorate unless funding is forthcoming
This story ran in its entirety in last month’s news bulletin, but only now have I digested it fully and understood the possible ramifications of a lack of funding. Canals and narrowboats have been a feature of life in the UK for over 200 years with over two thousand miles of waterways criss-crossing the country. Working boats plied their trade in the early days and in modern times the canals have become a haven for small craft leisure boaters, even a permanent home for some. In past times, they went through a decline as commercial trade moved to other forms of transport and some were left to become run down and even derelict, before there was a renaissance. But once again it seems due to a lack of funding, the future of this quintessential part of British life is uncertain. Over the years I have spent a good deal of pleasurable time on the canals. They are an integral part of British life and without them, I would feel bereft.
So, here’s the background to this story again in brief:
The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) is playing a key role in the new Fund Britain’s Waterways Action Group (FBW). IWA is one of several organisations deeply concerned about the threat to the waterways posed by funding cuts and has launched a major campaign ‘Protect Our Waterways’. IWA is calling on national and local government to fund all waterways at a level that keeps them as major assets that can
continue to contribute to the economy, peoples’ health, and wellbeing, and coping with the climate crisis.
Together with the National Association of Boat Owners, IWA initiated a meeting in early May of UK waterways organisations to discuss the threats to the waterways caused by a level of government funding which was already inadequate and appeared likely to be cut even further. The organisations present all agreed on the need for joint action to influence national and local government, through a new campaigning group “Fund Britain’s Waterways”.
Let’s hope the UK Government is listening.
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