A short, depressed post.
I read, on the SAS website that there's a new(ish) marine management body (the MMO) to look after our seas. Er good?
Their website says, "We are a new executive non-departmental public body (NDPB) ...as a cross-government delivery partner...." If that doesn't scare the bejaysus out of you it probably should. What does it mean? Maybe I'm a cynic, but shouldn't it be a government department doing this? You know something run by a directly elected and accountable member of parliament. I don't want an independent body - when it comes to the protection of the seas around Britain, I want the Prime Minister himself at the point where the buck stops. We elected him and his cronies to look after our interests and yet another quango is not the answer.
The short history of quangos proves, pretty unequivocally that they're not up to the job of governing and policing important aspects of the country (I give you the Environment Agency or CSA as examples).
The Crown estate is technically in charge of the beaches and the seas, which means that the Queen should really be in charge, and god save her, she'd probably be a more diligent and protective guardian than the government.
"The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has been established to make a significant contribution to sustainable development in the marine area and to promote the UK government’s vision for clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas.
We are a new executive non-departmental public body (NDPB) established and given powers under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. This ground-breaking act brings together for the first time key marine decision-making powers and delivery mechanisms.
We have incorporated the work of the Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA) and acquired several important new roles, principally marine-related powers and specific functions previously associated with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department for Transport (DfT).
The establishment of the MMO as a cross-government delivery partner therefore marks a fundamental shift in planning, regulating and licensing activity in the marine area with the emphasis on sustainable development."
Which is a lot of words to say, 'we'll be ineffective and powerless.'
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