Madam,

We must stand up for our rights and the letter in your paper three weeks ago by our former MP Mark Williams (‘Compelling case has been made to retain all-weather lifeboat) explains only the tip of the iceberg that is being nudged by our political hierarchy!

The action taken by the new management of the RNLI in the past months has shown the contempt towards the general public and their rights to volunteer for good causes.

We must be able to rescue our maritime sailors and swimmers off our coast, here in Cardigan Bay, but this has been attacked by plans to scrap our all-weather lifeboat at New Quay.

There has been an all-weather life boat at New Quay since its conception some 150 years ago but the RNLI has made a decision, without consulting or explaining any facts to anyone, that in the year 2020 the lifeboat will be replaced by an inflatable dinghy.

The nearest all-weather lifeboat will be some 80 miles away, in Barmouth, and there is another one at Pwllheli.

After months of meetings and questions asked by our local MP Ben Lake in parliament, AM Elin Jones in the Welsh Assembly, and our hard-working councillor Elizabeth Evans, along with our local council trying to talk to the RNLI’s management team in their ivory tower in Poole, not even a ripple comes back.

The RNLI says that over the past five years there have been no serious incidents to require an all-weather lifeboat. But 30,000 visitors use Cardigan Bay between Aberystwyth and New Quay in any one day during the summer, let alone local fishing boats which, if they get into trouble, will have to be left out for sea salvage and not brought home to port.

I am afraid pleas from ship captains, maritime experts and boat owners are falling on deaf ears. I believe privatisation is the next plan for our lifeboat services.

I am sorry to say that our government will not come to our rescue.

Yours etc,

Mohammad Tahla, Llanarth.

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