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Martin Barnes Project manager Operational Logistics Navarm, Somerset
Page 31
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A truly successful Transport Secretary needs guile, cunning and a fair degree of ruthlessness, says Barnes.
With this in mind, he reckons there can be only one candidate for the job Dick Dastardly, the villain of the piece in the hit TV cartoon Wacky Races.
"He always tried to get the job done and see it through to the end, so he's the ideal person for the job," says Barnes, tongue (we hope) firmly in cheek.
On a more serious note, Barnes, like others, believes the almost impossible balancing act between accommodating industry's needs, controlling government spending and meeting environmental objectives means the chances of Hoon having a major impact are negligible.
But it's not just the politicians who are to blame, he feels: 'It's true there is nobody left with the courage of their convictions to do what's needed.
"But industry bodies such as the Freight Transport Association and the Road Haulage Association also have to shoulder some blame for road haulage not being fully recognised and appreciated by either the public or politicians.
"The government has been bending
over backwards to bail out banks recently. Transport should have that same status."