“The core of the problem was that the guild put the helm in the hands of people who had not even learnt to row. The apprentices were, in many cases, willing and eager to learn. They did not, however, understand just how much they had to learn. Some of the realities - and practical limitations - of their art could not be learnt, save through experience. They therefore voted for things that either could not or would not be delivered. And they didn’t want to listen to the masters, the people who did have the experience, because they weren’t telling them what they wanted to hear.”