Chaos in the UK

[barkingmad]

Any bets as to this one being started by someone disgruntled with their (kids’) exam results?

Woodmill High School closed after 'complex' fire https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland- ... e-49467875

Presume the UK fire statistics might show a blip at end of term as well as results time?

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-ed ... e-49472600

14 year old boy arrested.
Fire started in the what-used-to-be-called-Special-Needs department.
School was due to start next week.
Jumping to conclusions usually pays off, which is why so many people do it.

[Capetonian]

Winnington Road and two other similar roads, Bishops' Avenue and Ingram Avenue nearby, in North London (East Finchley) were lined with magnificent houses mostly occupied by ambassadors from third world countries, we used to see these baboons being driven in and out of the properties in luxury limousines driven by white chauffeurs. This was in the 1960s. The Sierra Leone ambassador sometimes used to get his driver to stop for me and give me a lift to school. Looking back on it maybe he liked small boys in school uniform, but I never thought anything of it at the time and he was a perfect gentleman.

Rod Stewart lived there too when he was with that awful Britt Ekland. He was one of our clients - lovely fellow, but she was a horror.

Times of innocence when the country wasn't full of criminal scum from all four corners of the (round!) planet.

[Woody]

School was due to start next week.

Not that it’s important ,but Scottish schools went back last week .

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Probably is; my bad for assuming it was the same as England.

[G-CPTN]

HS2 - if there is a more suitable location, please move it.

We are being informed that the projected cost has now trebled since the 2012 estimate.

The bill for HS2 could soar to £106bn, according to a leaked government review
2020 Oakervee review (expected) £106bn
2019 previous official estimate £88bn
2015 first official revision £55.7bn
2012 original budget £32.7bn

Is this due to rising costs of known requirements or unexpected requirements?

[barkingmad]

It’s no surprise that Douglas Murray titled his latest book “The Madness of Crowds” when this is the way that free speech is going in the UK and elsewhere;

https://www.spectator.co.uk/2020/01/and ... a-mcgrath/

[barkingmad]

38 killed on smart motorways in last five years https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51236375

And a twenty-fold increase in ‘near-hits’ as well.

Any UK drivers with whom I discussed the idea, years ago when it was first mooted, usually shook their heads and said “madness”.

And so it came to pass (or collide as in recent cases!) and they’re still modifying traditional M-ways despite the increase in accidents. Just a cheap ‘n nasty way of squeezing another lane due to increasing traffic demand by decreasing the safety margins.

Where have we heard that before?

[Boac]

You seem to have forgotten, BM, that "Safety is our number 1 priority"?

[boing]

One of the most inspirational movie endings ever.



.

[llondel]

Reading about the motorway lanes, seems that the original trial on the M42 had refuge areas fairly closely spaced and was OK, so approval for more schemes was given. Newer schemes had refuges as far apart as 2.5 miles. The minister who originally approved it says the schemes should all be stopped because it's not what he agreed to.

I'm in the WTF? group, I thought it was a crazy idea when I first heard about it.

[Capetonian]

A very stupid idea, not smart at all. Having driven on them, I have to say I feel quite unsafe. If traffic flows smoothly and without incident it's fine, but as soon as you have a breakdown, accident, ditherer, or any other kind of event, the potential for a nasty pile-up is massive.

Panorama, Britain's Killer Motorways? is on BBC One at 20:30 GMT on Monday 27 January.

[BenThere]

It's worse in Detroit. The Detroit city center has been rejuvenated and is a lively venue now with restaurants, casinos, entertainment, and a really good vibe. My wife and I go there more and more. Ten years ago we never went down there but patronized the closer and much nicer Ann Arbor. Detroit, though, is my home town; I grew up in the center of it. While huge problems remain to restore it to its former glory the city occupies a corner of the heart of everyone who sprung from there.

Philadelphia is in the same boat, as are most American cities run by Democrats for the last 50 years. The exceptions are New York City, Seattle, and San Francisco (LA is in its death throes IMHO), due to the mega businesses resident there that feed their economies. Those businesses haven't moved to Texas yet.

[barkingmad]

Quote from “The Economist” with similar noises emanating from electronic MSM this morning;

“In Britain the mother of parliaments has been at the gin bottle and opinion polls everywhere show increasing numbers of people losing patience with democratic niceties and hankering after a strongman”.

In UK in particular the farce over leaving the EUSSR led initially by weak Cameron then submissive May seemed to prove that opinion. We have to hope the rotund figure of Johnson will soon display evidence of sessions in the gymnasium so he will be fitter and stronger and better able to take on the likes of Barnier & co and Varadkar, though the latter may not be around for too long after 8th Feb Oirish General Election.

As well as the annual Oirish Euromillions contribution rising to a 10 digit figure of Euros very soon, apparently lovely Leo has signed off on a deal to bail out Oirish banks resulting in an alleged debt of €14,000 for every man, woman and child in the country.

That’s some achievement........

[Woody]

Privatisation strikes again

Troubled rail company Northern is to be brought under government control.
The decision, which will see the firm's franchise stripped from operator Arriva Rail North from 1 March, was taken following years of major disruption.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said passengers had "lost trust in the north's rail network".
Arriva said it "understood the government's decision", but problems had been largely due to "external factors" such as rail infrastructure.
Mr Shapps said: "People across the north deserve better, their communities deserve better and I am determined to achieve that."
The move means services will be operated by an arms-length government-owned company.
Northern passengers have faced rail chaos ever since new timetables were introduced in May 2018, and punctuality and reliability problems have continued to blight the network.
A Northern sign at Leeds Train Station

[Pontius Navigator]

Terrorist knife man shot 3 times by plain clothes police in Stretham. Unfortunately all 3 shots proved lethal.

Just goes to show, if you want to go round knitting people don't wear a suicide vest. If could prove fatal.

[Capetonian]

Waste of two bullets. Better safe than sorry though.

[OFSO]

Fire a few shots in Stretham, you're bound to hit a terrorist. Balham, a drug dealer. Islington, a socialist. Take your pick.

[4mastacker]

"March in the copper who fired the shots."

"SAH!!!"

"So Constable Plod, why did you fire three shots into the deceased terrorist?"

"That was all I had in my gun sir."

"Well done Constable! March out!"

[Boac]

Released from prison last week after serving half a three year sentence for terrorism offences....................what can you say?

Thank heavens the plod were close behind.