Category: Environment

Posted on

PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION

I wonder! If the Tories really do get 20-25% of the vote, and if Reform make in roads, will the tories end up in a LibDem situation? A few million votes but only tens of seats? How will Conservative voters then feel about PR?

The only downside to PR is giving seats to Fascists like Farage. Maybe if he was wxpected to behave in a normal way his nasty views would be less appealing?

If the conservatives were for PR then a referendum would surely pass (leftish Labour voters would love to vote for Corbyn again).

A sunny Sunday morning here in Somerset. Everything is so lush this year.

Posted on

EXCITING

I do not usually post personal details, but as no one else reads this (no comments ever!), it is ok. Tomorrow my children and grandchildren are coming to visit – basically a treat for my 71st birthday last Tuesday. Last year we all went for a meal in Bruton which was nice and they offered to pay but I could not let them do that. This year I think Tams wanted to book a restaurant in Bristol on the harbour which I am sure would be nice. Nice is not a nice word! When Maz and Erin and Ads came up recently we went to the Railway Inn, in Sandford owned by Thatchers, but I was not impressed. So I suggested to Martin that I would rather give them £50 each for the,m to bring some food together. I am not particularly mean or tight, but the thought of £300 on a mediocre meal was not entertaining.

However my idea, which they have adopted, is fraught with difficulties. Firstly I am not tidy! So I have spent time clearing the patio (where the table and surrounds was covered in plants with weeds between the paving slabs! The kitchen is cluttered – I am going to have to empty the cupboards so I can hide things (I should have said ‘put things away’ but that is as likely as me voting for for one of the right wing clowns (Is Coulrophobia a result of fear of people like Farage and Johnson who both look and behave like evil clowns!). And then there is the table which is a horizontal book shelf! With candles, scissors, fruit and jars of nuts (edible) for some reason. I have had a clear out of the fridge – well a half hearted one – the mouldy lettuce at the back and the liquid cucumber have been deposed of! But jars of homemade jam and pickles and chutney were reprieved! So it will just loook untidy and I will laim that I forgot to tidy up – despite having spent a few hours attempting to! Oh well – It is my birthday celebration!

I also went to Waitrose to get some burgers and sausages (for 10 people)- big mistake – £180+ later I have to find space to put stuff away! Why so much? Well there were vegan sausages and burgers and vegan ice cream, and fruit and olives and lemonade and wine! Ah wine. And Holly cannot have sausages or burgers so I got some chicken and lamb. I stopped all alcohol 9 months ago, but what with giving up smoking 4 years ago, it seems like a bit too boring! So I will have a practice bottle today and a glass or two tomorrow – to be sociable. What else was there to add up to £180? BBQ tongs as last ones were a bit! rusty, then ice creams for the muggles, some cheese – I guess it all adds up – still it will be a lot better than paying out for a mediocre meal. And it gives me more time with them all!

I have also been told by Kate in the shop to ensure that we have a group photo of the family – we are not that sort of family but I guess it would be nice. If they ever need a control model of a human who has had no physical contact with another human – I am the man. I mentioned this to Holly a couple of years ago and Tams last year, and they both gave me a hug, but otherwise they are the only people to have touched me this decade.

I just hope they all get here before mid-day – I want to spend some time with them as I feel like a shitty granddad most of the time. And the grandchildren are all amazing.

Enough of that – I am a bit bored of the election. Can we fast forward 5 weeks? Basically there is fuck all happening with all sides hoping for the other to blunder – fortunately the bonsai PM is happy to oblige. In fact he is really pissing me off more than usual. Flitting around in his fucking helicopter when not posing for photoshoots by a train. Does he have relatives in Delhi? The team there is above 50C and people are dying – time to get the climate change agenda into the frontal of peoples brains. This is an issue that is not sexy, and is dismissed by many as being less important than the cost of living crisis, but I believe that the majority of peole do give a shit about it! Only those who should not be allowed scissors still deny it.

The garden is begining to look good – rose bushes growing and the mints thriving. Tomato plant with one tomato now has 2 but still green!. Wild strawberries for the forage effort are good and raspberries will be ripe in about a week I think. Flame lily now head height, no flowers on mulberry again though. Actually there are loads of roses and I hope the kids pick some to take home.

I will make a poulis tonight but will save cake making for tomorrow – something to do whilst waiting! It will be a lemon drizzle and maybe a date cookie with nuts.

Posted on

MIGRATION

What a tangled mess the government have created! Net immigration of 745000 is on the surface too high. It is equivalent to the population of Nottingham! I say this from an environmental point of view. However the situation is much more complicated.

The UK has a massive jobs shortage (possibly in part caused by the NHS under funding of this government. The number of people claiming sickness benefit is over 2000000.). In part this is also caused by the lack of planning for an ageing population (which has grown year by year(joke!). Brexit also caused specific job shortages in certain industries like hospitality.

The lack of any coordination of this migration inevitably leads to disharmony in some areas where unfunded migrants are forced to create imbalances in societies (often at the lower end of a socio-economic scale. Language classes, which would have aided integration, have been closed due to lack of funding.

And whilst the Ministry of Education has had more ministers than most football teams have had managers! there has been no planning for the skills shortages that are now apparent. Whilst Sunak has made a lot of noise about planning for the future whilst evidence shows that there has not even been planning for yesterday!

So should migration be reduced? I believe a sensible answer is that immigration should be organised in a sustainable fashion. The present government and right wing press are more likely to stoke division and animosity though (however this explosion of immigration numbers has happened under a conservative for 13 years – and the Mail and the Express will have to work hard to find lawyers and civil servants to blame!).

Remember too that these migrants are allowed in with work visa’s and have not battled the English Channel. many are part of deals related to trade (India), war (Ukraine) and politics (Hong Kong). Will European countries offer help to Palestian refugees fleeing from Israeli genocide?

Posted on

WEATHER

It has been wet recently. I emptied a bucket about 2 weeks ago and it is now full again. the soil is saturated – a drive along rural roads is like navigating a river. The forecast is for more rain starting early morning and lasting most of the day. It is a credit to the Environment Agency that flooding has not occured around here. However much new housing has been built on flood plains and I wonder how much the flood defences can cope with.

Posted on

WEATHER

The Met Office has announced another Yellow warning for rain here. We have missed most of the heavy stuff from Ciaran but have had a period of persistant wettish weather. The Met Office is correct that sodden ground may lead to flooding, but the public will be wary of the “crying wolf’ aspect. We had a wind warning for Ciaran but nothing of note happened. Could the met office please publish cumulative statistics to support warnings where the event itself is not notable, but is part of a chain of events.

Posted on

GREEN AGENDA

Incompetence or calculation? In March 2020 the government pledged a £950 rapid charging fund to enable the transition to electric cars. As of today the amount spent is zero! Motorway service stations are waiting years for connection. Moto has asked just for the provision of the power, not a subsidy. Yet another hit for our climate change commitments.

On climate change – Storm Ciaran is on its way. A Greenpeace report has revealed that a huge number of flood prevention schemes are in poor repair (4204 in poor or very poor condition)… The North has had extensive flooding in some areas, now it is the turn of the South west. Checking the tide it seems that we are just past the spring tide maximum but still expect a tide over 11m. With high wind speeds and low pressure this could cause problems along the Somerset Coast. When will Sunak and Co realise that climate change is detrimental to the British Isles?

Posted on

WHERE HAVE ALL THE HOUSES GONE?

There has been no big hike in population in the last year, but demand for rental properties has risen massively. House prices are falling which indicates a surfeit of demand.

Over the last 10 years (to 2022) the number of second homes grew by 13% to 809.000 whilst there are a million empty homes in the UK. I am sceptical regarding the calls for planing restrictions to be eased. With increased congestion on the roads and ULEZ it would make sense for more flats in cities central areas. Building houses in areas with no jobs, shops or facilities makes little sense. No wonder Jenrick was spouting conspiracy theories this week at the Cons Conference. Has he done some more dodgy deals with developers? If built in suburbia and the countryside where are people going to park when going to te city? I think Waitrose amongst other supermarkets are proposing the building of flats above their shops – that seems mega sensible although they are doing it for purely financial reasons.

Posted on

ANTI-GROWTH COALITION

So Truss mentions the anti-growth coalition after she was interupted by Greenpeace Activists. I think she meant it as a disparaging comment – personally I am proud to be anti-growth. Our Planet is not growing, we are just seeing an increasing amount of her wealth concentrated in te hands of a few.

Tories try to con the workers that they need growth to receive higher wages. Not true – just a fairer distribution please.

Posted on

APPLES

My apples that I normally pick in late October are going rotton on the tree. A friend of the other side of the village said her trees were the same. It is a shame as my labels were working a treat. My backgarden is too small to attract the birds and animals that may enjoy the windfalls. No windfalls here as they are rotten before they hit the ground.

Di Redfern who writes for the Mendip Times, liked the article I sent her on Nature, and the need for less tidiness to provide shelter and homes for insects through the winter, she had planned a similar article for a future edition

Posted on

SUNAK PUTS CAR DRIVERS FIRST

His suggestions do not make economic sense. He proposes to limit the 20mph limit from Whitehall – where is the local democracy? If residents do not like it they can use their ballot. Limiting use of bus lanes seems pointless – allowing use when it is not busy anyway is going to help how? Rationalising speed limits would make more sense! Near here there are 6 different speed limits in 2km! Perhaps Khan should have imposed 20mph across London – that would cut emissions!

On a rational note – encouraging the motorist viv a vie the bus passenger will just reslut in more traffic and slower journeys and more pollution. I am not sure it is much of a vote winner anyway – yes there are 20+ million motorists but they are also residents and there are 45% of the poor who cannot afford a car. Perhaps more thought needs to be put into the 15 minute city concept?

A fundamental rethink of travel is needed – buses have WiFi so the need for speed is vastly reduced. Manchester has just taken its bus service back into public ownership – if this can reslut in a better and cheaper service, then good. Why is it cheaper to drive than use public transport? Is petrol too cheap? Should there be an environmental levy on it?

There is also a need to differentiate between urban areas and rural ones. Urban areas generaally have better public transport whilst in some rural areas it is non-existent. However rural areas have greater potential for charging points near housing for electric vehicles. Efficient park and ride schemes at low cost (vouches for use in city centre shops and services – a new currency?) could encourage people back to the High Street and avoid clogging the streets.

2 sources of info. When traffic is moving optimally in London’s city center, average speeds hover around 25 kph. Across the entire year, the overall average speed is 17 kph. and

Average Traffic Speeds – Greater London Authority

london.gov.ukhttps://www.london.gov.uk › … › Find An Answer

8.7 mph to 7.1 mph in central London; 12.5 mph to 11.6 mph in inner London; 20.3 mph to 19.3 mph in outer London.

Pedestrian deaths as a result of a road incident increased by 15 to 376 in 2022. E-scooters deaths grew to 12 – this is two more cases when compared to the previous year. Cyclist were the only road user type to report a drop in the total of road fatalities in 2022. In total there were 85 deaths, 26 fewer than in 2021. How many were the result of a car travelling at more than 20mph in an urban area?

That year, on average, a fatal accident resulted in over almost two million British pounds of prevention costs. The cost of slight accidents was substantially lower, but not insignificant, reaching some 16,700 Great British pounds.20 Jul 2023. So I think we can put the cost of accidents to pedestrians at above £1billion. So why is Sunak panda’ring to the motorist other than pure electioneering.