The severe alert continues to agitate the ignorant. So far there have been 1017 wildfires recorded by the fire service, given that 99% are caused by humans that is at least 1000 caused either maliciously or by ignorance. These fires are not like a building fire, they move very quickly and cover huge areas – just one fire in the Peak District covers an area the size of 900 football pitches. Across the world an area equivalent to Spain, France and Germany combined has been burnt. The estimated cost in Europe is £16.3 billion with up to 1.5 million deaths due to smoke inhalation. And the Army has been called in to aid the fire service in the UK. Andy Burnham has also had a COBRA meeting. It has taken me a while to suss out why so many people are getting their knickers in a twist and their hackles up. At first I thought it was a political thing, lets knock the government ‘even if we do not have any facts’; but there is a deeper anger based on selfishness. Wild fires do not affect most people and empathy for others was destroyed by Thatcherism. Personally I do not have a BBQ (do not like greasy burnt food! ), no longer smoke and am intelligent enough to avoid situations where I might cause a wildfire. So should I be incandescent with rage over the governments severe alert (although I agree that it was rather loud!). Fortunately I do not consider myself to be selfish or egoistic, and neither are my family and friends – which is why they are all appalled at the ignorance of the moaners.
Andy Burnham is ‘minded’ to allow the development of Jackdaw and Rosebank gas/oil fields. This might make some sense, but only if it is accompanied with a supercharged environmental programme (actually I think opening up the fields would be abhorrent.
Another interesting statistic is that the triple lock on pensions was £10 billion more for the tax payer than if pensions had been linked to wage inflation. That is ridiculous. I get some arguements regarding pensions and poverty, but again the real problem is rent and property prices. I am fortunate enough to have paid off my mortgage and have 2 supplementary pensions, but the state pension, to which I contributed for 35 years (late starter!), is an entitlement that I paid for. The triple lock is ridiculous as there are many who rightly claim a state pension they paid in for, but should it reward above wages ? We have a welfare state to combat poverty, not supplement the wealth of the rich!