New high speed rail link

Wildlife always seems to be the last thing thought about by the goverment when any major projects are done, whether it be runways, roads and in this case the high speed rail link...

Speaking of tunnels under roads, there was a new road built in Chesire about 15 years ago to link Northwich to Winsford, it cuts through farm land and after its opening badgers and foxes amongst other wildlife were getting killed on a far too regular basis as they tried to follow the same routes they'd used for years. In the end a lot of 'lobbying' from locals and mps got two or three tunnels dug under the road in the area where most accidents were happening and its been a total success

 

On a lighter note we could use these new LED street lights as grow lamps

 

Perhaps, but maybe some people prefer railways to flood defences?

 

Apparently these trains are going to be double decker!!

 

Surely flood defences is a whole new issue.
Can this great country of ours only concentrate on one thing at a time.
Sure we need flood defences, in many cases because they are building in all the wrong places, and throwing up houses all over to accomidate the increasing population.
At the same time that increasing population needs to be able to get around and cover distances faster.
If our ancestors had taken similar views there would not yet be any railways, we would still need a bloke with a red flag walking in front of our cars, and most buildings would be caves.
Its called progress, might not seem like it right now, but in 50yrs it will.

 

Well if the government started throwing the cash at building projects, civil engineering and housing instead of throwing it at the banks.
Then put a cap on foreign labour.
We might get somewhere.

 

A couple of problems spring to mind here.

Firstly, there's the simple matter of fairness (and probably legality). As Brits, we are free to work anywhere in the EU, and with a visa in many other countries. Many thousands of Brits to go abroad for work by choice. As long as we're allowed to go to other countries to work it hardly seems fair to tell those from other countries that they can't work here.

The other is more historical. Britain is just a tiny little place, yet we achieved so much. When you look at a world map and then find the tiny blob that is Britain, its easy to wonder how on earth we once controlled about half the world, and how come English is in the top 3 most used languages in the world. Its because we used foreign labour and allied ourselves with foreign forces. Even as recently as WW2, we stood no chance. As proud to be British as I am, I acknowledge that we'd have been pummelled to oblivion in WW2 if we hadn't relied on the help of foreigners. We had good people, just not enough of them. The Gurkhas proved essential as I understand it, and a a significant number of our fighter pilots in the famous Battle of Britain were Polish, because we didn't have enough pilots of our own. After the war, battered and bruised, lots of people from India came over and help with the rebuild and then just stayed, which they had every right to do because they were born and bred in the British empire.

 

Remember the "Germans" episode from Faulty Towers.
German, "We didn't start it."
Basil, "Oh yes you did, you invaded Poland"
World war two is a non starter C 1, the only reason we had so much help was because we were actually standing up for their rights against a common enemy.
At the time, Germany and Japan.
The only country that did help us out was the USA, even before Pearl Harbour.

As to our people going and working in other countries, I'm sure it is noting like the scale of the East Europeans coming here to work.

Many of the countries that were in the commonwealth actually benefit from that, otherwise they would leave, nobody makes them stay.

The influx of mass migrant workers to the UK has forced down wages and made many jobs so poorly paid only a migrant, living in bad conditions, capable of surviving on that wage.
I'm sure in years to come we will be condemned for this in much the same way we are today for the slave trade

 

Cannabis hanging baskets are the future ???

 

Then someone will have to breed a pendulous variety.
Last one I grew was fairly upright.

 

The difference is, we have several thousand people WORKING abroad
NOT several hundred thousand claiming benefits they have not earned

quote Pete
"Well if the government started throwing the cash at building projects, civil engineering and housing instead of throwing it at the banks."
Then put a cap on foreign labour.
We might get somewhere."
end quote

To true
The intial cost of the materials would be met by the benefits no longer paid out,and the many more workers now paying tax, and rent for said extra houses and jobs
(ie give JockMcWimpeytaylorStateowned company an upfront payment for material,
then as each estate is completed workers/families move in, pay tax on their wages and pay rent/council tax, the money of which goes to the next estate to be built

The civil schemes, need to be paid for by those interested and not just in making a big fat profit
A couple or three nuclear reactors for Electrickery, stop paying France scandalous amounts to buy it off them

A builder building THREE homes, the actual cost is for two, the third is pure profit over and above materials and wages spent building them. so make sure it is the State building them

Unemployment would be more or less nil, even an unemployed bank manager can shovel sand or stack bricks ready for the Hod Carrier :-)

Jack McH

 

Sorry Jack, but most contracts have to be put out to EU wide tendering http://www.publiclawproject.org.uk/downloads/Guidance-EurProc.pdf Where I last worked, even the contract for new office furniture had to be advertised across the EU.

 

And just another good reason to quit the EU gravy train.