Trapped on the M5!!

[Pete]

Sorry to hear about that Linford, hope you can get all your problems sorted out quickly, and hope the horses don't come to harm. The 1968 scenario I described above was a bit like that: people banded together to help out, but there were several human fatalities and a lot of animals were lost too. But - after watching the news on TV last night, I got more and more of a sense of this one being a national disaster, and I regret having made a bit light of it earlier on...

Keep in touch if you can.

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

The irritating thing is that this is only being treated seriously because it affects people in the south. The whole of Preston could be under 50 feet of water and it would scarcely get a mention on the BBC.

 

[Arch]

I hear Gordon Brown is going to be in Gloucester today - I have to say a) what on earth use is he going to be, and won't he and his entourage just get in the way? and all those folk in Sheffield, Doncaster and Hull will be wondering how come he didn't manage to get up to them so quickly.. (or Tony, whoever was in charge back then...) At the time, I thought their moans about no-one coming to see them were a bit silly - I'd rather see useful people - but it ought to be fair...

 

[gbyers]

The irritating thing is that this is only being treated seriously because it affects people in the south. The whole of Preston could be under 50 feet of water and it would scarcely get a mention on the BBC.

You have made this point before (or someone did) and it's not true. I live near York and work near Doncaster which was subject to severe flooding last month.

I was in Scotland and in London during the worst of it and it received very prominent coverage on the national news bulletins which I was watching (more than a bit avidly given proximity of my home and work place to ground zero).

 

[gbyers]

I hear Gordon Brown is going to be in Gloucester today - I have to say a) what on earth use is he going to be, and won't he and his entourage just get in the way? and all those folk in Sheffield, Doncaster and Hull will be wondering how come he didn't manage to get up to them so quickly.. (or Tony, whoever was in charge back then...) At the time, I thought their moans about no-one coming to see them were a bit silly - I'd rather see useful people - but it ought to be fair...

The good peole of Bentley and Toll Bar saw His Regal Highness (he who talks to plants) himself.

Strangley, some of them were quite encouraged by his presence............

So it was more even handed than you recollect. Tony did make a few speeches.

 

[LLB]

The irritating thing is that this is only being treated seriously because it affects people in the south. The whole of Preston could be under 50 feet of water and it would scarcely get a mention on the BBC.

I think that people are fairly concerned about the volume of water moving towards the coast and ports. Oxford is under water, and I'll be very surprised if London doesn't get a load of it in a couple of days.

I think that many of those who have done the 'buy to let' thing in the areas under water face financial ruin also.

 

[Arch]

You have made this point before (or someone did) and it's not true. I live near York and work near Doncaster which was subject to severe flooding last month.

I was in Scotland and in London during the worst of it and it received very prominent coverage on the national news bulletins which I was watching (more than a bit avidly given proximity of my home and work place to ground zero).

This is true, to be fair. And Look North had a field day - as I guess Look SouthWest or whatever will be doing now. Meanwhile, Look East, Midlands Today and the rest or them will be desperately searching for a photogenic family with a kitten who once stayed in a caravan in the Cotswolds for a week, so that they can film them looking at a photograph album...

I think the important thing is perhaps not the coverage at the time - pictures of Sea Kings are always good - but how quickly things are forgotton afterwards...

 

[Arch]

The good peole of Bentley and Toll Bar saw His Regal Highness (he who talks to plants) himself.

Strangley, some of them were quite encouraged by his presence............

So it was more even handed than you recollect. Tony did make a few speeches.

Oh, I'm not denying, there's a morale boost. And I'd rather meet the Prince of Wales than a politician. But it was some days later that HRH came up I think - whereas GB has dashed off to Gloucs, while the water is still rising...

 

[gbyers]

Oh, I'm not denying, there's a morale boost. And I'd rather meet the Prince of Wales than a politician. But it was some days later that HRH came up I think - whereas GB has dashed off to Gloucs, while the water is still rising...

I think there is a morale boost, I was basing my comments on some of my colleagues who have been flooded or live in the worst affected areas.

If i was baling my bungalow out I'd struggle to be uplifted by any official presence that wasn't bright red with flashing blue lights on top.

 

[Arch]

I think we might have reached the stage where we are violently agreeing with each other...

 

[asterix]

You have made this point before (or someone did) and it's not true. I live near York and work near Doncaster which was subject to severe flooding last month.

Yes but they did forget to mention Hull at the time when Toll Bar was flooded. It was worse in Hull than in Toll Bar.

Going back to the M5 chaos, I saw a news report about one family who left to go on holiday just as their village was flooding (and needless to say missed the flight they hoped to catch). I can only think they must have lived on higher ground than the rest of the village!

 

[alecstilleyedye]

i couldn't help noticeing all the bicycles parked outside the houses on a flooded terraced street on the news last night.

 

[gbyers]

I think we might have reached the stage where we are violently agreeing with each other...

Violent? That wasn't violent.

Mind you, it wasn't agreement either so don't get complacent.

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

Oh, I'm not denying, there's a morale boost. And I'd rather meet the Prince of Wales than a politician. But it was some days later that HRH came up I think - whereas GB has dashed off to Gloucs, while the water is still rising...

Only because you're taller than he is!

 

[Rhythm Thief]

i couldn't help noticeing all the bicycles parked outside the houses on a flooded terraced street on the news last night.

I actually had a bike in the back of my car on Friday night. I was very tempted to abandon the car and ride the 25 miles or so home, floodwater or not. I heard on the news that a lot of people who'd abandoned their cars had returned to find them broken into, which strikes me as a real bastard's trick.