Severe Weather Conditions

Posted on March 5, 2018 by gordonshome

It has become very clear that this country is unable to cope in a long period of severe weather, especially snow and ice.

We read in the  news papers (If you can get to the shops to buy one or if your newspaper boy/girl was able to deliver it) of traffic being held up and delayed for hours, sitting in freezing conditions on trains where the heating has failed, sitting in a car unable to move because of long queues of other traffic possible due to a serious accident where the emergency services are struggling to get through.

I seem to remember that many years ago there was talk of fitting special winter tyres or even snow chains in hazardous conditions.
Is it that the modern general purpose tyre is better under hazardous conditions than snow tyres or chains?

Even worse is that our industrial companies had to cut back on the use of gas because we only have 10 day of gas in reserve where as Germany for example has 73 days.
Why is that?
Is it just to save money?
Or is it that successive governments have decided that these conditions are so rare that we can put up with only 10 days reserve?

How much has this week of bad weather cost the country?
Is it worth it with people dying?

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Major Robert Cambell and the Iraq war.

Posted on February 28, 2018 by gordonshome

Continue reading →

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E U Who controls what

Posted on February 25, 2018 by gordonshome

The EU is becoming more and more dictatorial, the way things seem to be moving it will soon become one State (made up of different countries) with its own Armed Forces similar to The United States of America.
It is strange that it is going down that path without any yeah or nay from its own participating countries, whilst The Soviet Union did the opposite.

Will the European Union have its future roll decided by the unelected commissioners or will it be debated by the EU participating countries.
Whatever happens it could be a worrying thought.
Just remember which countries had thoughts of dominating Europe before, are those thoughts still there but hidden or is this a new approach to power?

If we weren’t going down the Brexit path I would be worried.

How many countries would leave if that happened?

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999 Services

Posted on February 19, 2018 by gordonshome

I recently read a blog published by a blogger called PoliceCommander, I must admit it made me stop and think, not just for five or ten minutes but for the rest of the day.
It was about how he was retiring on medical grounds after 20 odd years of service. This was due to the sights that he had seen and the incidents that he had participated in during his time in the Police.

We are all used to seeing the Police, Fire Brigade and the Ambulances in our community.
How many of us stop and think what horrible incidents they have been involved in that day and not only that day but consistently during their working hours. The accidents with damaged and suffering people and worse still children.
I still remember an accident that I saw in 1949, in Singapore an Army Lorry that had been sent to meet our Troopship Crashed on the way in to Singapore City Centre, it caught fire with no escape for some of the troops in the back unfortunately some died and we who were in another lorry that followed later passed the crash scene and saw the burnt bodies.

Now if I still remember that sight from years ago think how the 999 services must feel who see a similar and some times worse scene many times in their working life.
All I am saying is think kindly of these people, they are looking after you and yours and they sometimes suffer more than you realise whilst doing it.

Thankyou all of the 999 services, after reading that blog I understand a bit more of what you are going through.

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Lincolnshire, a dangerous county to drive a car in.

Posted on February 15, 2018 by gordonshome

Reports have just been published stating that Lincolnshire in the UK is one of the most dangerous counties to travel by car in.
I am sure that if drivers used the theory that they should treat other drivers as they themselves would wish to be treated a car journey would be safer and less of a strain. Perhaps more time should be allowed for the journey then there wouldn’t be the need for racing along. (I am one of those people who would rather be very early than late, so I always allow plenty of time for possible holdups.)

Many years ago the whole driving scene was different, if you saw a broken down car and no AA or RAC van or motorcycle in attendance you your self would stop to see if you could help. (Mind you I’m not sure it would be a safe thing to do these days.)

Isn’t it a sad state of affairs when you wouldn’t feel safe to stop and help others. I often wonder is the world really like this or is it just a case of the press are only interested in bad news so won’t publish good news.

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Pharmacists or Doctors?

Posted on February 13, 2018 by gordonshome

We now have the dangerous situation where you are being told to take your sick child to the Pharmacist instead of the Doctors surgery, it is nice to know that all of our Pharmacists are trained to recognise child complaints. Or are they?

It appears to yet another way to reduce the need for Doctors and the NHS. Of course it does raise the question as to whether Pharmacists are permitted to sign prescription papers, or maybe this is just a way to privatise some of the NHS?

Could the Politicians be that devious? My answer to that question is of course they can.

Is the Chancellor willing to do anything to save money?
Only time will tell, but we must do anything to ensure that we retain our National Health Service.
Once the Dental services were first class but gradually the National Health part has been diminished until it is now difficult or nigh impossible to find a NHS Dentist within a reasonable traveling distance. This makes it very difficult for the elderly. They at least know what the NHS used to be.

If funding needs to be reduced why not take a serious look at charging and pursuing the people who have not paid a penny into the system?

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Donald Trump right or wrong.

Posted on February 12, 2018 by gordonshome

To be honest I don’t know whether I am right or wrong but I get the feeling that The President of The United States, Donald Trump, has one major question in his mind at all times and that is what is best for the average citizen of his Country.
I only wish that I could have the same feeling about the leading politicians in the UK.
The Civil Servants seem to be working against the Ministers they are responsible to, and the Ministers don’t appear to be strong minded enough to control them.

Brexit is what we should be working at, but it appears that we are just playing a game why can’t someone turn round and say. “This is what we want, if we don’t get it we will walk away.”
Can you imagine Donald Trump putting up with it? I can’t

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Is the Conservative Party losing the plot?

Posted on February 9, 2018 by gordonshome

The Conservative Party is losing members, it appears that the membership is below 70,000 that is an unconfirmed figure but also not denied.

Why is this happening?
Is it due to the fact that the Central Office is getting more remote whilst trying to control everything.
The ordinary member is not being used as a sounding board any more, the old Conservative Political Forum or as it used to be, the Conservative Political Committee appears to have disappeared. The days of Ministers putting forward subjects for discussion have gone.

It appears that the ordinary member is only needed to raise funds.
It used to be that any prospective Parliamentary Candidate that was on the approved list could write to an Association where there was a vacancy and they would all be interviewed or weeded out by the local association. Now the association is only allowed to select their future MP from a short list of two supplied by Central Office.

Is all of this modern democracy?

Posted in The Conservative Party | Tagged , | 2 Comments

When will the politicians join the real world

Posted on February 8, 2018 by gordonshome

We now have senior Conservative politicians saying that others should leave but there is no mention of them going to the backbenches themselves.
It is my belief that there is a fundamental flaw in the system.

We have a form of dictatorship, this is also true of many so called democracies. The Prime Minister can choose his/her ministers or sack them as she wishes, these means if any person disagrees with her she can ask them to resign or sack them. This way she finishes up with a load of sycophants,
To my mind the choice of who should be  a Minister or Secretary of State should be the choice of all members of the political party in power. The same should apply when asking them to resign.

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Old Friends before Brexit.

Posted on January 29, 2018 by gordonshome

In the days before becoming members of the EU The UK had a healthy trading relationship with friends in the Commonwealth. Many of us had cousins, siblings and other close relatives in these countries as well as The United States of America, these relatives of ours could not understand why we were deserting them but in time they got used to it.
What wasn’t understood was that we were being lied to about the structure of the EU, we were told it was the common market, (I still voted for staying out.) but once we were in, it became apparent that it was far more.

Some of the Politicians still seem intent on misleading the voters as to what is needed to leave. It appears to be forgotten that a very large number of cars of all types are being imported from both France and Germany as well as wine from both countries. This is as well as other products. The EU would lose more that we would.
When have the French and the Germans been friends of ours, they are both very good at looking after their own interests. When it comes to commerce it is everyman (should that be person) for him/her self.

It is time we took a firm line and show that we are prepared to walk away from the negotiations unless we get a better deal.

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