Englandshire survives

[marisca]

I am saddened that I cannot work up any real sympathy for our southern neighbours. I know I should, that their lives have been disrupted, property has been damaged, power lines are down, one 14 year old boy has been washed away, and all the rest, but my underlying feeling is what a stushie over a wee gale. It's not as if it hasn't happened before and will no doubt happen again so why do they let their trees get so tall, why do they build on flood plains, and why .............???

Maybe it's 'cos we live closer to nature (or reality?) up here in the northern colonies and are inured to expect the worst. Ah well, it gives the meedja something to witter, or twitter, on about and detracts from the shocking subject of wee Eck's phone being bugged.

[Mercian]

Quite right. Living in Kent, at the forefront weather apocalypse, I have been unable to get a train into work today as there were twigs, sorry, trees, on the tracks so have had to work from home. My clearly too tall silver birches are still upright, the power is on and I believe my boat is still afloat in the Medway. All in all not too bad for me.

Sadly though two people have lost their lives in this wee gale.

[FullCircle]

I am sorry you can't manage any sympathy for peoples lives, livelihoods or their property. A callous disregard or disdain for your fellow citizens.
There are 5200 people per square kilometre in South East England, and they are necessarily living in places that may not be optimal.
Scotland has an average of 67. So you can spread out a bit.
It's not all about the media or it's reporting, although they will make the most, that being their profession.



I read this post earlier, and decided to leave a reply until now.

Therefore I choose my words carefully.

You have no room in my world, and I would never spend a minute in your company voluntarily.

[marisca]

Well, as I said, I am saddened, not that I in any way enjoy the weather effects on the south but shit happens and will no doubt happen again. Obviously weather affects different locales differently - New York came to a standstill with 65mph winds causing serious flooding, the bottom of England seems to descend into chaos with a short burst of 80mph gusts and the Scottish central belt had problems with 120mph blasts in Feb 2011. I suspect my apathy arises from the meedja reporting or more usually non-reporting by reporters on the ground with nought to report and the fuss that is made compared with the casual reporting of much more serious weather events elsewhere e.g. latest series of typhoons. Apparently, according to the 6 o'clock Beeb news, this was the worst UK weather event since 1987 when 14 died - obviously the 7 who died in 2011 don't even enter into the running (using Full Circle's pop. density figures, that is equivalent to >860 in SE Englandshire).

It looks like the north is in line for a worse blast next weekend so probably bridges closed, trees down, flying sheep, ferries cancelled, flooding in the places that flood and the Rest and Be Thankful closed again. I bet it doesn't get the same coverage.

[wully]

You have no room in my world, and I would never spend a minute in your company voluntarily.

You've none in mine and I would..

It's some weather, that's all. The media big it up and gullible people greedily consume the pap that gets spewed out to keep jurno scum in a job.

Some people died. They have a habit of doing it- we all do it... It gets labelled as a tragic end caused by the nasty storm and people wallow in type 1 media grief. If it hadn't been windy no one would have know- or cared. 'Cos the media would find some other non story to pass the time.

It is sad for the family of the folk that died, like it is for the family or friends of anyone who snuffs it. No matter how it ends.

Same for them who have lost their furniture in a flood, or had their train to work cancelled.

But really- so what?

[Nick]

[Mark]

I am saddened that I cannot work up any real sympathy for our southern neighbours. I know I should, that their lives have been disrupted, property has been damaged, power lines are down, one 14 year old boy has been washed away, and all the rest, but my underlying feeling is what a stushie over a wee gale. It's not as if it hasn't happened before and will no doubt happen again so why do they let their trees get so tall, why do they build on flood plains, and why .............???

Maybe it's 'cos we live closer to nature (or reality?) up here in the northern colonies and are inured to expect the worst. Ah well, it gives the meedja something to witter, or twitter, on about and detracts from the shocking subject of wee Eck's phone being bugged.

Here at ground zero (Chichester) I've got three fence panels down. My big concern is that Obama and Call-me-Dave hear about it. They're sure to want to retaliate by bombing Syria.

[Kintail]

The original poster repeats that he is saddened. Sad is more like it.

[claymore]

This is a very thought provoking post.
For some reason, I began to wonder why the PM was speaking on a BBC news bulletin saying that the Met Office had been doing their job well.
All they did was forecast some weather which is what I thought they were supposed to do anyway.
I then began to wonder if the Government were somehow making credit out of the whole episode. Going along with part of Marisca's observation, it was not such massive news, there have been worse and clearly it aligns with Zophiels theory that the Met office is more focussed on where the greater number of the UK population live - to the point where the projection of the UK map really does make Scotland look rather small. Now -I could understand this if Scotland were to be Independent, indeed perhaps there would be a case for not having them on the map at all - or suffer the ignominy that is Eire's in just not getting a mention.
All that said, it is simply tragic when lives are lost and awful to consider that a number of families are facing a life which will never be the same again.