finding it a little disconcerting more people are grieving a tree than Michael Gambon
I think you're confusing grief with anger.
Michael Gambon was an excellent actor who died of natural causes at the age of 82. That's sad, but it does come to us all.
Now, if he'd died due to some arsehole sneaking up in the middle of the night and felling him with a chainsaw, I suspect the anger would not just meet but exceed that on display over this tree.
Don't know how the Tories have got themselves into this pickle over HS2.
All they need to say is the project will be reviewed in the next Parliament. Is it really so difficult?
But if they do that, then people will assume it's being cancelled.
Not necessarily. It's been reviewed several times over the past few Parliaments and each time they've taken the decision to keep it going (despite the ever spiraling cost)
finding it a little disconcerting more people are grieving a tree than Michael Gambon
I think you're confusing grief with anger.
Michael Gambon was an excellent actor who died of natural causes at the age of 82. That's sad, but it does come to us all.
Now, if he'd died due to some arsehole sneaking up in the middle of the night and felling him with a chainsaw, I suspect the anger would not just meet but exceed that on display over this tree.
Ok, "talking about" then. The point stands. Unlike the tree.
finding it a little disconcerting more people are grieving a tree than Michael Gambon
How are you measuring that?
To be honest - Gambon had a fantastic career and life, and died in his eighties. That we should have such a life. (Although certain PBers may wish a bit more than 82, as they are rather closer to that age than most on here...)
finding it a little disconcerting more people are grieving a tree than Michael Gambon
I think you're confusing grief with anger.
Michael Gambon was an excellent actor who died of natural causes at the age of 82. That's sad, but it does come to us all.
Now, if he'd died due to some arsehole sneaking up in the middle of the night and felling him with a chainsaw, I suspect the anger would not just meet but exceed that on display over this tree.
Ok, "talking about" then. The point stands. Unlike the tree.
finding it a little disconcerting more people are grieving a tree than Michael Gambon
I think you're confusing grief with anger.
Michael Gambon was an excellent actor who died of natural causes at the age of 82. That's sad, but it does come to us all.
Now, if he'd died due to some arsehole sneaking up in the middle of the night and felling him with a chainsaw, I suspect the anger would not just meet but exceed that on display over this tree.
People love trees. It's similar to enjoying music, or the view from the top of a mountain.
I appreciate not all people get that, but they should also understand that for some of us it's an important part of the human experience.
finding it a little disconcerting more people are grieving a tree than Michael Gambon
I think you're confusing grief with anger.
Michael Gambon was an excellent actor who died of natural causes at the age of 82. That's sad, but it does come to us all.
Now, if he'd died due to some arsehole sneaking up in the middle of the night and felling him with a chainsaw, I suspect the anger would not just meet but exceed that on display over this tree.
Ok, "talking about" then. The point stands. Unlike the tree.
finding it a little disconcerting more people are grieving a tree than Michael Gambon
I think you're confusing grief with anger.
Michael Gambon was an excellent actor who died of natural causes at the age of 82. That's sad, but it does come to us all.
Now, if he'd died due to some arsehole sneaking up in the middle of the night and felling him with a chainsaw, I suspect the anger would not just meet but exceed that on display over this tree.
People love trees. It's similar to enjoying music, or the view from the top of a mountain.
I appreciate not all people get that, but they should also understand that for some of us it's an important part of the human experience.
I'm not looking forward to telling Mrs C when she gets home this evening, it's that bad.
Why doesn't he just say whether he will scrap it or not? He must have decided. His evasivenessivity on the issue makes him sound shifty.
This interview was an utter catastrophe. (Note: could not be bothered to listen to it.)
It must be that he's hoping to get the kudos for a "surprise" announcement that Phase 2b (aka the core of Northern Powerhouse Rail) is going ahead, whilst scrapping everything else that's not already in progress.
I can't see any other reason why he'd be so desperately determined to dither at this point.
IIRC phase 2B contains all the really expensive bits of the remaining northern part of HS2. So you might as well build the rest of the damn thing.
Phase 1 of HS2 was ludicrously expensive because a) the Treasury insisted on shifting all the risk to the contractors, b) the initial mad decision to spec for 400km/hr trains and c) caving in to nimbies & burying most of the route in either cuttings or tunnels so no one ever had to have their views sullied by being able to see a train.
If HS2 had been built under Labour I reckon it would have been cheaper because they'd have just told Buckinghamshire to do one. The construction industry and the Tory Party are quite friendly too, aren't they. On the other hand, under Labour HS2 might have blown an extra £100bn celebrating Black History Month, so who knows.
Judging by public procurement since WWII, it's not the particular politicians that are the problem. It's the process.
Essentially, we have never got large, complex procurement right. Except when it was accidentally done "wrong".
Latest YouGov poll has the Tories at 1% with 18-24 year olds nationwide. One percent. If the Tories were waiting for a moment to panic, perhaps now is as good a time as any.
Also from previous thread: In the US, the last step in becoming a doctor is an "internship" at a hospital. (I have been dubious about this sytem for years, since it looks more like an extended period of "hazing", rather than actual training -- and results in measurable harm to patients.)
A year or so ago, I learned that about 1 in 10 would-be doctors who had completed their studies were unable to find a hospital that would accept them as interns. Which meant they typically had enormous debts, but no way to become a doctor so they could pay them off. Unless there is something I don't know about that 10 percent, this strikes me as both wasteful, and terribly unfair.
The UK equivalent is the Foundation Programme of F1 and F2 years, and is to transit from student years to supervised work. They are pretty much guaranteed these posts, albeit not necessarily where they want or in a particular speciality.
Latest YouGov poll has the Tories at 1% with 18-24 year olds nationwide. One percent. If the Tories were waiting for a moment to panic, perhaps now is as good a time as any.
That'll change when they all become homeow... they're fucked
finding it a little disconcerting more people are grieving a tree than Michael Gambon
I think you're confusing grief with anger.
Michael Gambon was an excellent actor who died of natural causes at the age of 82. That's sad, but it does come to us all.
Now, if he'd died due to some arsehole sneaking up in the middle of the night and felling him with a chainsaw, I suspect the anger would not just meet but exceed that on display over this tree.
People love trees. It's similar to enjoying music, or the view from the top of a mountain.
I appreciate not all people get that, but they should also understand that for some of us it's an important part of the human experience.
No, people love what's unique/different/exceptional.
The tree was famous not because it was a great tree, but because it was standing in a unique position all by itself, creating a wonderfully majestic silhouette etc.
Had it been one of hundreds of trees, then people wouldn't have cared anywhere near so much. Its because it stood all alone that made it look so majestic.
Along my new build road we have I'd estimate thousands of trees now that wouldn't have been there a decade ago. You don't particularly notice any one because its just another one in the background.
If this land were developed into a new town instead of having one tree, you'd have tens of thousands of trees across the town probably - and nobody would care about any one of them as much as they'd care about this one that stood all alone looking majestic all by itself.
Chopping down one old tree is a tragedy (which I agree with). Chopping down lots of old trees, in the Amazon or our own forests, is just doing business.
Like, this feels indicative of why we aren't dealing with the ecological and climate crisis we're in - people generally cannot and do not think about impacts of things at scale.
Though we don't chop down trees much, net, in this country. In fact I am pretty certain we have more trees now in this country than we did a century ago and that is a trend that has continued for a very long time now.
Eabhal would be pleased to know a big part of that reason is roads. Tree lined roads tend to be a big part of tree planting, indeed at one stage in the 70s when we were last investing in our infrastructure sufficiently I believe there were concerns the country was running out of trees to plant to go with the roads.
Want to get to Net Zero? More roads helps with that, since the cars on the roads will be running off zero-emission electricity within a few years, while more trees alongside more roads means net negative emissions rather than net zero. Win/win, we get infrastructure, the planet gets saved, who wouldn't love that?
We have more trees, but they're young - young trees and old trees serve very different roles in ecology and climate change. Older trees literally share nutrients with younger trees to help them grow. Older trees create shade for moss and other plant life to grow with them. Older trees are homes for birds and bats and bugs. Older trees rotting releases nutrients back into the soil and thriving ecosystems for fungi and insects. Young trees take so much more than they give, and if they aren't near older trees have the possibility of reducing soil quality because they suck so much out of the ground without giving back leaf mulch and other deposits that older trees create.
Typical boomer trees moaning about the younger generations.....
finding it a little disconcerting more people are grieving a tree than Michael Gambon
I think you're confusing grief with anger.
Michael Gambon was an excellent actor who died of natural causes at the age of 82. That's sad, but it does come to us all.
Now, if he'd died due to some arsehole sneaking up in the middle of the night and felling him with a chainsaw, I suspect the anger would not just meet but exceed that on display over this tree.
People love trees. It's similar to enjoying music, or the view from the top of a mountain.
I appreciate not all people get that, but they should also understand that for some of us it's an important part of the human experience.
I'm not looking forward to telling Mrs C when she gets home this evening, it's that bad.
Latest YouGov poll has the Tories at 1% with 18-24 year olds nationwide. One percent. If the Tories were waiting for a moment to panic, perhaps now is as good a time as any.
One wonders what the percentage would have been in 1996? Those in that age group were 11 at the oldest when there was anything other than a Tory PM/Government (including the coalition). They also had a tough time with covid (when as Leon says they lost out on lots of sex) and see the prospect of buying a house as a distant dream. Give it 8 years of Labour not being much better (possibly - they may surprise on the upside, but what we've seen so far does not suggest this) and things will change.
Its been a theme all my life that Conservative voters will all die off. We they haven't yet.
Latest YouGov poll has the Tories at 1% with 18-24 year olds nationwide. One percent. If the Tories were waiting for a moment to panic, perhaps now is as good a time as any.
Latest YouGov poll has the Tories at 1% with 18-24 year olds nationwide. One percent. If the Tories were waiting for a moment to panic, perhaps now is as good a time as any.
finding it a little disconcerting more people are grieving a tree than Michael Gambon
I think you're confusing grief with anger.
Michael Gambon was an excellent actor who died of natural causes at the age of 82. That's sad, but it does come to us all.
Now, if he'd died due to some arsehole sneaking up in the middle of the night and felling him with a chainsaw, I suspect the anger would not just meet but exceed that on display over this tree.
Ok, "talking about" then. The point stands. Unlike the tree.
No it doesn't. The extent to which people talk about something is about how much it's a good topic for a chat, not about some weird league table of objective importance in the world.
If I go down the pub tonight, I'll probably chat about Man City getting knocked out of the League Cup rather than about ongoing conflict in Nagorno Karabakh. That isn't because the third round in the secondary domestic English knock-out cup competition is more important than the fate of the people of the Southern Caucuses, just it's probably a more fruitful and enjoyable topic for conversation down at Spoons.
That passion about a tree reminds me of the Seattle area, where views are expensive, and trees are sacred. (And, a few years ago, a judge got into trouble for cutting down a tree or trees to improve the view from his house.)
The Green religion doesn't particularly bother me, as it has some good aspects -- but I do think the Greens should pay for the places, plants, and animals they worship, rather than sticking the rest of us with the bill, as they so often do.
Chopping down one old tree is a tragedy (which I agree with). Chopping down lots of old trees, in the Amazon or our own forests, is just doing business.
Like, this feels indicative of why we aren't dealing with the ecological and climate crisis we're in - people generally cannot and do not think about impacts of things at scale.
Though we don't chop down trees much, net, in this country. In fact I am pretty certain we have more trees now in this country than we did a century ago and that is a trend that has continued for a very long time now.
Eabhal would be pleased to know a big part of that reason is roads. Tree lined roads tend to be a big part of tree planting, indeed at one stage in the 70s when we were last investing in our infrastructure sufficiently I believe there were concerns the country was running out of trees to plant to go with the roads.
Want to get to Net Zero? More roads helps with that, since the cars on the roads will be running off zero-emission electricity within a few years, while more trees alongside more roads means net negative emissions rather than net zero. Win/win, we get infrastructure, the planet gets saved, who wouldn't love that?
We have more trees, but they're young - young trees and old trees serve very different roles in ecology and climate change. Older trees literally share nutrients with younger trees to help them grow. Older trees create shade for moss and other plant life to grow with them. Older trees are homes for birds and bats and bugs. Older trees rotting releases nutrients back into the soil and thriving ecosystems for fungi and insects. Young trees take so much more than they give, and if they aren't near older trees have the possibility of reducing soil quality because they suck so much out of the ground without giving back leaf mulch and other deposits that older trees create.
Typical boomer trees moaning about the younger generations.....
Should reckon on how old trees come about, as well.
finding it a little disconcerting more people are grieving a tree than Michael Gambon
How’s about mourning Elianne Andam, the 15-year-old girl murdered in London yesterday morning.
It was odd this morning on the TV seeing several people standing by the Police chief giving the statement but with no idea who they were. Of course they were obviously going to be family members, but with no name the BBC clearly didn't feel able to say.
Latest YouGov poll has the Tories at 1% with 18-24 year olds nationwide. One percent. If the Tories were waiting for a moment to panic, perhaps now is as good a time as any.
That 1% must be quite the specimens.
All of Jacob Reece Mogg's children on the panel...
The felled sycamore also looks remarkably similar to the Tories' logo. I'm going with an aggrieved red-waller making a symbolic point: Rishi's betrayal of northern England over HS2 and Levelling Up.
Nah, it's a Scot Nat.
Typical. Unbelievable how many people think that southern Northumberland is part of Scotland.
Every fool knows Hadrian's Wall is the border between Scotland & England.
Shirley the Antonine Wall is the revised position of the border?
finding it a little disconcerting more people are grieving a tree than Michael Gambon
How’s about mourning Elianne Andam, the 15-year-old girl murdered in London yesterday morning.
It was odd this morning on the TV seeing several people standing by the Police chief giving the statement but with no idea who they were. Of course they were obviously going to be family members, but with no name the BBC clearly didn't feel able to say.
Chopping down one old tree is a tragedy (which I agree with). Chopping down lots of old trees, in the Amazon or our own forests, is just doing business.
Like, this feels indicative of why we aren't dealing with the ecological and climate crisis we're in - people generally cannot and do not think about impacts of things at scale.
Yes, it is rather ironic that the tears and outrage on this site over the Sycamore Gap tree are being led by the individual with the clown-sized carbon footprint.
The tree was a cultural icon, not an ecological one. It wasn't even a native species.
S Korean Cultural Heritage Protection Act (quite a number of trees are designated 'national monuments'):
Article 92 (Crime of Infliction of Damage, Concealment, etc.) Printed articles (1) A person who causes damage to, steals, conceals, or impairs the utility of State-designated cultural heritage (excluding national intangible cultural heritage) in any other means shall be punished by imprisonment with labor for a limited term of not less than three years.
finding it a little disconcerting more people are grieving a tree than Michael Gambon
How are you measuring that?
To be honest - Gambon had a fantastic career and life, and died in his eighties. That we should have such a life. (Although certain PBers may wish a bit more than 82, as they are rather closer to that age than most on here...)
For one or two, it's already in the rear view mirror.
finding it a little disconcerting more people are grieving a tree than Michael Gambon
I think you're confusing grief with anger.
Michael Gambon was an excellent actor who died of natural causes at the age of 82. That's sad, but it does come to us all.
Now, if he'd died due to some arsehole sneaking up in the middle of the night and felling him with a chainsaw, I suspect the anger would not just meet but exceed that on display over this tree.
People love trees. It's similar to enjoying music, or the view from the top of a mountain.
I appreciate not all people get that, but they should also understand that for some of us it's an important part of the human experience.
I'm not looking forward to telling Mrs C when she gets home this evening, it's that bad.
finding it a little disconcerting more people are grieving a tree than Michael Gambon
I think you're confusing grief with anger.
Michael Gambon was an excellent actor who died of natural causes at the age of 82. That's sad, but it does come to us all.
Now, if he'd died due to some arsehole sneaking up in the middle of the night and felling him with a chainsaw, I suspect the anger would not just meet but exceed that on display over this tree.
Ok, "talking about" then. The point stands. Unlike the tree.
No it doesn't. The extent to which people talk about something is about how much it's a good topic for a chat, not about some weird league table of objective importance in the world.
If I go down the pub tonight, I'll probably chat about Man City getting knocked out of the League Cup rather than about ongoing conflict in Nagorno Karabakh. That isn't because the third round in the secondary domestic English knock-out cup competition is more important than the fate of the people of the Southern Caucuses, just it's probably a more fruitful and enjoyable topic for conversation down at Spoons.
People in Wetherspoons don't talk to each other, they just stare into their beer and wait for death's embrace.
The felled sycamore also looks remarkably similar to the Tories' logo. I'm going with an aggrieved red-waller making a symbolic point: Rishi's betrayal of northern England over HS2 and Levelling Up.
Nah, it's a Scot Nat.
Typical. Unbelievable how many people think that southern Northumberland is part of Scotland.
Every fool knows Hadrian's Wall is the border between Scotland & England.
Shirley the Antonine Wall is the revised position of the border?
The felled sycamore also looks remarkably similar to the Tories' logo. I'm going with an aggrieved red-waller making a symbolic point: Rishi's betrayal of northern England over HS2 and Levelling Up.
Nah, it's a Scot Nat.
Typical. Unbelievable how many people think that southern Northumberland is part of Scotland.
Every fool knows Hadrian's Wall is the border between Scotland & England.
Shirley the Antonine Wall is the revised position of the border?
The felled sycamore also looks remarkably similar to the Tories' logo. I'm going with an aggrieved red-waller making a symbolic point: Rishi's betrayal of northern England over HS2 and Levelling Up.
Nah, it's a Scot Nat.
Typical. Unbelievable how many people think that southern Northumberland is part of Scotland.
Every fool knows Hadrian's Wall is the border between Scotland & England.
Shirley the Antonine Wall is the revised position of the border?
I guess it never occurred to Sunak that one of the reasons so many people in the North use their cars to get around is because public transport in most places is so shite. Still, Get Potholes Done.
I guess it never occurred to Sunak that one of the reasons so many people in the North use their cars to get around is because public transport in most places is so shite. Still, Get Potholes Done.
Why doesn't he just say whether he will scrap it or not? He must have decided. His evasivenessivity on the issue makes him sound shifty.
This interview was an utter catastrophe. (Note: could not be bothered to listen to it.)
It must be that he's hoping to get the kudos for a "surprise" announcement that Phase 2b (aka the core of Northern Powerhouse Rail) is going ahead, whilst scrapping everything else that's not already in progress.
I can't see any other reason why he'd be so desperately determined to dither at this point.
IIRC phase 2B contains all the really expensive bits of the remaining northern part of HS2. So you might as well build the rest of the damn thing.
Phase 1 of HS2 was ludicrously expensive because a) the Treasury insisted on shifting all the risk to the contractors, b) the initial mad decision to spec for 400km/hr trains and c) caving in to nimbies & burying most of the route in either cuttings or tunnels so no one ever had to have their views sullied by being able to see a train.
Yes, Phase 2a (Birmingham to Crewe) is by far the cheapest part of HS2. That's why it was separated out from the rest of Phase 2 and brought forward after the Oakervee Review - it was seen as a quick win, a way of delivering more value up front, and was a big part of the levelling-up agenda.
Cutting it now will require legislation (though maybe not if it's just "delayed"), and will save only £3bn at most. It's a stupid idea.
And that's why I'm increasingly certain that it's what Sunak is going to announce.
I guess it never occurred to Sunak that one of the reasons so many people in the North use their cars to get around is because public transport in most places is so shite. Still, Get Potholes Done.
TBF, the potholes round here are a ducking menace.
finding it a little disconcerting more people are grieving a tree than Michael Gambon
I think you're confusing grief with anger.
Michael Gambon was an excellent actor who died of natural causes at the age of 82. That's sad, but it does come to us all.
Now, if he'd died due to some arsehole sneaking up in the middle of the night and felling him with a chainsaw, I suspect the anger would not just meet but exceed that on display over this tree.
People love trees. It's similar to enjoying music, or the view from the top of a mountain.
I appreciate not all people get that, but they should also understand that for some of us it's an important part of the human experience.
I'm not looking forward to telling Mrs C when she gets home this evening, it's that bad.
That passion about a tree reminds me of the Seattle area, where views are expensive, and trees are sacred. (And, a few years ago, a judge got into trouble for cutting down a tree or trees to improve the view from his house.)
The Green religion doesn't particularly bother me, as it has some good aspects -- but I do think the Greens should pay for the places, plants, and animals they worship, rather than sticking the rest of us with the bill, as they so often do.
It's not a pay to play game. You'll have to walk around wearing a blindfold, lest you accidentally see a place/plant/animal that you haven't paid for.
The felled sycamore also looks remarkably similar to the Tories' logo. I'm going with an aggrieved red-waller making a symbolic point: Rishi's betrayal of northern England over HS2 and Levelling Up.
Nah, it's a Scot Nat.
Typical. Unbelievable how many people think that southern Northumberland is part of Scotland.
Don't know how the Tories have got themselves into this pickle over HS2.
All they need to say is the project will be reviewed in the next Parliament. Is it really so difficult?
It comes down to Sunak (and Hunt) being technocrats and accountants with little or no political instinct
I would add Downing Street have a total absence of how this looks and the way it will overshadow the conservative conference, not least as it is in Manchester
It is a long time between now and the 22nd November Autumn Statement to be fending off the subject, and Sunak needs to clear the matter up in his conference speech, if not before, as it is not possible to hold the line to November
I expect Sunak or Hunt will announce a delay, whilst investing heavily in east -west rail for the north as well as other infrastructure investments
As a matter of interest has there been an upto date poll on public opinion on delaying or cancelling the Manchester sector?
The felled sycamore also looks remarkably similar to the Tories' logo. I'm going with an aggrieved red-waller making a symbolic point: Rishi's betrayal of northern England over HS2 and Levelling Up.
Nah, it's a Scot Nat.
Typical. Unbelievable how many people think that southern Northumberland is part of Scotland.
Have some ambition, man
On second thoughts, there are indeed some folk who would include the Palatinate and the Yorkshire Ridings in 'southern Northumberland'. But nowt to do with me.
Don't know how the Tories have got themselves into this pickle over HS2.
All they need to say is the project will be reviewed in the next Parliament. Is it really so difficult?
It comes down to Sunak (and Hunt) being technocrats and accountants with little or no political instinct
I would add Downing Street have a total absence of how this looks and the way it will overshadow the conservative conference, not least as it is in Manchester
It is a long time between now and the 22nd November Autumn Statement to be fending off the subject, and Sunak needs to clear the matter up in his conference speech, if not before, as it is not possible to hold the line to November
I expect Sunak or Hunt will announce a delay, whilst investing heavily in east -west rail for the north as well as other infrastructure investments
As a matter of interest has there been an upto date poll on public opinion on delaying or cancelling the Manchester sector?
There is a rumour doing the rounds that the Tories were going to use the Manchester conference to announce that HS2 Phase 2b would be de-prioritised in favour of doing Northern Powerhouse Rail - only belatedly realising that the central section of NPR is also part of HS2 Phase 2b. This would explain why they are flanelling so uselessly.
finding it a little disconcerting more people are grieving a tree than Michael Gambon
I think you're confusing grief with anger.
Michael Gambon was an excellent actor who died of natural causes at the age of 82. That's sad, but it does come to us all.
Now, if he'd died due to some arsehole sneaking up in the middle of the night and felling him with a chainsaw, I suspect the anger would not just meet but exceed that on display over this tree.
People love trees. It's similar to enjoying music, or the view from the top of a mountain.
I appreciate not all people get that, but they should also understand that for some of us it's an important part of the human experience.
No, people love what's unique/different/exceptional.
The tree was famous not because it was a great tree, but because it was standing in a unique position all by itself, creating a wonderfully majestic silhouette etc.
Had it been one of hundreds of trees, then people wouldn't have cared anywhere near so much. Its because it stood all alone that made it look so majestic.
Along my new build road we have I'd estimate thousands of trees now that wouldn't have been there a decade ago. You don't particularly notice any one because its just another one in the background.
If this land were developed into a new town instead of having one tree, you'd have tens of thousands of trees across the town probably - and nobody would care about any one of them as much as they'd care about this one that stood all alone looking majestic all by itself.
Had it been one of hundreds of trees it wouldn't have been cut down tbf.
I suspect there are more trees in the UK today than 150 years ago though. We used to live in the village in Oxfordshire where Flora Thompson (Lark Rise to Candleford) lived. In the village hall there were numerous photos of the village taken in the late C19th. In the photos the village is shockingly bare of trees. I presume they were all cut down for firewood as soon as they grew.
Why doesn't he just say whether he will scrap it or not? He must have decided. His evasivenessivity on the issue makes him sound shifty.
This interview was an utter catastrophe. (Note: could not be bothered to listen to it.)
It must be that he's hoping to get the kudos for a "surprise" announcement that Phase 2b (aka the core of Northern Powerhouse Rail) is going ahead, whilst scrapping everything else that's not already in progress.
I can't see any other reason why he'd be so desperately determined to dither at this point.
IIRC phase 2B contains all the really expensive bits of the remaining northern part of HS2. So you might as well build the rest of the damn thing.
Phase 1 of HS2 was ludicrously expensive because a) the Treasury insisted on shifting all the risk to the contractors, b) the initial mad decision to spec for 400km/hr trains and c) caving in to nimbies & burying most of the route in either cuttings or tunnels so no one ever had to have their views sullied by being able to see a train.
Yes, Phase 2a (Birmingham to Crewe) is by far the cheapest part of HS2. That's why it was separated out from the rest of Phase 2 and brought forward after the Oakervee Review - it was seen as a quick win, a way of delivering more value up front, and was a big part of the levelling-up agenda.
Cutting it now will require legislation (though maybe not if it's just "delayed"), and will save only £3bn at most. It's a stupid idea.
And that's why I'm increasingly certain that it's what Sunak is going to announce.
It also causes as many problems as it solves. Sure, you can get to Crewe quicker, but then you have to take local services off the Crewe-Stockport line to accommodate all the HS2 trains. So we can all catch HS2 trains from Stockport to London but we can't get to Stockport in the first place.
Don't know how the Tories have got themselves into this pickle over HS2.
All they need to say is the project will be reviewed in the next Parliament. Is it really so difficult?
It comes down to Sunak (and Hunt) being technocrats and accountants with little or no political instinct
I would add Downing Street have a total absence of how this looks and the way it will overshadow the conservative conference, not least as it is in Manchester
It is a long time between now and the 22nd November Autumn Statement to be fending off the subject, and Sunak needs to clear the matter up in his conference speech, if not before, as it is not possible to hold the line to November
I expect Sunak or Hunt will announce a delay, whilst investing heavily in east -west rail for the north as well as other infrastructure investments
As a matter of interest has there been an upto date poll on public opinion on delaying or cancelling the Manchester sector?
There is a rumour doing the rounds that the Tories were going to use the Manchester conference to announce that HS2 Phase 2b would be de-prioritised in favour of doing Northern Powerhouse Rail - only belatedly realising that the central section of NPR is also part of HS2 Phase 2b. This would explain why they are flanelling so uselessly.
I know it's a comedy trope that Sunak sits alone in Number 10 fiddling with a spreadsheet - but could it actually be true? Because that's the only way I could understand something like that happening.
The felled sycamore also looks remarkably similar to the Tories' logo. I'm going with an aggrieved red-waller making a symbolic point: Rishi's betrayal of northern England over HS2 and Levelling Up.
Nah, it's a Scot Nat.
Typical. Unbelievable how many people think that southern Northumberland is part of Scotland.
Have some ambition, man
On second thoughts, there are indeed some folk who would include the Palatinate and the Yorkshire Ridings in 'southern Northumberland'. But nowt to do with me.
I would be interested in being absorbed into an independent Scotland, depending on the situation in England at the time.
Of course, it would only be a stepping stone to an independent Yorkshire
The felled sycamore also looks remarkably similar to the Tories' logo. I'm going with an aggrieved red-waller making a symbolic point: Rishi's betrayal of northern England over HS2 and Levelling Up.
Nah, it's a Scot Nat.
Typical. Unbelievable how many people think that southern Northumberland is part of Scotland.
Have some ambition, man
On second thoughts, there are indeed some folk who would include the Palatinate and the Yorkshire Ridings in 'southern Northumberland'. But nowt to do with me.
In happier times Northumbria stretched from the Humber to Edinburgh. The division of Britain into the Norwegian bit, the Northumbrian bit and the Mercia/ Wessex etc bit would make a lot of sense.
Latest YouGov poll has the Tories at 1% with 18-24 year olds nationwide. One percent. If the Tories were waiting for a moment to panic, perhaps now is as good a time as any.
The Tories still lead Labour 46-21 with the, somewhat larger, 65+ age group.
Parity among pensioners really would make Tories panic.
Don't know how the Tories have got themselves into this pickle over HS2.
All they need to say is the project will be reviewed in the next Parliament. Is it really so difficult?
It comes down to Sunak (and Hunt) being technocrats and accountants with little or no political instinct
I would add Downing Street have a total absence of how this looks and the way it will overshadow the conservative conference, not least as it is in Manchester
It is a long time between now and the 22nd November Autumn Statement to be fending off the subject, and Sunak needs to clear the matter up in his conference speech, if not before, as it is not possible to hold the line to November
I expect Sunak or Hunt will announce a delay, whilst investing heavily in east -west rail for the north as well as other infrastructure investments
As a matter of interest has there been an upto date poll on public opinion on delaying or cancelling the Manchester sector?
There is a rumour doing the rounds that the Tories were going to use the Manchester conference to announce that HS2 Phase 2b would be de-prioritised in favour of doing Northern Powerhouse Rail - only belatedly realising that the central section of NPR is also part of HS2 Phase 2b. This would explain why they are flanelling so uselessly.
It also requires the building of an underground station at Piccadilly with a tunnel through all the way through Manchester.
A very necessary project but it's relatively big bucks so I can't see why they are announcing something that would cost money.
Don't know how the Tories have got themselves into this pickle over HS2.
All they need to say is the project will be reviewed in the next Parliament. Is it really so difficult?
It comes down to Sunak (and Hunt) being technocrats and accountants with little or no political instinct
I would add Downing Street have a total absence of how this looks and the way it will overshadow the conservative conference, not least as it is in Manchester
It is a long time between now and the 22nd November Autumn Statement to be fending off the subject, and Sunak needs to clear the matter up in his conference speech, if not before, as it is not possible to hold the line to November
I expect Sunak or Hunt will announce a delay, whilst investing heavily in east -west rail for the north as well as other infrastructure investments
As a matter of interest has there been an upto date poll on public opinion on delaying or cancelling the Manchester sector?
There is a rumour doing the rounds that the Tories were going to use the Manchester conference to announce that HS2 Phase 2b would be de-prioritised in favour of doing Northern Powerhouse Rail - only belatedly realising that the central section of NPR is also part of HS2 Phase 2b. This would explain why they are flanelling so uselessly.
I know it's a comedy trope that Sunak sits alone in Number 10 fiddling with a spreadsheet - but could it actually be true? Because that's the only way I could understand something like that happening.
He also doesn't make all the decisions himself. But it wouldn't be a surprise if the staffers responsible for 'what decisions can we make about HS2 which will make the fewest people hate us' were a tad southern-biased.
Latest YouGov poll has the Tories at 1% with 18-24 year olds nationwide. One percent. If the Tories were waiting for a moment to panic, perhaps now is as good a time as any.
The Tories still lead Labour 46-21 with the, somewhat larger, 65+ age group.
Parity among pensioners really would make Tories panic.
That said, looks like the Greens are outpolling the Tories in the under-50s on that poll, which is kinda amazing.
Don't know how the Tories have got themselves into this pickle over HS2.
All they need to say is the project will be reviewed in the next Parliament. Is it really so difficult?
It comes down to Sunak (and Hunt) being technocrats and accountants with little or no political instinct
I would add Downing Street have a total absence of how this looks and the way it will overshadow the conservative conference, not least as it is in Manchester
It is a long time between now and the 22nd November Autumn Statement to be fending off the subject, and Sunak needs to clear the matter up in his conference speech, if not before, as it is not possible to hold the line to November
I expect Sunak or Hunt will announce a delay, whilst investing heavily in east -west rail for the north as well as other infrastructure investments
As a matter of interest has there been an upto date poll on public opinion on delaying or cancelling the Manchester sector?
There is a rumour doing the rounds that the Tories were going to use the Manchester conference to announce that HS2 Phase 2b would be de-prioritised in favour of doing Northern Powerhouse Rail - only belatedly realising that the central section of NPR is also part of HS2 Phase 2b. This would explain why they are flanelling so uselessly.
I know it's a comedy trope that Sunak sits alone in Number 10 fiddling with a spreadsheet - but could it actually be true? Because that's the only way I could understand something like that happening.
He also doesn't make all the decisions himself. But it wouldn't be a surprise if the staffers responsible for 'what decisions can we make about HS2 which will make the fewest people hate us' were a tad southern-biased.
They don't think Mancs are, er, people? Would sure explain a lot.
Latest YouGov poll has the Tories at 1% with 18-24 year olds nationwide. One percent. If the Tories were waiting for a moment to panic, perhaps now is as good a time as any.
The Tories still lead Labour 46-21 with the, somewhat larger, 65+ age group.
Parity among pensioners really would make Tories panic.
Which makes the debate over the triple lock ridiculous. If pensioners aren’t clearly backing the Tories then they’re looking at an extinction level event at the GE. It would be thoroughly deserved !
Now some convincing evidence on X that a local landowner is implicated. Kept complaining about people parking on his land to see the tree
Throw him in the dungeons of Bamburgh Castle?
Enough of this fucking vandalism. If the "newly aarrested duo" get convicted for the Crooked House arson, put them inside for ten years. Ditto here
Controversial statement time - was the tree protected by any preservation orders? If not, and the landowner took it down, has any offence occurred (other than grave offence to the nation)?
Don't know how the Tories have got themselves into this pickle over HS2.
All they need to say is the project will be reviewed in the next Parliament. Is it really so difficult?
It comes down to Sunak (and Hunt) being technocrats and accountants with little or no political instinct
I would add Downing Street have a total absence of how this looks and the way it will overshadow the conservative conference, not least as it is in Manchester
It is a long time between now and the 22nd November Autumn Statement to be fending off the subject, and Sunak needs to clear the matter up in his conference speech, if not before, as it is not possible to hold the line to November
I expect Sunak or Hunt will announce a delay, whilst investing heavily in east -west rail for the north as well as other infrastructure investments
As a matter of interest has there been an upto date poll on public opinion on delaying or cancelling the Manchester sector?
There is a rumour doing the rounds that the Tories were going to use the Manchester conference to announce that HS2 Phase 2b would be de-prioritised in favour of doing Northern Powerhouse Rail - only belatedly realising that the central section of NPR is also part of HS2 Phase 2b. This would explain why they are flanelling so uselessly.
That would be entirely typical.
Perhaps if they had decided to press on with building both ab initio and actually drawn up the contracts vaguely intelligently they wouldn't be in this mess.
But then again, if pigs could fly we'd all have to use umbrellas all the time.
Don't know how the Tories have got themselves into this pickle over HS2.
All they need to say is the project will be reviewed in the next Parliament. Is it really so difficult?
It comes down to Sunak (and Hunt) being technocrats and accountants with little or no political instinct
I would add Downing Street have a total absence of how this looks and the way it will overshadow the conservative conference, not least as it is in Manchester
It is a long time between now and the 22nd November Autumn Statement to be fending off the subject, and Sunak needs to clear the matter up in his conference speech, if not before, as it is not possible to hold the line to November
I expect Sunak or Hunt will announce a delay, whilst investing heavily in east -west rail for the north as well as other infrastructure investments
As a matter of interest has there been an upto date poll on public opinion on delaying or cancelling the Manchester sector?
There is a rumour doing the rounds that the Tories were going to use the Manchester conference to announce that HS2 Phase 2b would be de-prioritised in favour of doing Northern Powerhouse Rail - only belatedly realising that the central section of NPR is also part of HS2 Phase 2b. This would explain why they are flanelling so uselessly.
I know it's a comedy trope that Sunak sits alone in Number 10 fiddling with a spreadsheet - but could it actually be true? Because that's the only way I could understand something like that happening.
He also doesn't make all the decisions himself. But it wouldn't be a surprise if the staffers responsible for 'what decisions can we make about HS2 which will make the fewest people hate us' were a tad southern-biased.
They don't think Mancs are, er, people? Would sure explain a lot.
Ha, no - they think prioritising NPR over HS2 might be a popular announcement. But they haven't realised the common elements of the two.
Now some convincing evidence on X that a local landowner is implicated. Kept complaining about people parking on his land to see the tree
Throw him in the dungeons of Bamburgh Castle?
Enough of this fucking vandalism. If the "newly aarrested duo" get convicted for the Crooked House arson, put them inside for ten years. Ditto here
Controversial statement time - was the tree protected by any preservation orders? If not, and the landowner took it down, has any offence occurred (other than grave offence to the nation)?
Quick glance at Google suggests the tree would have to be on "your" land for you to escape legal consequences, and also the tree would have to be non-listed
However this is a UNESCO site. Hadrian's Wall. Which makes it extra complex?
I am pretty sure an inventive police force can come up with *something*, and if they can't then throw the villain to the social media wolves, anyway. Force them to emigrate
Don't know how the Tories have got themselves into this pickle over HS2.
All they need to say is the project will be reviewed in the next Parliament. Is it really so difficult?
It comes down to Sunak (and Hunt) being technocrats and accountants with little or no political instinct
I would add Downing Street have a total absence of how this looks and the way it will overshadow the conservative conference, not least as it is in Manchester
It is a long time between now and the 22nd November Autumn Statement to be fending off the subject, and Sunak needs to clear the matter up in his conference speech, if not before, as it is not possible to hold the line to November
I expect Sunak or Hunt will announce a delay, whilst investing heavily in east -west rail for the north as well as other infrastructure investments
As a matter of interest has there been an upto date poll on public opinion on delaying or cancelling the Manchester sector?
There is a rumour doing the rounds that the Tories were going to use the Manchester conference to announce that HS2 Phase 2b would be de-prioritised in favour of doing Northern Powerhouse Rail - only belatedly realising that the central section of NPR is also part of HS2 Phase 2b. This would explain why they are flanelling so uselessly.
Now some convincing evidence on X that a local landowner is implicated. Kept complaining about people parking on his land to see the tree
Throw him in the dungeons of Bamburgh Castle?
Enough of this fucking vandalism. If the "newly aarrested duo" get convicted for the Crooked House arson, put them inside for ten years. Ditto here
Controversial statement time - was the tree protected by any preservation orders? If not, and the landowner took it down, has any offence occurred (other than grave offence to the nation)?
If no order, it is no offence for the owner to chop it down. It's in the same category as pruning your own roses.
Now some convincing evidence on X that a local landowner is implicated. Kept complaining about people parking on his land to see the tree
Throw him in the dungeons of Bamburgh Castle?
Enough of this fucking vandalism. If the "newly aarrested duo" get convicted for the Crooked House arson, put them inside for ten years. Ditto here
Controversial statement time - was the tree protected by any preservation orders? If not, and the landowner took it down, has any offence occurred (other than grave offence to the nation)?
Quick glance at Google suggests the tree would have to be on "your" land for you to escape legal consequences, and also the tree would have to be non-listed
However this is a UNESCO site. Hadrian's Wall. Which makes it extra complex?
I am pretty sure an inventive police force can come up with *something*, and if they can't then throw the villain to the social media wolves, anyway. Force them to emigrate
It may be a UNESCO site, but surely that's the wall, not a weed (albeit a large and photogenic one)?
Now some convincing evidence on X that a local landowner is implicated. Kept complaining about people parking on his land to see the tree
Throw him in the dungeons of Bamburgh Castle?
Enough of this fucking vandalism. If the "newly aarrested duo" get convicted for the Crooked House arson, put them inside for ten years. Ditto here
Controversial statement time - was the tree protected by any preservation orders? If not, and the landowner took it down, has any offence occurred (other than grave offence to the nation)?
Quick glance at Google suggests the tree would have to be on "your" land for you to escape legal consequences, and also the tree would have to be non-listed
However this is a UNESCO site. Hadrian's Wall. Which makes it extra complex?
I am pretty sure an inventive police force can come up with *something*, and if they can't then throw the villain to the social media wolves, anyway. Force them to emigrate
It may be a UNESCO site, but surely that's the wall, not a weed (albeit a large and photogenic one)?
You need a felling licence for a tree over a specific diameter, protected or otherwise.
I actually kinda hope it is a “mad local landowner” because then
1. They’re more likely to be caught and
2. We will have someone to put in a medieval jail for 390 years
Cutting down a protected tree? A fine if you are lucky.
Happens all the time pre-planning applications.
Likely to get pulled up on ecology grounds? Clear the site before applying. Never mind the Tree Preservation Order. Crooked House but with vegetation.
We're currently having fun with a solar farm application on a local wildlife site (unimproved grassland with rig and furrow).
They thought it would be a good idea to just plough it up first to avoid any objections.
The fine for unlicensed felling under the Forestry Act was increased from a pretty trivial one to an unlimited one at the start of 2022. Not sure how that's translated into penalties so far.
On this one, though, I think if they ever find the culprit they might think about other offences. Section 78 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 puts the offence of public nuisance on a statutory basis (it was common law before and a bit trickier to prosecute). That covers "serious harm to the public" where serious harm covers "serious distress, serious annoyance, serious inconvenience or serious loss of amenity."
You'd struggle to get someone on public nuisance if it was a protected tree on private land, but an ultra-prominent tree like this? I think there's a reasonably good case. It's punishable by up to ten years in prison.
Now some convincing evidence on X that a local landowner is implicated. Kept complaining about people parking on his land to see the tree
Throw him in the dungeons of Bamburgh Castle?
Enough of this fucking vandalism. If the "newly aarrested duo" get convicted for the Crooked House arson, put them inside for ten years. Ditto here
Controversial statement time - was the tree protected by any preservation orders? If not, and the landowner took it down, has any offence occurred (other than grave offence to the nation)?
Quick glance at Google suggests the tree would have to be on "your" land for you to escape legal consequences, and also the tree would have to be non-listed
However this is a UNESCO site. Hadrian's Wall. Which makes it extra complex?
I am pretty sure an inventive police force can come up with *something*, and if they can't then throw the villain to the social media wolves, anyway. Force them to emigrate
It may be a UNESCO site, but surely that's the wall, not a weed (albeit a large and photogenic one)?
See Sir N's earlier post, reposted here for convenience.
Hmm. A 16 year old who is obviously adept with a forestry chainsaw.
Not convinced this is the whole story...
Could be the child of a tree surgeon who was turned in by his parents after doing it as a prank.
He's 16 years old so there's probably a Tiktok video.
Good point. Some awful social media prank?
However others are saying that a 16 year old would have needed help, driving there, carrying the equipment - all of this at mdnight in a storm. It won't just be him
Now some convincing evidence on X that a local landowner is implicated. Kept complaining about people parking on his land to see the tree
Throw him in the dungeons of Bamburgh Castle?
Enough of this fucking vandalism. If the "newly aarrested duo" get convicted for the Crooked House arson, put them inside for ten years. Ditto here
Controversial statement time - was the tree protected by any preservation orders? If not, and the landowner took it down, has any offence occurred (other than grave offence to the nation)?
Quick glance at Google suggests the tree would have to be on "your" land for you to escape legal consequences, and also the tree would have to be non-listed
However this is a UNESCO site. Hadrian's Wall. Which makes it extra complex?
I am pretty sure an inventive police force can come up with *something*, and if they can't then throw the villain to the social media wolves, anyway. Force them to emigrate
It may be a UNESCO site, but surely that's the wall, not a weed (albeit a large and photogenic one)?
You need a felling licence for a tree over a specific diameter, protected or otherwise.
Daily Mail becomes part of the cancel culture by terminating Dan Wootton's contract following the Laurence Fox/Ava Evans scandal.
He apologised. Never apologise. It doesn't work. It just makes things worse.
He effectively had to apologise to have any chance of keeping his job with GBeebies once the furore dies down.
It was a clear on-air cock-up where Wootton, as host, didn't rein in Fox as rogue guest, didn't challenge the point, and didn't apologise to the viewers and move on quickly. It seems a pretty open and shut breach of the Broadcasting Code and, to avoid a fairly hefty fine, GB News have to be seen to be taking it seriously and taking prompt action.
GB News just can't do that if the host is claiming he did nothing wrong. So the choice he'd have been offered is apologise and be suspended, or don't and be sacked. If he was sacked, it'd be hard for him to get another broadcasting job - it's not like he's a rare talent and it's a fundamental requirement to take direction.
Now some convincing evidence on X that a local landowner is implicated. Kept complaining about people parking on his land to see the tree
Throw him in the dungeons of Bamburgh Castle?
Enough of this fucking vandalism. If the "newly aarrested duo" get convicted for the Crooked House arson, put them inside for ten years. Ditto here
Controversial statement time - was the tree protected by any preservation orders? If not, and the landowner took it down, has any offence occurred (other than grave offence to the nation)?
If no order, it is no offence for the owner to chop it down. It's in the same category as pruning your own roses.
Only if it is below a specific diameter and involves less than, I think, 5m3 of timber.
Pretty sure the tree-fellers can be done under this section of the law on Criminal Damage
"Heritage crime is defined as any crime or behaviour that harms the value of England's heritage assets to this and future generations. These assets may include Scheduled Monuments; Conservation Areas; Grade 1 and 2 Listed Buildings; World Heritage Sites; Protected Marine Wreck Sites and Military Remains; and other sites of archaeological interest."
Now some convincing evidence on X that a local landowner is implicated. Kept complaining about people parking on his land to see the tree
Throw him in the dungeons of Bamburgh Castle?
Enough of this fucking vandalism. If the "newly aarrested duo" get convicted for the Crooked House arson, put them inside for ten years. Ditto here
Controversial statement time - was the tree protected by any preservation orders? If not, and the landowner took it down, has any offence occurred (other than grave offence to the nation)?
Quick glance at Google suggests the tree would have to be on "your" land for you to escape legal consequences, and also the tree would have to be non-listed
However this is a UNESCO site. Hadrian's Wall. Which makes it extra complex?
I am pretty sure an inventive police force can come up with *something*, and if they can't then throw the villain to the social media wolves, anyway. Force them to emigrate
It may be a UNESCO site, but surely that's the wall, not a weed (albeit a large and photogenic one)?
You need a felling licence for a tree over a specific diameter, protected or otherwise.
Hmm. A 16 year old who is obviously adept with a forestry chainsaw.
Not convinced this is the whole story...
Could be the child of a tree surgeon who was turned in by his parents after doing it as a prank.
He's 16 years old so there's probably a Tiktok video.
Good point. Some awful social media prank?
However others are saying that a 16 year old would have needed help, driving there, carrying the equipment - all of this at mdnight in a storm. It won't just be him
I guess a 16 year old who is prepared to cut down such a tree isn’t overly worried about driving legally.
Let’s hope if it’s done damage whilst falling to Hadrian’s wall they can do the culprit for damage to a listed monument.
I genuinely can’t think of another British PM so detached from, and seemingly so incurious about, the country they govern. Sunak gives no impression of having any interest in anything beyond his spreadsheets and his family. I think people can sense this.
Hmm. A 16 year old who is obviously adept with a forestry chainsaw.
Not convinced this is the whole story...
Could be the child of a tree surgeon who was turned in by his parents after doing it as a prank.
He's 16 years old so there's probably a Tiktok video.
Good point. Some awful social media prank?
However others are saying that a 16 year old would have needed help, driving there, carrying the equipment - all of this at mdnight in a storm. It won't just be him
I guess a 16 year old who is prepared to cut down such a tree isn’t overly worried about driving legally.
Let’s hope if it’s done damage whilst falling to Hadrian’s wall they can do the culprit for damage to a listed monument.
I just don't believe this is one sixteen year old all on his tod. Look at the size of that tree, and its location, and all of this at night in a storm. No
I presume this 16 year old is now seriously frightened in a police station and is spilling the beans; if his name gets out his life will be misery, whatever happens
Sunak is terrible. Just awful. His new blokey speech is irritating but it's his contempt for people, utter failure to answer a simple question, hopeless out of touch cluelessness.
Why am I wasting my breath on the clown? Because unfortunately he's Britain's unelected Prime Minister.
Latest YouGov poll has the Tories at 1% with 18-24 year olds nationwide. One percent. If the Tories were waiting for a moment to panic, perhaps now is as good a time as any.
That 1% must be quite the specimens.
I’m imagining a frothy white specimen in a test tube, so VERY young Tories.
Comments
Michael Gambon was an excellent actor who died of natural causes at the age of 82. That's sad, but it does come to us all.
Now, if he'd died due to some arsehole sneaking up in the middle of the night and felling him with a chainsaw, I suspect the anger would not just meet but exceed that on display over this tree.
To be honest - Gambon had a fantastic career and life, and died in his eighties. That we should have such a life. (Although certain PBers may wish a bit more than 82, as they are rather closer to that age than most on here...)
I appreciate not all people get that, but they should also understand that for some of us it's an important part of the human experience.
I love it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W7pLkFkVjg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOqS2jZdaoI&t=3s
Essentially, we have never got large, complex procurement right. Except when it was accidentally done "wrong".
Latest YouGov poll has the Tories at 1% with 18-24 year olds nationwide. One percent. If the Tories were waiting for a moment to panic, perhaps now is as good a time as any.
they're fucked
The tree was famous not because it was a great tree, but because it was standing in a unique position all by itself, creating a wonderfully majestic silhouette etc.
Had it been one of hundreds of trees, then people wouldn't have cared anywhere near so much. Its because it stood all alone that made it look so majestic.
Along my new build road we have I'd estimate thousands of trees now that wouldn't have been there a decade ago. You don't particularly notice any one because its just another one in the background.
If this land were developed into a new town instead of having one tree, you'd have tens of thousands of trees across the town probably - and nobody would care about any one of them as much as they'd care about this one that stood all alone looking majestic all by itself.
Its been a theme all my life that Conservative voters will all die off. We they haven't yet.
If I go down the pub tonight, I'll probably chat about Man City getting knocked out of the League Cup rather than about ongoing conflict in Nagorno Karabakh. That isn't because the third round in the secondary domestic English knock-out cup competition is more important than the fate of the people of the Southern Caucuses, just it's probably a more fruitful and enjoyable topic for conversation down at Spoons.
The Green religion doesn't particularly bother me, as it has some good aspects -- but I do think the Greens should pay for the places, plants, and animals they worship, rather than sticking the rest of us with the bill, as they so often do.
Article 92 (Crime of Infliction of Damage, Concealment, etc.) Printed articles
(1) A person who causes damage to, steals, conceals, or impairs the utility of State-designated cultural heritage (excluding national intangible cultural heritage) in any other means shall be punished by imprisonment with labor for a limited term of not less than three years.
And don't call me Shirley.
"Pray I don't alter it further!" - Darth Vader.
It was 'pray I don't alter it *any* further!'
https://youtu.be/3D8TEJtQRhw?si=4KeSje7O-73M_0wb
Still, Get Potholes Done.
Cutting it now will require legislation (though maybe not if it's just "delayed"), and will save only £3bn at most. It's a stupid idea.
And that's why I'm increasingly certain that it's what Sunak is going to announce.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-66951166
Just as Leon returns a guilty verdict, the plot thickens.
You never know, karma and all that.
I would add Downing Street have a total absence of how this looks and the way it will overshadow the conservative conference, not least as it is in Manchester
It is a long time between now and the 22nd November Autumn Statement to be fending off the subject, and Sunak needs to clear the matter up in his conference speech, if not before, as it is not possible to hold the line to November
I expect Sunak or Hunt will announce a delay, whilst investing heavily in east -west rail for the north as well as other infrastructure investments
As a matter of interest has there been an upto date poll on public opinion on delaying or cancelling the Manchester sector?
I suspect there are more trees in the UK today than 150 years ago though. We used to live in the village in Oxfordshire where Flora Thompson (Lark Rise to Candleford) lived. In the village hall there were numerous photos of the village taken in the late C19th. In the photos the village is shockingly bare of trees. I presume they were all cut down for firewood as soon as they grew.
Not convinced this is the whole story...
I know it's a comedy trope that Sunak sits alone in Number 10 fiddling with a spreadsheet - but could it actually be true? Because that's the only way I could understand something like that happening.
DNA matching from tree to sawdust...
Of course, it would only be a stepping stone to an independent Yorkshire
Parity among pensioners really would make Tories panic.
A very necessary project but it's relatively big bucks so I can't see why they are announcing something that would cost money.
Throw him in the dungeons of Bamburgh Castle?
Enough of this fucking vandalism. If the "newly aarrested duo" get convicted for the Crooked House arson, put them inside for ten years. Ditto here
Make a jail with the timber and house the culprits in-situ?
Perhaps if they had decided to press on with building both ab initio and actually drawn up the contracts vaguely intelligently they wouldn't be in this mess.
But then again, if pigs could fly we'd all have to use umbrellas all the time.
However this is a UNESCO site. Hadrian's Wall. Which makes it extra complex?
I am pretty sure an inventive police force can come up with *something*, and if they can't then throw the villain to the social media wolves, anyway. Force them to emigrate
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1171225/FC_Tree_Felling_4_July_23_WEB.pdf
However others are saying that a 16 year old would have needed help, driving there, carrying the equipment - all of this at mdnight in a storm. It won't just be him
It was a clear on-air cock-up where Wootton, as host, didn't rein in Fox as rogue guest, didn't challenge the point, and didn't apologise to the viewers and move on quickly. It seems a pretty open and shut breach of the Broadcasting Code and, to avoid a fairly hefty fine, GB News have to be seen to be taking it seriously and taking prompt action.
GB News just can't do that if the host is claiming he did nothing wrong. So the choice he'd have been offered is apologise and be suspended, or don't and be sacked. If he was sacked, it'd be hard for him to get another broadcasting job - it's not like he's a rare talent and it's a fundamental requirement to take direction.
"Heritage crime is defined as any crime or behaviour that harms the value of England's heritage assets to this and future generations. These assets may include Scheduled Monuments; Conservation Areas; Grade 1 and 2 Listed Buildings; World Heritage Sites; Protected Marine Wreck Sites and Military Remains; and other sites of archaeological interest."
https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/criminal-damage
Hadrian's is a World Heritage Site
Let’s hope if it’s done damage whilst falling to Hadrian’s wall they can do the culprit for damage to a listed monument.
Fecking clueless.
Judges and magistrates told to consider high prison population opting for suspended sentences instead of immediate jail terms
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/sep/28/criminals-in-england-and-wales-spared-jail-sentences-because-of-overcrowding
None of this Excel nonsense.
I presume this 16 year old is now seriously frightened in a police station and is spilling the beans; if his name gets out his life will be misery, whatever happens
Why am I wasting my breath on the clown? Because unfortunately he's Britain's unelected Prime Minister.
Meanwhile Labour lead is 21% in today's YouGov.
Can't we just get this over and done with?