Flood Prone U.K.

[Dave H]

The heavy rain has been patchy.

The plants in my garden are wilting as I've not watered them enough. 

The Northamptonshire uplands are usually wetter than this year, being the first 'high' ground for westerly winds since mid-Wales. Not draught mind you, but I have been watering my (outdoor) plants all summer.

The 'garden' water collects in a but from our en-suite shower.  :halo:

 

[whitelackington]

I have just moved my stuff upstairs, I went to Mendip Friday morning in a downpour
reasonable weather on Mendip.
On returning home to Royal Berkshire, my next door neighbour said friday, the water had been within half an inch of the floor level.
We are expecting worse tomorrow.

 

[anfieldman]

Made the really stupid mistake of visiting some friends in Swindon over the weekend. They own boats moored in Lechlade, Glos. I took them their to check if they were on the bank.
Here were the results.

This was where my car stalled (it was only about 6 inches deep). Bloody Citroens! The air intake is about 7 inches off the ground I found out later.

The car park at Lechlade. Now home to swans.

My mates boats are the two behind the narrowboat.

These pictures were taken on Saturday. When we went back to get my car the next morning the water had risen another foot at least.

Still, there are good things out of this. I could not go to work today (my head office is in Gloucester) and the other half will probably join me tomorrow because she is due to go to Stourport-on-Severn. No chance.

 

[AndyF]

but it's 19th century method of working and needs to be brought into line with any other employment.

Agree with this. Ultimately, the price of food will have to rise.

What do you mean by "any other employment"?  Not moaning about our lot in life at all, but Anne & I can conceivably work (when it's busy and not going well) 90hrs per week, before deducting meal/coffee breaks etc. 65 - 70hrs would be the norm.

So, to cut a long story short, if there's no cheap labour, ie a higher minimum wage, inflation will rise along with interest rates. Not nice for mortgages or the economy

But if wages rise, then people can pay the higher mortgages.... there is always a balance, and the adjustment in prices is a one off correction, not a permenant change. The higher wages result in a more distributed tax burden too, as fewer people are in the no-tax bracket.

Fewer people means lower housing demand though too, so house prices will fall. Higher mortgages are thus less of a problem.

Its all a case of deciding what sort of society/economy you want to have, Mexico or Sweeden, Turkey or Germany, which would you choose.

A stable population is sustainable, an ever growing one is not. 100 milion in Britain by 2030? Is that a better or worse country to live in?

 

[cap n chris]

100 milion in Britain by 2030

Really?

Given that the Government announced this week that it intends to see a further 3million houses built by 2020 (i.e. NOWHERE NEAR ENOUGH), where is this extra 40million people to be housed? - caravan parks?

 

[AndyF]

100 milion in Britain by 2030

Really?

Given that the Government announced this week that it intends to see a further 3million houses built by 2020 (i.e. NOWHERE NEAR ENOUGH), where is this extra 40million people to be housed? - caravan parks?

Not my figure....

..but the date that figure is reached doesnt matter it it's 2030 or 2040 or 2050, thing is would it be a better or worse society for it....?  I know what  I think.

If you want to limit CO2 emmisions, limiting the population is  good way to do. 10% more people = 10% more emmisions, 10% more traffic etc.

If you dont want to build on Green belt and flood plains then leave the population static, that is truly sustainable.

 

[cap n chris]

limiting the population is  good way to do.

= political suicide....

= won't happen!

 

[shotlighter]

limiting the population is  good way to do.

= political suicide....

= won't happen!

For whom? Given the light weight, unelelectable, political nonentities (of all parties) that currently inhabibit Westminster, how much harder do the buggers need to try inorder to commit political suicide?

 

[whitelackington]

If we stay in The Common Market will will continue to be forced to take European immigrants.
If we leave, we can locked our doors SHUT.
I want us to leave for this reason.
Norway & Switzerland don't do too bad do they?

 

[cap n chris]

Norway & Switzerland don't do too bad do they?

The 2nd and 3rd most expensive countries in which to live in Europe (after Iceland) are probably likely to appear attractive (until you live there!).

 

[AndyF]

limiting the population is  good way to do.

= political suicide....

= won't happen!

Australia manages it.....


Since the UK population is slightly in decline if immigration is taken out of the equation, then there is a simple anwer..... and I think you'd find it was quite a vote winner.

I'm not on about chinese style, just lean the tax system and immigration control, withdraw from the UN Conventions on refugees etc.

Did anyone see the TV program about Slough yesterday, with people building squatter camps in their back yards to rent out to people... Quite amazing, and the council guy saying "we cant do anything we can only visit one a week"

 

[graham]

If we stay in The Common Market will will continue to be forced to take European immigrants.
If we leave, we can locked our doors SHUT.
I want us to leave for this reason.
Norway & Switzerland don't do too bad do they?

Norway and Switzerland are, as has been noted, somewhat more expensive to live in. It is also the case that their economies are not as reliant on international trade in either goods or services. If we left the EU, then 10 minutes later (or more likely a year earlier) all those foreign businesses who have invested in this country, who have built factories in this country, will have relocated to eastern Europe, where wage levels are relatively low and from where they would not be excluded from the Market.

Whatever the Daily Mail might like, UK businesses know that we are solidly tied to Europe.

 

[graham]

Australia manages it.....

Australia's screwed anyway, because of the water shortages.

 

[cap n chris]

If Australia's so great why does everyone leave?

 

[whitelackington]

If we stay in The Common Market will will continue to be forced to take European immigrants.
If we leave, we can locked our doors SHUT.
I want us to leave for this reason.
Norway & Switzerland don't do too bad do they?

Norway and Switzerland are, as has been noted, somewhat more expensive to live in. It is also the case that their economies are not as reliant on international trade in either goods or services. If we left the EU, then 10 minutes later (or more likely a year earlier) all those foreign businesses who have invested in this country, who have built factories in this country, will have relocated to eastern Europe, where wage levels are relatively low and from where they would not be excluded from the Market.

Whatever the Daily Mail might like, UK businesses know that we are solidly tied to Europe.

I think you will find than international businesses will in any way be relocating to Eastern Europe,
we will of course have NO say whatever occurs.
Democracy, what democracy. :-\

 

[Hughie]

If we stay in The Common Market will will continue to be forced to take European immigrants.
If we leave, we can locked our doors SHUT.
I want us to leave for this reason.
Norway & Switzerland don't do too bad do they?

Norway and Switzerland are, as has been noted, somewhat more expensive to live in. It is also the case that their economies are not as reliant on international trade in either goods or services. If we left the EU, then 10 minutes later (or more likely a year earlier) all those foreign businesses who have invested in this country, who have built factories in this country, will have relocated to eastern Europe, where wage levels are relatively low and from where they would not be excluded from the Market.

Whatever the Daily Mail might like, UK businesses know that we are solidly tied to Europe.

I think you will find than international businesses will in any way be relocating to Eastern Europe,
we will of course have NO say whatever occurs.
Democracy, what democracy. :-\

Already happening/happened.

 

[Dave H]

Since the UK population is slightly in decline if immigration is taken out of the equation, then there is a simple anwer..... and I think you'd find it was quite a vote winner.

The UK population of European genetic descent is the fastest falling population group!

 

[AndyF]

Norway and Switzerland are, as has been noted, somewhat more expensive to live in.

They seem expensive to an outsider, but to people who live there and are in tune with the economy it will seem normal...

Seems expensive to us as we are living in a low-wage economy...

Bit like Mexicans going to the USA, seems expensive to Mexicans, normal to Americans...

Probably doesnt seem expensive to Icelanders.....  since they do not havea low-wage economy.

 

[whitelackington]

what would you prefere they do?

Implement policy to limit population growth. The figures a few years ago were a net increasing population of 600 PER DAY (due mainly to EU immigration) Thus you need 150 new homes PER DAY to meet this demand.

Stop this from happening and you stop the DEMAND for new homes, so you dont have to build those 3 million new homes.

Simple really....

we need to find more homes for people somwhere,

clearly we dont - see comment above.

the best allternative in my opinion is to make secound homes unafordable by puting a rediculsly heigh tax on them but this will never happen (i doubt many polliticians dont have secound homes)

....so that would be the end of the rental sector, since there is no technical/legal difference between a second home and a buy-to-let property rented out by a landlord. Do you want to put 200,00 rental home businesses out of business when they are performing a legal and required service? Of course what would happen is rental prices would simply go through the roof to cover landlords "tax", transferring a the tax to the poorest group of society. This is unclear thinking..

Far too many foriegners allowed into Britain

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6913296.stm

 

[cap n chris]

Legitimately, note.