Re: Gardening Thread.

[bb1]

http://news.sky.com/story/1207977/flooding-in-the-uk-live-updates

Matthew Bayley
@MattBayleySky
"Lions led by donkeys" Berkshire resident tells @bowdenatsky that Chris Smith should resign after EA build sandbag wall but left gap at end

What can you say to that? IMO, the situation is now spiralling out of any hope of control, with yet more bad weather expected to hit the affected areas.

[lily]

Utter stupidity, is what I say to that, Bonny.  Anyone can push a pen and appear "the big I am" when necessary, but as for knowing what needs to be done AHEAD of time?  

They need people with a practical, problem solving type of brain who has the ability and guts to do things and do them properly.  

Do you think that the EA Minister knows what to do in the practical sense?   Clueless......

[bb1]

As his most recent pronouncement has been to declare continuing to send countless millions to nations with their own space programmes as 'aid', as this helps stop global warming, a wonderful idea -

No, I don't think he has the foggiest idea what he's doing.

[lily]

Some of those places receiving aid have great wealth.   

He has been caught with his trousers down is the problem.

[bb1]

But in Westminster tensions have grown at the highest levels about the way the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs reacted to the floods.
Mr Paterson in particular is accused of botching the response, leaving his wellington boots in his car while visiting Somerset, blaming Dutch settlers under Charles I for draining the Levels and refusing to support claims the storms are linked to climate change.
Senior government sources have expressed surprise that Mr Paterson repeatedly insisted the situation was under control, with junior ministers chairing Cobra meetings in the early days of the crisis.
One Cabinet minister told MailOnline: ‘He just isn’t very bright. Most of the people around the Cabinet table are bright, even if I disagree with them, but not Owen. He isn’t climate sceptic, he’s climate stupid.’


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2555684/Environment-Secretary-Owen-Paterson-dismissed-stupid-complains-Number-10-attacks-Environment-Agency.html#ixzz2sx5X4Tbj
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Paterson's people are fighting with that fat fool Pickles and Pickles is fighting with the slimmer fool Lord Smith of the Environment Agency.

I must say, it's a long time since Charles I got blamed for anything.

[lily]

It just goes to show how pathetic that lot are.  Now wonder everything is in the state it is.  

Did you notice this link in that article?   It seems they can find money for things they deem necessary like saving their sorry rear ends.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2555667/Environment-Agency-bosses-spent-2-4million-PR-refused-1-7million-dredging-key-Somerset-rivers-stopped-flooding.html

[bb1]

Oh yes, I noticed that - and I am sure the swamped southern English public have, too.

Do you know, Cameron has never actually had a real job?

Cameron studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Brasenose College, Oxford, gaining a first-class honours degree in 1988. He then joined the Conservative Research Department and became Special Adviser to Norman Lamont, and then to Michael Howard. He was Director of Corporate Affairs at Carlton Communications for seven years.
He was defeated in his first candidacy for Parliament at Stafford in 1997, but was elected in 2001 as the Member of Parliament for the Oxfordshire constituency of Witney. He was promoted to the Opposition front bench two years later, and rose rapidly to become head of policy co-ordination during the 2005 general election campaign. With a public image of a youthful, moderate candidate who would appeal to young voters, he won the Conservative leadership election in 2005.[2]

[Sabot]

Are any of them any better than him? I don't think so.

[bb1]

That's what's so terrifying, Sabot - none of that shower are any improvement.

[lily]

I don't think that that is solely happening in the UK either.

[bb1]

You'll be relieved to know that common sense hasn't deserted everyone:

http://www.panthic.org/articles/5535

SOMERSET, UK (KP) – Residents of Somerset and Burrowbridge expressed their gratitude to Sikh volunteers from humanitarian organization Khalsa Aid after they delivered sand bags and emergency supplies to the flood victims of these south western resort towns.

Khalsa Aid was one of the first NGOs to have provided relief and hands on assistance for these flood ravaged communities which have been devastated by the recent floods.

The charity helped distribute sand bags, bottled water, food, warm clothing, antiseptic fluid and other essentials to those in dire need.

Khalsa Aid, director, Ravi Singh, in an interview to Sky News, stated that "this is our community; these are our countrymen who are in dire need."

"I never knew the amount of devastation until we drove around to get to this place, we had to go several different routes and it’s amazing. The floods … the fields are like lakes. It’s unbelievable, how they will recover from this disaster?” stated Ravi Singh.
In a seperate interview with BBC Radio, Ravinder Singh stated "We are basically here to show support four our countrymen because we work at international level normally. The main message is we all need to do something. This is a huge disaster and we ned to get involved and help to get people back on their feet."

“When you turn up on the door of someone who is going through a hard time one thing you can offer is hope, you are not alone.”

“I think people are a bit amazed to see us with turbans and flowing beards, but at the end of the day what they see is a human being, and we see our fellow countrymen suffering.”

Commenting on whether the UK Government should redirect overseas assistance funds to these local national disasters, Ravinder Singh commented: “If they are giving money to the Indian regime with a nuclear weapons programmed and they are giving foreign aid it makes you wonder on moral grounds why don’t they give half of that £250 million to these people who need it. The people in the country who make that foreign aid possible are suffering.”

Khalsa Aid, which was launched in 1999 by volunteers and extends humanitarian aid, has coordinated relief efforts in disasters and emergencies in various parts of the world, including the Philippines, Haiti, Gujarat, Orissa, Punjab, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Syria.

[lily]

That is really lovely to read what they have done.  

Commenting on whether the UK Government should redirect overseas assistance funds to these local national disasters, Ravinder Singh commented: “If they are giving money to the Indian regime with a nuclear weapons programmed and they are giving foreign aid it makes you wonder on moral grounds why don’t they give half of that £250 million to these people who need it. The people in the country who make that foreign aid possible are suffering.”


Spoken in truth.  The politicians should be ashamed.   

[bb1]

And for how many years now have government been ignoring warnings and allowing buildings on flood plains? Cameron's spivvy chums want to tear up Green Belt legislation and build wherever they feel like.

[lily]

It's coming home to roost.  The in-fighting is only to be expected as the problem becomes worse and worse.  Smart people plan for the worst case scenarios.........

[bb1]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/10629749/UK-flooding-homeowners-knew-the-risk-says-Environment-Agency-chairman.html

Unbelievable. Are they taking Marie Antoinette and her views on cake-eating as a role model?

[lily]

He (Smith) has been caught out as incompetent, as are others. So, instead of figuring out how to alleviate some of the problems, which they are clueless about, they deny responsibility.  

Who would want someone like that in charge?

[lily]

Interesting read here.  Some of the comments hit the spot.  

A sample....

Karl Turner MP @KarlTurnerMP
Follow
@David_Cameron Have you fessed up to slashing flood defence budget by 41% and @EnvAgency lost 1500 staff? Against advice! Sorry now?
12:28 PM - 10 Feb 2014


http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/10/alarm-and-anger-over-britains-lack-of-preparation-flood-social-media-and-the-web/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

[lily]

http://www.citytalk.fm/news/uk-and-world/20140210-uk-floods-could-last-months-scientist-warns/


UK Floods Could Last Months, Scientist Warns

Posted on Monday 10 February 2014






Story Highlight
Scientists have told Sky News that groundwater levels are now so high that parts of Britain face a serious risk of flooding for weeks or even months to come.



© 2014 Sky News, all rights reserved


Scientists have told Sky News that groundwater levels are now so high that parts of Britain face a serious risk of flooding for weeks or even months to come.
Andy McKenzie, a groundwater scientist at the British Geological Survey, told Sky News that even if the rain stopped today, so much water is soaking through the soil that levels are likely to keep rising for another two months.
The risk of flooding could remain high until May, he said.
Figures exclusively revealed to Sky News show that boreholes used to measure the height of the water table are overflowing in many areas, with the highest levels ever recorded.
According to the data from the British Geological Survey nine of the 14 boreholes in southern England are now showing "exceptionally high levels".
At Chilgrove House in Sussex the groundwater level at the end of January beat records going back 179 years.
And at a borehole at The Well House Inn in Surrey the extraordinary rainfall has pushed up the water table by 20 metres in the last two weeks.
The British Geological Survey estimates 1.6 million properties in England and Wales are at risk of groundwater flooding.
They tend to be in low-lying areas where water is pushed up through rocks. They can be in normally dry areas, far from rivers and streams.
The Environment Agency (EA) has already issued groundwater flood alerts for parts of south London, Kent, Surrey, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset.
The EA warns that cellars are likely to flood, and if groundwater seeps into sewers, there could be pollution. Roads could also be closed by rising water levels.
In the winter of 2000-01 groundwater flooding of the Patcham area of Brighton cost £800,000 and cut off the London to Brighton railway line.
Water flowing underground is also likely to mean the Somerset Levels will remain flooded well into the Spring.
Sky News descended through a pothole in the Mendip Hills to access a network of caves that stretches for several miles.
Huge volumes of water are cascading through the tunnels, heading for the low-lying areas.
Andy Sparrow of Caveclimb has been exploring the system for several decades. He said he has never seen it so wet for so long.
With more storms forecast this week, and no sign the jet stream is moving north to its normal position, large areas of Britain are at risk of further flooding.
:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

• Related stories
  
• Floods: Cameron 'Backs The Environment Agency'
  
• River Thames Floods Homes In 'Major Incident'
  
• Floods: Storms To Shift To North By Month's End
  

[lily]

The Daily Mail have got something very right.

This is the photo to the story.  Hooray for them!



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-26130041

[Sabot]

Hi, Lily. From this side of The Channel things are looking increasingly gob smacking. But the British politics usually does.

Love the bit about Blame the Victims. Land reclamation has been going on for centuries but it has to be carefully maintained. Every fool knows that.

[Sabot]

And that's another thing. Britain has been rushing to the aid of all foreign disasters for many years. But charity begins at home.

But never mind. I expect that The Government will just rescind my Winter Fuel Allowance. They've only just given it to me so I probably won't miss it, they think. And that should save a few bob.

[lily]

Hi Sabot.  I got really angry about all this.  

Yes, charity should begin at home.  Read this I copied from some article or another just now.  It's unbelievably well....contemptible when you think of it.  Most developed countries help other countries out when they have disasters.  This is a disaster but some idiots don't seem to care?

I hope they do give you your allowance.  Why not?




Eric Pickles is in Parliament for an urgent question.
He said: "there is a high risk that the Thames, the Severn and the Wye will flood in the middle of the week."
He also said that equal attention should be given to foreign flood victims as well as those in the UK.


http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/uk-weather-recap-more-flood-3130173#ixzz2szAjLMuI 
Follow us: @DailyMirror on Twitter | DailyMirror on Facebook

[Sabot]

The needs of The West Country have always been ignored, Lily. Used and abused during the brief holiday season, and then abandoned to get on with it for the rest of the year. I lived there for long enough to know that this is true.

[lily]

There is more bad weather headed that way too as there is another bad storm here about to hit at any time. 

It can only get worse?

[Sabot]

I am going to have to do something about my absent neighbour's shed roof today. It is banging about in the wind. And not only do I not want it in my garden, I don't suppose she wants to lose it.

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