While we're on the subject of railways, but on a more cheerful note, the National Railway Museum in York is well worth the visit if you're in the area.
While we're on the subject of railways, but on a more cheerful note, the National Railway Museum in York is well worth the visit if you're in the area.
It really is. If you have kids, they’ll probably love it, even if you personally dislike trains. If you’re ambivalent about trains, the history is still interesting. And the food’s decent.
My last UK Christmas party was there, it’s a neat place.
Yeah, I get that HS2 will free up capacity along that line, but I remain sure that the original £30 billion, never mind the now £100 billion, would have been better spent across the northern public transport infrastructure as a whole. Not long a go I took a Swedish visitor on a pacer train in Co. Durham and she was delighted, thinking I'd arranged a day on some kind of charming historical line.
This is to say nothing of the fact HS2 will carve up vast swathes of irreplaceable ancient woodland.
The mess of the railways in the UK is a bloody crime. Frankly given how small we are we should be perfect for a rail system to get us everywhere. Maybe this is what we get for being the first to invent the mass rail system, we're stuck with the MK1 railways built in 1802 with no political will to replace them.
So, as an ignorant American for whom everything he knows about Irish politics comes from about an hour on wikipedia, what is it keeping the two center rightish parties in Ireland from working together here? They seem like they should be right in cahoots except for the part where they disagreed very, very strongly on something a century ago.
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My friend is working on a roguelike game you can play if you want to. (It has free demo)
In a lot of ways they've basically become the same party, who have taken turns to lead the country since its founding. They deny this. The outgoing Fine Gael government had a confidence and supply agreement with Fianna Fáil - so not actually a coalition, but the voters saw it as one, as Fianna Fáil didn't really do all that much opposing from the opposition benches. Sinn Féin managed to capitalise on this - surprising everyone, Sinn Féin included.
They've had a good stitch up going for hundred years telling the voters that it's a choice between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, but if they go into government together then the narrative becomes a choice between Sinn Féin and the other two and they're terrified of that happening.
So, as an ignorant American for whom everything he knows about Irish politics comes from about an hour on wikipedia, what is it keeping the two center rightish parties in Ireland from working together here? They seem like they should be right in cahoots except for the part where they disagreed very, very strongly on something a century ago.
That and every election campaign they run sort of relies on portraying themselves as being an absolutely totally different alternative to each other rather than just more of the same. Going into government with one another as coalition partners pretty much confirms that Sinn Féin was right about them, and about Sinn Féin being the only viable alternative.
Plus they STILL wouldn’t reach the magic 80, so they’d need a third coalition partner like the Green Party. Who are probably loathe to associate themselves with the right again, given they barely recovered last time.
surrealitychecklonely, but not unloveddreaming of faulty keys and latchesRegistered Userregular
edited February 2020
a very interesting point i did not realise: a consequence of the paperwork burden on non-eu imports is that broadly our trade with the eu consists of a lot of mixed loads on lorries - ie lots of different goods in a single container, while our imports from elsewhere tend to be a single good ( only one commodity code, only one set of paperwork ). so it is not the case that a lot of our existing eu trade is a move to "the same thing we do for elsewhere", it is "restructure your entire import process in order to make it only just as much of a ballache as importing from elsewhere or pay a freight consolidator for bonus overhead"
The problem with trains as a way to reduce car use in the UK is trains are too fucking expensive. I have to go to London from Bristol regularly and it costs over £150, unless I delay my return journey until after 7:30pm* (plus the expense/hassle of getting to the train station in the first place). Driving it costs like £30 in fuel. It's bullshit.
I can't imagine HS2 is going to offer budget travel.
* Then it only costs £60. So still double driving, yay.
that's insane.
I can travel a similar distance in germany on a train for 25 euros.
Even with a "normal" train ticket it can be done for 40ish.
Only one way though. Fun thing though is that due to the quirks of German ticketing system a train ticket from Hannover to Hamburg (similar distance as London Bristol) costs 45€ normaly, 18€ for booking a few weeks ahead for the no frills version and 27€ for the no frills first class tickets.
no, as a day ticket. the bayern ticket costs 26 euros and gets me any where i want to travel to within bavaria.
there are some limitations to it (valid grom 9am during the week) but even then, the same savings can be achieved by purchasing a db50 card.
Because while God created the Earth, the Dutch built Holland? They know dams damn well.
EDIT: isn't there also evidence that the North Sea was all lowlands during the Ice Age? Maybe it's a secret plot to bring back Hyboria.
My guess is the Dutch think if they can bring back doggerland they'll be able to multiply the size of their country by ten. Anyway even if Norway and France agree to it we would never do it because we need that sea to stop Germans invading.
Because while God created the Earth, the Dutch built Holland? They know dams damn well.
EDIT: isn't there also evidence that the North Sea was all lowlands during the Ice Age? Maybe it's a secret plot to bring back Hyboria.
"If Britain wants to leave Europe, we will bring Europe to the British."
I, for one, welcome our new European overlords.
Wait a sec...
During the last ice-age, the ocean levels were low enough for there to be a land bridge between England and Europe. With that dam, one could control the water levels enough to potentially recreate that. Good luck claiming that England isn't part of the continent at that point. Checkmate, anti-EU Brits!
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like, first thats an ecological disaster, then its an economic disaster, and then, when it fails, its a natural disaster.
The triple crown
To be completely fair to the people proposing it, they acknowledge this, and even go so far as to state that part of the point is to reinforce that action is required now with regards to climate change, or things like this become the only solutions left
like, first thats an ecological disaster, then its an economic disaster, and then, when it fails, its a natural disaster.
The triple crown
To be completely fair to the people proposing it, they acknowledge this, and even go so far as to state that part of the point is to reinforce that action is required now with regards to climate change, or things like this become the only solutions left
Consider it practice for colonizing other worlds. We'd have to screw up the Earth pretty damn hard to make it impossible to terraform back into inhabitability.
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H3KnucklesBut we decide which is rightand which is an illusion.Registered Userregular
From what I read the kind of deal the EU plans to achieve, an association agreement, will need to be unanimously approved by all EU members and not just by a majority, like a simpler trade deal would need. So that's going to be fun.
From what I read the kind of deal the EU plans to achieve, an association agreement, will need to be unanimously approved by all EU members and not just by a majority, like a simpler trade deal would need. So that's going to be fun.
Remember when the EU and Canada worked on a trade deal for years, and then, just when it was looking like everything was worked out, part of Belgium threw a fit and almost ruined the whole thing after all that work? Not Belgium, one part of Belgium?
And the EU and Canada are on pretty good terms, on the whole. While the UK government has... done little to foster goodwill in recent times, let's say.
From what I read the kind of deal the EU plans to achieve, an association agreement, will need to be unanimously approved by all EU members and not just by a majority, like a simpler trade deal would need. So that's going to be fun.
On the other hand, the EU have been careful to thrash out exactly what every member wants in advance and to include it in negotiations from the very beginning, so there shouldn’t be any reason for any member state to veto the deal for additional concessions. Honestly the process of negotiating for so many countries at once is just far too complicated to let them do anything else.
If there’s last minute tantrum throwing and/or power plays, I don’t think it’ll be from the EU. We literally just don’t have the time or the energy for those sorts of games.
Julian Smith has been sacked as NI secretary. This came as a surprise to many as he'd been seen as doing a good job, certainly better than most of his recent predecessors.
Julian Smith has been sacked as NI secretary. This came as a surprise to many as he'd been seen as doing a good job, certainly better than most of his recent predecessors.
It's still pretty weird when I see Gove introduced as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. It's like out of my CK2 playthrough, but with more backstabbing.
Damnit, why does the world have to slip-n-slide into full-on fascism while the US and UK have Boris and Trump at the wheel? Russia at least got Putin, who seems ruthlessly competent, and China got Xi who at least pretends to care about his country.
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It really is. If you have kids, they’ll probably love it, even if you personally dislike trains. If you’re ambivalent about trains, the history is still interesting. And the food’s decent.
My last UK Christmas party was there, it’s a neat place.
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Pacers should actually be historical soonish.
Not charmingly, though.
We did have one, where you could cycle from almost anywhere to get to a train to go somewhere else and then cycle the last leg. We just got rid of it rather than keep maintaining it, deciding that buses would be a better replacement for local traffic.
They've had a good stitch up going for hundred years telling the voters that it's a choice between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, but if they go into government together then the narrative becomes a choice between Sinn Féin and the other two and they're terrified of that happening.
That and every election campaign they run sort of relies on portraying themselves as being an absolutely totally different alternative to each other rather than just more of the same. Going into government with one another as coalition partners pretty much confirms that Sinn Féin was right about them, and about Sinn Féin being the only viable alternative.
Plus they STILL wouldn’t reach the magic 80, so they’d need a third coalition partner like the Green Party. Who are probably loathe to associate themselves with the right again, given they barely recovered last time.
https://innovationorigins.com/a-dam-right-across-the-north-sea-might-be-a-protection-against-climate-change-but-the-design-is-for-now-primarily-a-warning/
Wouldn't that need to be south of the Caledonian Canal to even potentially work?
no, as a day ticket. the bayern ticket costs 26 euros and gets me any where i want to travel to within bavaria.
there are some limitations to it (valid grom 9am during the week) but even then, the same savings can be achieved by purchasing a db50 card.
Because while God created the Earth, the Dutch built Holland? They know dams damn well.
EDIT: isn't there also evidence that the North Sea was all lowlands during the Ice Age? Maybe it's a secret plot to bring back Hyboria.
"If Britain wants to leave Europe, we will bring Europe to the British."
My guess is the Dutch think if they can bring back doggerland they'll be able to multiply the size of their country by ten. Anyway even if Norway and France agree to it we would never do it because we need that sea to stop Germans invading.
Interesting point
The highest point on the canal is apparently Loch Oich at 32m above sea level, descending via locks in both directions from there
So I don't think it would present an issue
I, for one, welcome our new European overlords.
Wait a sec...
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During the last ice-age, the ocean levels were low enough for there to be a land bridge between England and Europe. With that dam, one could control the water levels enough to potentially recreate that. Good luck claiming that England isn't part of the continent at that point. Checkmate, anti-EU Brits!
The triple crown
That last one has an easy and historical solution. Just build an arc.
To be completely fair to the people proposing it, they acknowledge this, and even go so far as to state that part of the point is to reinforce that action is required now with regards to climate change, or things like this become the only solutions left
riiiiiiiiiight.
what's an ark?
"I got that reference."
"annnnnd now I remember where it's from. Whewboy that hasn't aged well."
Consider it practice for colonizing other worlds. We'd have to screw up the Earth pretty damn hard to make it impossible to terraform back into inhabitability.
Well if Sinn Fein get in at least the Blueshirts [Fine Gael]
will be kept out.
all the cards!
Remember when the EU and Canada worked on a trade deal for years, and then, just when it was looking like everything was worked out, part of Belgium threw a fit and almost ruined the whole thing after all that work? Not Belgium, one part of Belgium?
And the EU and Canada are on pretty good terms, on the whole. While the UK government has... done little to foster goodwill in recent times, let's say.
On the other hand, the EU have been careful to thrash out exactly what every member wants in advance and to include it in negotiations from the very beginning, so there shouldn’t be any reason for any member state to veto the deal for additional concessions. Honestly the process of negotiating for so many countries at once is just far too complicated to let them do anything else.
If there’s last minute tantrum throwing and/or power plays, I don’t think it’ll be from the EU. We literally just don’t have the time or the energy for those sorts of games.
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Can't be having competence in a Johnson cabinet.
Edit: Sky journalist:
Guardian liveblog:
On a lighter note, McVey, Cox, Leadsom, and Villiers are out too.
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Telegraph writer.
A cabinet of yes-men awaits. World King Johnson will expect no less than complete fealty. Very Trumpian...
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Reports are coming out that Javid's resigned. Holy shitsnacks.
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