we thought we were dealing with experts."

Therein lies the biggest problem with modern governments!

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we thought we were dealing with experts."

Therein lies the biggest problem with modern governments!

I see they have replied.

Lord Smith: 'EA staff know 100 times more than any politician about flooding'

Environment Agency chairman says Treasury spending rules have limited the amount of dredging in the Somerset Levels

He added: "In Somerset the maximum we were allowed under those rules to do was £400,000. A year ago we put the maximum we can do on the table and said here it is and now we need other people to come to the table as well. That did not happen. We were not allowed to do the full dredging…"

Presumably now that London and the Home Counties are at risk, we will see government action, on flood prevention etc.

But probably it will be an inquiry that will not sit until July, when everyone**, but those affected personally will have forgotten about it, and it will get downgraded to, to not very important, and reports will only appear on the inside pages of the serious papers.

**By everyone, I mean those that should be keeping this problem in the public's eye.

No Government can control the weather, no government has unlimited funds to prevent every possible occurrence. You take sensible precautions, and then deal with unexpected emergencies as best you can when they happen.

Pickles clearly thinks you can!!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2555438/Fury-Pickles-says-aid-abroad-stops-floods-Minister-claims-cash-helps-battle-against-global-warming.html
There's a hole in this bucker called Government, this hole is getting bigger and bigger and bigger. Our friends our there in this world...weep for us for we are
in the controlling hands of imbeciles.

If anyone thinks they can do better, then they are perfectly free to stand for election. In the meantime let's see some stiff British upper lip in the face of adversity, and stop running around like headless chickens!

Oh dear, not a good choice of words here Chris since our government ministers have shown themselves to be a bunch of brainless CHICKENS!!!

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The Kite Fliers

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Kite fliers: An imaginary club of solo members, those who don't yet
belong to a formal team so "fly their own kites" - as the saying goes.

Not a good choice of words for you either Nick! Basic anatomy would automatically presume headless means brainless. No doubt your oppo, our resident Mr Misery guts, will be along later to enlighten us with some more pearls of wisdom :-)

I do hope so......
Sorry that the truth hurts...Pickles has not denied the Mails headline statement!!

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The Kite Fliers

--------------------
Kite fliers: An imaginary club of solo members, those who don't yet
belong to a formal team so "fly their own kites" - as the saying goes.

But as I said before No government can control the weather.

Someone tell Pickles.....Now If Pickles was to stand in the despatch box, turn
towards the government front bench, point at them and openly states, " We all
balls'd-up, didn't we" it would then go a very long way in making amends with
the public.

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The Kite Fliers

--------------------
Kite fliers: An imaginary club of solo members, those who don't yet
belong to a formal team so "fly their own kites" - as the saying goes.

The point is Nick that the popular press are having a field day on the backs of the peoples misery. Do you hear the Daily Mail donating 1/2 a million quid to the flood relief effort? Of course you don't, and you won't. All that those sort of gutter rags do is make money out of other peoples misfortunes.

No-no-no!!! This is a very serious issues which came about through government
ministerial incompetence. Smith should have been sacked with disgrace, but since
he hasn't is this because some one much higher up is actually to blame here???

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The Kite Fliers

--------------------
Kite fliers: An imaginary club of solo members, those who don't yet
belong to a formal team so "fly their own kites" - as the saying goes.

Don't talk utter tosh! If you want to blame anything or anyone, blame Mother nature, and the vagaries of the current weather. You are sounding just like all the others that just want to undermine the government so we can have civil disorder on the streets. You weren't like this previously, have you been talking too much to known anarchists?

BBC

Oh dear me Chris, you are well behind the curve, seems I know more about what
all three parties were warned of several years back than what you do....or your
keeping quiet over IT!!!!. Using the the term, "Undermine Government and
Anarchist" is nothing more than bluff coming from a bluffer. Independent
scientists warn both this and the previous government what global warming would
highly likely lead to in the UK. Yes, the outrageous calamity set before us
today. So you have the audacity to categorise me as an anarchist...shame on you
Chris.

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The Kite Fliers

--------------------
Kite fliers: An imaginary club of solo members, those who don't yet
belong to a formal team so "fly their own kites" - as the saying goes.

The simple fact remains that it was a damn silly place to build a railway!!! You only have to lose Dawlish or a station either side of it, and you cut off the whole of Cornwall. Any system fit for purpose needs to have built in redundancy. Brunel might have been a famous man, but even he didn't get it right all the time. They've got away with it for very many years, despite the known history, now they will HAVE to do something about it. And quite right too. By all means repair the scenic route via Dawlish, but it cannot be relied upon any more as a main arterial link to Cornwall. Bugger the damn tourists and anoraks, give us a railway fit for the 21C.

Latest proposals

Dawlish history

Nostalgia

Isn't the problem that Beeching closed the wrong rail lines to cope with present situation. Concentrating on keeping open the lines that generated the most income.

The old L&SW rail was the line that took the center route towards Lands End. Which basically forced Brunel to take the coastal route for Gods Wonderful Railway (GWR).

They had a similar closure in France at around the same time i believe. The difference is they didn't subsequently build housing estates and such on the land. So a few decades later when they wanted the railways again, they just laid new track et voila. But i suppose that's the joy of having a larger country in the first place.

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

Been trying to find info on European floodplain policy abroad. Can't find much
other than that with reference to agricultural use. I wonder if this means they
don't permit the building of domestic dwellings on floodplains abroad???

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The Kite Fliers

--------------------
Kite fliers: An imaginary club of solo members, those who don't yet
belong to a formal team so "fly their own kites" - as the saying goes.

Like many things its down to the individual nations. The Dutch have some very pragmatic rules, like if you build on a flood plain you must be elevated above the height of the local flood defenses either on a platform or stilts. And of course the Dutch use their flood plains for what they are intended....

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

Like many things its down to the individual nations. The Dutch have some very pragmatic rules, like if you build on a flood plain you must be elevated above the height of the local flood defenses either on a platform or stilts. And of course the Dutch use their flood plains for what they are intended....

Building on stilts when on floodplains has been discussed on various web sites
and in time may be come part of the building Regs & Act in time. But here lies
the big problem it will become part of the Act hence will not be a Law. A Law
you can't break but an Act can be over-ridden by the Planning inspectorate.
Hence why big business is able to over-ride local planning procedures in the
face of objections by Councils and their local tax payers. Got a lot of big
changes to make in the UK....big changes.

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The Kite Fliers

--------------------
Kite fliers: An imaginary club of solo members, those who don't yet
belong to a formal team so "fly their own kites" - as the saying goes.

Here in the states They are now addressing building in flood plains by chargeing the hell out of you for flood insurance. And also revising the flood plain maps and chargeing more flood insurance. I have a freind at work he bought a house in a 100 year flood plain. His insurance was $350.00 US a year. IT is now $5,000.00 US a year. He cant afford to live there. But who will buy his house now? His isnt the only story around either. Many housing sales were stopped because of if.

So in effect the Government has stopped peolpe building in flood plains.
It would be cheaper to move the house than pay $5,000 a year for insurance.

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[/quote]

Old James

Well folks it's getting closer to home. The Thames within 10 miles of me is at it highest levels for over 31 years, and major flooding is happening along it with homes being evacuated in Shepperton and Chertsey just 10 miles away, and all towpaths under water. Some underground car parks in my town are at serious risk of being flooded very shortly and are being cleared of vehicles. The army is on immediate standby, and the local MP and the Council, have already identified and prepared potential evacuation centres for refugees. My weather station recored 1" rain in the last 24 hours.

This isn't rural Somerset peeps, this is in Greater London, just 12 miles from Westminster!! I've lived here also since 1983, and it never has been as bad as this, and looks to get worse as well. It is no wonder the Government flood relief effort was slow to start, I can hardly believe it myself now it's on my own doorstep .....

If you can work out a way to send it to central Aussieland I'm sure that there are some people out there who would love it. ;-)

Cheers.

This isn't rural Somerset peeps, this is in Greater London, just 12 miles from Westminster!! I've lived here also since 1983, and it never has been as bad as this, and looks to get worse as well. It is no wonder the Government flood relief effort was slow to start, I can hardly believe it myself now it's on my own doorstep .....

Just 12 miles away from something getting done about it then!
Call me cynical.

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

Hello Mr, Cynical :-)

There is nothing that can be DONE about it, you can only ALLEVIATE it ....

Come up with a way to control the weather and you'll get a Nobel Prize :-)

Last person who could do that got nailed to a tree 2000 years ago!

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

I've got a spare bucket if that's any good to you Chris??

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The Kite Fliers

--------------------
Kite fliers: An imaginary club of solo members, those who don't yet
belong to a formal team so "fly their own kites" - as the saying goes.

Saw an interesting bit of video yesterday - someone lifting the cap on a bore hole. The pipe stood some way above ground level, and water was coming out of the hole at quite a rate...

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

I might yet need it Nick! The recreation ground at the back of me has groundwater on it which is threatening to overflow into my back garden. And I'm way above river level. Keep the offer open as long as your middle name isn't Liza ....

...Nay, but as you can see, Henry still has a problem!!

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The Kite Fliers

--------------------
Kite fliers: An imaginary club of solo members, those who don't yet
belong to a formal team so "fly their own kites" - as the saying goes.