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Paul Bigland

~ Blogging on transport, travel & whatever takes my fancy.

Paul Bigland

Monthly Archives: June 2018

A picture update

29 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Photography, Railways, Travel

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Photography, Railways, Travel

Anyone who’s been following my blog this week will know that I’ve been doing a lot of travelling and taken a huge variety of pictures. There’s far too many to add them all to my blogs but I have been busy adding them to my Zenfolio picture website. If you’d like to have a look, simply follow this link which will take you straight to the galleries the pictures have been divided between. It’s not all railways either as there’s quite a few travel pictures too. I’ll be adding a lot more over the next couple of day, so feel free to keep popping back!

Cheers,

Paul

Judgement day.

29 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in ACoRP, Community rail, I love my job, Photography

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ACoRP, Cummunity rail, Huddersfield, I love my job, Railways

Today’s been another busy day but one where I’ve remained mostly static! I’ve been at the ACoRP office in Huddersfield judging tbe shortlist for the annual ACoRP awards photographic competition along with fellow judges Paul Abell (ex Editor of Today’s Railways) and Nik Slocombe of ACoRP. It’s been a tough morning as we whittled down some excellent entries to a shortlist of just 10. The standard’s been very high this year, which means we’ve got a fantastic shortlist, but some pictures that would normally be a shoo-in had to be rejected. The shortlisted pictures will be put on SurveyMonkey on Monday for people to vote on. I’ll add a link when I have it.

Afterwards I put my other judges hat on and sifted the entries for the ‘It’s your station’ category of the awards. Now the hard work begins as Paul Cook and I have 25 stations up and down the land to visit and interview the groups involved. What’s lovely to see is we’ve a mix of long-standing groups, some returnees – and some who’ve never entered before. Groups who’ve been shortlisted will start hearing from me over the weekend as I arrange the schedule of visits.

Now it’s time to take a break and enjoy the sunshine outside ACoRP towers!

DG138747. ACoRP Office. Huddersfield. 17.2.13.

Rolling blog: Here we go again…

28 Thursday Jun 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in I love my job, Railways, Travel

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I love my job, Railways, Travel

Another day, another train! This morning I’m off to Shrewsbury to do a job for RAIL magazine. We’re visiting the largest mechanical signalbox on the UK, which I’m rather looking forward to!

Right now I’m heading across the Pennines via the Colne valley from Huddersfield rather than my usual route. I’ve not been this way since the timetable change, so it seems odd being on a TPE 185 that’s stopping at Marsden and Greenfield! One thing I did notice was how Network Rail have been busy clearing trees and bushes from the lineside. The work’s opened up new vistas on this scenic line.

As is often the case the Standedge tunnel doesn’t just seperate Yorkshire from Lancashire, it was the border between weather patterns too. High cloud and haze that was a feature in white rose territory gave way to clear blue sky in red rose land!

Shrewsbury. 10:57.

My time in Manchester was brief. I was there long enough to swap trains and head off again, this time with Arriva Trains Wales on one of their Alstom built Class 175s. For passenger comfort they’re hard to beat. The service was busy at first but only as far as Wilmslow, which was a bit of a surprise. I’d bagged a bay of 4 seats with a table so that I could catch up on editing some of the pictures I’ve taken over the past few days (expect a load to appear on my website over the weekend). In fact I was so engrossed Shrewsbury arrived in a blur! Now I’m swilling coffee in the station’s Starbucks, waiting for Paul Stephen from RAIL to arrive.

Shrewsbury’s a stunning station…

Now, if you’ve never been to Shrewsbury and you’re unfamiliar with Severn Bridge Junction signalbox, here it is in the background.

DG275706. 158824. Shrewsbury. 1.7.17

18:47. Recrossing the Pennines.

I’ve had a fasinating day thanks to Network Rail staff who gave Paul and I a brilliant tour of the largest mechanical signalbox left in the UK. You’ll be able to read all about it in a future edition of RAIL. Today was an ideal time to visit as the weather was perfect. It’s a heck of a vantage point being that high above the station triangle.

Was was less than ideal was the weather’s impact on my journey home. Speed restrictions were placed on several lines to to the danger of excessive heat buckling rails, so I had several nail-bitingly tight connections which left me missing my final one by a couple of minutes. Luckily, there’s more services in the new timetable so I’ll only be 17 mins adrift by the time I get home. I’m heading back on an old friend, 150120. This unit used to be one of the Silverlink fleet which worked my local line in London – the Gospel Oak to Barking. When the Class 172s arrived it transferred to First Great Western. Now it’s been cascaded to Northern!

Home. 22.14

It’s been a long day and I’ve got to start wearing another hat as an ACoRP awards judge tomorrow, so I thought I’d leave you with this picture. Ever wondered what the view might be like from Severn Bridge Junction signalbox? Here it is! Thanks to Paul Stephen for taking the picture.

DG301324

Rolling blog: Let’s do the time-warp again!

27 Wednesday Jun 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

Staying in ‘Skeggy’ feels very much like a time-warp! I’ve just nipped down for breakfast before heading out. My attendance lowered the overall age of the rooms occupants by a couple of years at least! Whilst folk ate breakfast a medley of 1940-50s tunes played softly in the background. Two elderly couples sat opposite me were obviously regulars here. They were discussing how the hotel’s previous owners had gone bankrupt and stripped the place before they went “there wasn’t a lightbulb left” said one woman. I can imagine profit margins aren’t high here in Skegness, which makes the areas decision to vote Leave in the Brexit vote even more suicidal. It’s increased costs and made the place less attractive to foreign workers who’re the lifeblood of the hospitality trade. Last night the young English woman serving behind the bar was also changing barrels, sorting out the tech for the bingo caller and acting as receptionist. Talk about multi-tasking! Add in the fact that the majority of the folk staying in this hotel won’t be around in another 10 years and you don’t need to be a rocket-scientist to do the maths. This town is going to be in trouble…

Right now I’m off to have a quick look around before heading off to photograph the local rail line. I’ll update this blog as I go. As this will be done via my mobile phone, please forgive any typo’s – it’s not always easy to spot them when I’m on the move!

9:24.

As you can see the town’s a hive of activity…

Wandering around and looking at all the tourist tat shops, cheap clothing stores and vaping shops I’m struck by how much the town’s reliant on cheap imports. How will they survive (never mind thrive) in a post Brexit tarriff barrier world? One other thing that strikes me as I wonder round is the fact most visitors are elderly. It reminds me of the old Colin Compton joke about Morecambe. “They don’t bury the dead, they just stand ’em up in the bus shelters”. You don’t need cycle parking here, you need spaces reserved for these.

As I had an hour to kill before catching my train I went and had a (much needed) haircut in a unisex hairdressers. The pkace was festooned with England flags in celebration of the world cup. On the TV Jeremy Kyle was interviewing a heavily tattooed young woman. Mercifully, the sound was turned so low I couldn’t hear proceedings. The young lady who cut my hair was lovely. She chatted about the forthcoming England match but what struck me was she was barely articulate, filling much of her sentences with so many ‘you knows’, ‘likes’ and other superflous and meaningless words that she often lost herself – never mind me!

Boston. 11:33.

I’ve move on to get a few pictures around the town of Bostonwhere I’ve found a lovely metaphor for Brexit. Boston had the highest leave vote of any town in the UK at 75%. I’ve just spotted this pub by the Grand Sluice…

This is the first time I’ve visited Boston and (despite it voting the way it did) I found it an attractive little town with a huge marketplace in the shadow of its magnificent church.

DG301006

 

DG301020. Boston. 27.6.18

If I was to come this way again I’d far rather stay here then Skeggy as the historic buildings and narrow streets are great for photography. The market was in full swing when I passed through. One thing I did notice was the number of folk speaking the Slavic languages, plus the number of small shops selling food from Eastern Europe. I’ve little doubt this is what will have propelled the Brexit vote here, but the thought also occurred that – OK, if all these people left overnight, there’d be a huge amount of empty shops, rented flats and a very large hole in the economy. Who’d step into the breach – all those folks on mobility scooters in Skeggy?

Hubberts Bridge. 14.52.

I’m writing this from a little place called Hubberts Bridge. I came here to get scenic rail shots (as you’ll see later). The only problem is that the station only sees four trains a day, so I walked here from Boston! It’s only 3.5 miles, which is great exercise when you’re carrying a 13kg camera bag. The walk was lovely because once you’re out of Boston the route’s along a footpath on the side of the South forty foot drain, which is effectively a river teeming with birdlife. The railway runs aalong the opposite bank which makes it an ideal photographic location. I’ve certainly worked in worse places!

As you can see, it’s another red hot day – and I’m beginning to wonder if having a No1 haircut before I set off this morning was such a clever idea! At least Hubberts Bridge has a pub with shade. Handily enough it’s the other side of the river from the railway station and the next train’s not until 15:50. I may have to indulge…

Hubberts Bridge. 15:32.

Well I did have chance for a pint at the Wheatsheaf, but only one as they closed after lunch but as I was sat outside they never bothered telling me! It was only when I went to use the loo I found the door locked and all the lights out! Now I’m waiting on the station for my train. I can see why the service is so sparse, Apart from the pub, the bridge and a few scattered homes, there’s bugger all here!

The signalbox survives as the old wooden gates are hand operated and this is where the line becomes double track as far as Heckington to the West.

16:24.

I’m now homeward bound on an “all shacks” EMT service to Nottingham after escaping the clutches of East Lincolnshire. The weather’s still absolutely stunning and I’ve a feeling this will prove to be the hottest day of the year so far. I’m certainly glad of the chance to give my skin some respite!

17:43.

I’m taking the ‘scenic’ route home in an effort to make the most of the great weather. After a brief stop in Nottingham (where the light wasn’t really right) I’m now on a Cross-Country service heading for Derby. I rather like their Class 170s. They’re getting a little tired inside now but they’re comfortable units and the air-conditioning is welcome change from the forced air ventilation and hopper windows of the EMT 156 that brought me from Hubberts Bridge. So much so that I’ve had to put my jacket on. There’s also such luxuries as wifi – and a trolley service. My fellow passengers are a little different too. There’s far fewer folk competing to see who can get onset diabetes first. Oh, and the crap tattoo quotient’s taken a tumble too…

18:23.

On the move again after a quick mooch around Derby station where the new island platform’s really taking shape. There’s also a massive new signal gantry straddling all the tracks at the South end. Network Rail have obviously designed it so that it can cope with overhead wires, the question is – will it ever see them?

DG301109

I’m now on a 4-car Cross-Country Voyager heading for Sheffield, taking advantage of the power sockets to keep my mobile charger topped up. Voyagers come in for a lot of stick from some railway enthusiasts but I don’t mind them at all. My only comolaint would be the 4-cars are far too small for today’s growing railway. Whilst removing the shop has helped a little I’d love to see a re-let XC franchise get bigger trains & see Voyagers cascaded to other routes.

19:27

Fortuitously, my XC service deposited me on platform 1B at Sheffield – right outside one of the finest station bars in the country – the Sheffield Tap. It would have been rude not to, so as I had 35 mins to wait for my connection (off the same platform) I decided to spend some ‘dwell time’ in the tap and enjoy one of Thornbridge’s excellent beers. If you’ve never visited, you really should!

Now I’m on another XC Voyager heading for Leeds and the final leg home…

Rolling blog: Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside!

26 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in I love my job, Photography, Railways, Travel

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I love my job, Railways, Travel

– That’s probably because I grew up in a seaside town. Today I’m heading to the opposite coast and a rail line that’s one of only a handful I’ve never travelled on, the section of the ‘Poacher Line’ from Sleaford to Skegness. The weather’s ideal for scenic pictures so I’m hoping to have a productive day.

Right now I’m on a busy 2-car Northern service from Halifax to Leeds. Most of my fellow travellers are commuters, but a handful are dressed for leisure, not work and look far too happy to be heading to the office! I’m assuming they’re like me and taking full advantage of the brilliant weather…

My little train seems to be suffering. At every stop the Driver’s revving the engines making the whole carriage vibrate under the load. I can’t help wondering if it’s because he’s having problems maintaining air pressure. I’m hoping we’ll make it to Leeds without problems as I’ve suffered enough delays recently and I’ve a fair way to travel…

09:15

Well, we did make it to Leeds and a quick word with the driver confirmed falling air pressure was the cause of the engine revving. We still arrived in just enough time for me to catch LNER’s 09:16 to London which will carry me as far as Grantham. Outwardly there was nothing to herald the change from VTEC to LNER. The loco still carries Virgin branding and the sets in VTEC livery, but on the inside the route maps, cctv warnings and other signs have changed.

The train’s actually very busy leaving Leeds but I did manage to bag an airline seat in coach F. I suspect there’ll be none left at all by the time we’ve stopped at Wakefield and Doncaster.

Grantham. 10.57.

As predicted, the train did indeed fill up on its way South. Even so it was an enjoyable journey only slightly marred by the fact the power sockets were u/s. The countryside that flashed by looked its absolute best in this weather. England is truly a green and pleasant land when seen from a train window.

Now I’m at Grantham. A peculiar two hour gap in the timetable means I’ve more than an hour to wait although I’ve put it to good use by doing some shopping in the centre named after Isaac Newton (was he from here, really?). Back at the station I’m now doing my best ‘reptile basking in the sun’ impression whilst grabbing a few photos.

The station’s a fairly middle of the road, 4 platform affair. It’s not unattractive but it’s nothing special. At least most of the original buildings survived BR – which is more than can be said for many. There’s a ticket office and Starbucks in the main building (plus a Costa kiosk), a couple of commercial tenants too – but still plenty of unoccupied space, which is a shame – but I suspect the station’s just that little bit too far removed from the town centre to make it attractive. Still if you want the opportunity to add the station to the growing list of those with bars…

Non-stop services certainly thunder through here. The Up line is clear for 115 off the platform and it wouldn’t surprise me if the down lines not far behind.

11:45.

My 11:27’s running late. It’s now arrived in the shape of an East Mids 2 car Class 158 with all the hopper windows open (indicating the A/c has failed). Surprisingly, It’s not as rammed as I feared and I’ve managed to get a seat. We’re now on our way 20 mins late. The Conductor’s just announced it was late due to a set swap at Nottingham as the original unit failed!

Skegness. 21:01.

Well, I didn’t expect to still be here, but it’s been a really interesting day for a whole host of reasons. I’m going to round this blog off but I could write volumes…

The weather’s been so good and the opportunities to explore new track and territory so tempting that I’ve booked a B&B for the night. To be honest, at £32 it was a steal. The room is fine, the staff are good and I’ve finally found out what everybody does after 6.30pm when the town shuts down – they all bugger off back to their hotel and sit in the bar. Admittedly, mine is a bit more like God’s waiting room on tap, but there you go…

Earlier on I mentioned that I grew up in a seaside town on the opposite coast. What I wasn’t prepared for were the similarities. Both are flat, rich agricultural land. So much so that I felt totally at home traversing the tracks across Lincolnshire. The only major difference is the massive drainage ditches here compare to the West Lancashire plains. Oh, and the fact Skegness is a little bit different to Southport. In its day, the seaside town I grew up in was habituated by the middle classes who left their legacy in the facilities that that had been built to cater for them. The working classes went to nearby Blackpool. Skegness is the East coast Blackpool. I’ve not seen so many fish and chip shops per acre for ages. I’d be curious to see which of the two resorts would win on that count. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some lovely old hangovers from the past on the promenade, although I feel it’s fair game for me to look at what passes for a pier here and say ‘is that it’? The fact most of the town puts the shutters up early I find odd too. I wandered down to the promenade to take pictures of the offshore windfarm and bumped into a group of young Asian lads who were here on holiday. After they asked (and I explained) ‘yes, it does all seem to shut early’ we got into conversation & found we were all from Yorkshire (them Bradford, me Halifax). Small world eh?

Whilst I’ve been here I’ve indulged in a life-long hobby. People-watching. In some ways I feel rather like David Attenborough! What can I say, other than the UK’s obesity epidemic is alive and well in Skegness. It may be down to all the chip-shops but to be honest, if you opened a branch of Weightwatchers here, you’d need to be open 24/7 just to make an impression. Oh, and let’s not even get into the ‘Death Race 2000’ with mobility scooters…

OK, enough impressions. I’ve a busy day tomorrow as I’ve reconnoitred several photo locations – all of which I’ll be walking to. I’ve covered 14 miles today, so it’s time to relax a bit.

Watch out for pictures appearing soon…

 

Rolling blog: Sunny days and Mondays…

25 Monday Jun 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Community rail, Northern Rail, Pacers, Rail electrification, Rail Investment, Railways, Travel

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Northern Rail, Rail Investment, Railways, Travel

I’m taking advantage of the glorious sunshine to get some rail pictures for a client today – I had planned to visit a line I’ve not been on for some time – the South Fylde line to Blackpool South. It’s a shadow of its former self compared to the glory days of the Edwardian era when tens of thousands would travel to the seaside town by train. Then mills across the North would shut down for the annual Wakes week with people travelling en-masse on excusion trains dispatched from stations across Lancashire and Yorkshire. Now it’s a glorified siding that branches off the main line to Blackpool North at Kirkham and Wesham, but it’s still a useful line used by a Pacer train shuttle service from Colne (another much truncated line). Sadly, due to problems with delayed electrification and a shortage of rolling stock, the service isn’t operated by trains today – only buses. So I’ve opted for plan B. I’m heading for the Windermere branch!

Right now I’m on a Northern service from Halifax to Preston. The Blackpool lines only recently reopened after being electrified. My train would normally run through to Blackpool but a combination of factors mean many services are replaced by buses from Preston, including this one.

Plan B meant changing to a Virgin Trains Pendolino to Lancaster. Then picking up a Trans-Pennine service to Oxenholme. Icould have caught the TPE srvice at Preston but those 4 car trains are always rammed, whilst the VT service was a 9 car Pendolino, giving me a bit more space. Here it is pulling in. A repainted 390047…

True enough, when I caught the TPE at Lancaster,I ended up sitting on the vestibule floor!

20:19.

I’m retracing my steps towards Halifax after an enjoyable day exploring a railway I’ve rarely visited. It’s been a trip made even more fun by fab weather and old-fashioned loco-hauled trains.

My first surprise was when the TPE guard annouced “change at Oxenholme for the West Coast Railways service to Windermere”. I wadn’t expecting that, but good on them for recognising it was something unusual. As we were late I had to sprint across the platform to make the train, which was made up of 3 old Mk2 coaches in WCR livery topped and tailed by a pair of ex-Virgin Trains “Thunderbirds” (57314 and 57316 for the number crunchers). The train was packed so I ended up stood in a vestibule -right next to someone I knew from the rail industry who was having a ‘jolly’!

We had a real catch-up about mutual friends and what they were all up to nowadays as we made our way to Staveley where I decamped to look for a suitable lineside location to get pictures. Sadly, like many lines, vegetation has encroached to choke off many opportunities. This is the problem when you don’t know a line well and haven’t had time to do much research!

In the end I decided to spend more time exploring than photographing and headed back as far as Burneside where I found the remains of a freight branch that used to serve 3 local paper mills. Only a short section of track is intact but it’s a suprising survivor in this day and age. I never even knew it existed, but a few minutes on the internet threw up this Wikipedia page.

The track is still in situ at this point but it’s gradually disappearing beneath the gravel. The old BRB sign’s a bit of a giveaway! The old goods yard is in front of the camera. Behind me the line crosses a yard then ends in a stone wall.

Looking towards the old goods yard. The road here leads to Burnside railway station on the left.

After an amble around the area & noting locations for a future visit I had a run down to Windermere before heading back to Kendal to get a few more pictures like this one.

DG300784

57316 (with 57314 on the rear) pulls away from Kendal station as it heads towards Windermere. I took this picture from a lattice footbridge which crosses the line at this point. The land to the right was once a large goods yard which is long gone.

 

 

Stitched up like a kipper…

25 Monday Jun 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Brexit, Politics

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Here’s an excellent bit of investigative journalism from Bloomberg that exposes how ‘man of the people’ Nigel Farage and a bunch of spivs who funded the Leave campaign, helped by info from polling companies made millions out of Brexit.

https://www.bloomberg.com/…/brexit-big-short-how-pollsters-…

This is effectively the biggest heist in the history of the world. These people, along with others like Arron Banks have (in effect) stolen a country’s future to enrich themselves

Why ordinary people thought a bunch of millionaires and tax exiles had their backs is beyond me, but they did. These clever manipulators used data companies, their friends in the media and outright lies to press the buttons of people by appealing to their fears and prejudices. Like the proverbial turkeys voting for Xmas, they persuaded enough people to swing the vote the way they wanted.

The truly sad thing is you know that many of those conned will never admit it. Few folk like to admit they’ve been tricked, which is why conmen often get away with it. They will continue to believe in Brexit, right upp to the end, by which time it’ll be too late.

I thought my marching days were over!

23 Saturday Jun 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Brexit, Democracy, Politics

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Brexit, Democracy, Politics

It’s a funny old world. Here I am, sitting on a train to London to join tens of thousands of other people who will be marching to protest about the shambles known as Brexit.

I thought my marching days were over. As a veteran of the Miners strike, CND protests, Poll Tax fracas and Gulf war demo (amongst others) I’d hoped we’d moved on as a country. How wrong can you be?

Now we’re in the biggest mess we’ve faced since World War 2, and it’s entirely self-inflicted!

Our politicians have failed us, they’re incapable of publically admitting what a shambles Brexit is and the price the country will pay for it. Instead, some are outright lying about it. So, I find myself having to hit the streets of London once again. What a sorry state this country’s in.

Expect some pictures later…

20.36.

What a fantastic day! I’ve a huge amount of pictures to share of this brilliant event, but here’s one of my early favourites.

DG300536

Sunday. 24th June

Getting back to Halifax after the march was fun due to delays on the East Coast Main Line thanks to a failed train near Peterborough. I ‘enjoyed’ an enforced stay in Doncaster, then our train was terminated at Wakefield and we were taken to Halifax by road. I finally got home at 02:15 this morning, but it was well worth it. I’ve added another couple of pictures from yesterday, but the rest (there’s around 60) can be found by following this link to a gallery on my Zenfolio website.

DG300482

DG300719

Brexodus…

22 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Brexit, Politics

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Brexit, Politics

Sadly, my prediction from a couple of days ago that Parliament abdicating responsibility for democracy would speed up the brexodus has already come to pass. The juxtaposition of two headlines on the front page of today’s Times sums up Brexit perfectly.

brexit

We’re about to lose thousands of skilled jobs and £bns in revenue to the Exchequer if Airbus, but hey people, fruit picking isn’t as bad as you thought!

Airbus’s stark warning to the Government has been published on their website. You can find it here. This is part of it (with my highlights):

“Tom Williams, Chief Operating Officer of Airbus Commercial Aircraft, commented:
“In any scenario, Brexit has severe negative consequences for the UK aerospace industry and Airbus in particular. Therefore, immediate mitigation measures would need to be accelerated. While Airbus understands that the political process must go on, as a responsible business we require immediate details on the pragmatic steps that should be taken to operate competitively. Without these, Airbus believes that the impacts on our UK operations could be significant. We have sought to highlight our concerns over the past 12 months, without success. Far from Project Fear, this is a dawning reality for Airbus. Put simply, a No Deal scenario directly threatens Airbus’ future in the UK.”

Here’s a hollow laugh, remember when David Davis said this?

David Davis quote

I don’t expect Airbus will be the last company to spell things out so starkly. Needless to say, the reaction of the Brexit fundamentalists has been complete denial. According to one on Twitter all we’ve got to do is ‘grow some balls’ (as opposed to them thinking with theirs) as apparently I’ve been ‘brainwashed’ by listening to experts!

brainwashed

Actually, this tweet sums up the reasons for the Brexit vote. It was the revenge of stupid people. But, because they’re stupid they’ve not had the brainpower to think the consequences through. It’s not the people they’re lashing out at who will be hurt the most, it’s them. The rich who funded and led the Leave campaign are already walking away to safety, carrying their Belizian diplomatic passports, or retiring to their villas in France or the Caribbean. Many others who have the option to leave will be doing so too as Brexit has created a poisoned country – as this tweet from Professor Tanja Bueltmann describes.

Tanja 22 june 2018

Who would have thought that a mature democracy could have been brought so low so quickly? We’re falling further into what’s looking more and more like a fascist state. I’ve always refrained from drawing parallels with Nazi Germany – until now, but now I think they’re too clear to ignore as the language is the same. A country where papers like the Mail can describe High Court judges as ‘traitors’, where MPs are afraid to vote with their conscience because of death threats and have to be escorted by SIX armed police. Where a Prime Minister can tell outright lies with a straight face on national TV (the Brexit ‘dividend’) is in deep, deep trouble. yet we seem to be sleepwalking over the edge of the cliff. Where’s the outrage at these things? Where’s the outcry? Where’s the push-back?This is how fascism takes over, when good people do nothing.

I fear for my country.

That sound? That’s British democracy gurgling down the plughole.

20 Wednesday Jun 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Brexit, Politics, Uncategorized

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Brexit, Politics

Ever felt that you’re dreaming and that you’re in the script of a totally implausible movie? One that’s so unreal you think “Surely, no-one could think this would fly in real life?” Well, someone did write it, and it’s for real. It’s called Brexit, and we’ve all been trapped in it since June 2016. Only now it’s getting even more implausible, because today, the House of Commons voted to make itself redundant. Instead it voted to hand power to a Government that hasn’t got a clue what to do apart from save its own skin at the expense of the country’s economic and social wellbeing, led by a Prime Minister who will shamelessly tell a blatant lie to the national broadcaster (May telling the BBC that ‘extra’ money for the NHS will come from the non-existent Brexit ‘bonus’) who doesn’t even challenge her on the lie.

Who would have thought that UK democracy was so fragile, and so easily bought – and that MPs of both major parties would collude in it? I can only imagine what our European neighbours think as they watch our disaster unfold – apart from a determination to ensure that it doesn’t happen to them and they’re not infected with the political version of mad cow disease that we’ve succumbed to so easily. The next few months will show just how bovine our politicians have become…

 

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