There’s a lot to write about at the moment but little time to do it, so here’s a brief look at what’s coming up over the next week.
The pair of us have been based at home for the past few days. Dawn’s been on holiday which has meant I’ve taken a bit of time off in order that we could explore and have some quality time together. We rediscovered an old haunt in a new guise when we walked up to Norland Moor which is on the opposite side of the Calder Valley to where we live. On the edge of the moor is a pub called the Moorcock Inn. It’s new tenants who’re doing some really exciting things with the place – which includes both food and drink. It’s worth a blog in its own right so that’s what I’m in the process of writing – although It’ll take a few days as I’ve other priorities. But here’s a taster (literally), we walked back up to the pub today and sampled some of the food they cook in the smoke ovens which have been installed at the back of the pub. These smoky potato’s are stunning! By the way, the plates and bowls they’re served in have been made in the very same ovens the potato’s have been cooked in.
Tomorrow I’m in Crewe for the launch of a new High Speed Rail Industry Leaders Group (HSRIL) report called ‘Fast Tracking Prosperity’ which is about the benefits of HS2 Phase 2a, so expect a blog about that first.
Later in the week I intend to be in London to add to my picture library, whilst on Thursday a group of rail industry friends are meeting up in Huddersfield for a catch-up and a few drinks. I’m sure there’ll be some more rolling blogging going on…
To be honest I’ve had little time to construct a themed blog today as it’s been a busy time. Yesterday was taken up by an assignment for ACoRP (The Association of Community Rail Partnerships) at nearby Mytholmroyd station where I was photographing the activities of the local friends group. They’re a lovely bunch of people and great ambassadors for both the local area and the wider community railway movement. You can read about their plans for the station here.
Earlier that day Eurostar announced the start date for their new Amsterdam service which kept me occupied sorting out my accreditation for the inaugural trip on February 20th – before blogging the news about the service. I’m really looking forward to the first trip. The idea that we’ll finally be able to get direct trains from London to Amsterdam has been a long time in the making, but now it’s finally happening – even if it’s only one-way until 2019. Of course, the bittersweet moment in all that was the latest piece of the Brexit shambles jigsaw with the Government announcing that it’s decided we ARE leaving the customs union, which can only make cross-border travel harder.
I increasingly feel that we’re living out the script of an implausible play, where the politicians of left and right are hell-bent on destroying their country’s prosperity, future and standing in the world because none of them are willing to grow a backbone, stand up and say – “why are we doing this, this is madness?” despite the warnings from businesses and other Governments.
Here’s a great example. The Japanese have invested heavily in the UK as they were sold the idea that the UK was the ‘gateway’ to Europe through being in the single market and the customs union. Now the Japanese Ambassador, Koji Tsuruoka, has spelled out in plain terms what the Brexit fundamentalists have always refused to admit. “If there is no profitability of continuing operation in the UK – not Japanese only – no private company can continue operation. So, it’s as simple as that. This is all high stakes that I think all of us need to keep in mind.” (link)
That a Japanese diplomat tells this so directly & without frills, should be sounding warning bells. Actually, it should be klaxons, air-raid sirens and a bloody big gong the size of which would make even J Arthur Rank feel inadequate! Mind you, ‘rank’ seems a pretty good shorthand for Brexit…
The Japanese don’t do bluntness, so when they do… The sad thing is that you just know the Brexit fundamentalists will go into paroxysms of outrage about being ‘blackmailed’ and ‘threatened’ – none of which will cut the mustard with multinational companies in the slightest.
Our economy is heading for the cliff edge. meanwhile, the Government has graciously allowed MPs a sight of the post Brexit economic assessments that supposedly never existed. They confirm what was always suspected, the areas that voted for Brexit are those which will suffer most. (link).
Welcome to the first country in the developed world whose politicians seemed hell-bent on committing economic suicide! Still, it’s nice to know that our politicians are doing this out of love of our country, not for any personal gain. Oh, wait, what was that revelation about Jacob Rees-Mogg and his personal windfall from Brexit?
Regular visitors will notice that advertisements have appeared here today. Since I started blogging in 2015 I’ve kept the site free of them, which means that I’ve paid for the site myself. What I’d like to do now is make the site self-sufficient and – if at all possible, make a small return from my ramblings and pictures. I can’t imagine I’ll pose a threat to any media empires but hey! – we all have to earn a living and doing so would encourage me to write more often. So, If I could crave your indulgence dear reader, please feel free to click on an ad occasionally.
Is it my imagination or has this been an unusually wet start to the year? I’m not a very good judge of this as, normally I’m never in the country in January! It’s the month Dawn and I take off to head to sunnier shores, but for a whole host of reasons we’ve stayed in the UK this time, which means I’m experiencing weather I wouldn’t normally see. Admittedly, living in the Pennines doesn’t exactly help as it’s not known for being the driest part of the country. It has its own microclimate where it can be pissing down here in the Calder valley but dry as a bone in the Colne valley only a few miles next door. Today’s a typical example. After a rare day of beautiful, invigorating sunshine I opened the bedroom blind to be confronted with low leaden clouds obscuring the valley tops opposite whilst isolated wispy puffs sit, sluggishly, over Sowerby Bridge below. It’s a monotone view that’s not helped by the last of Wednesdays snow clinging to the valley sides. Oh, for a palm-fringed beach right now!
Not exactly the skies that inspired Turner – or Ashley Jackson!
I shouldn’t complain too much. In a month’s time I’ll be in India and dreary weather like this is a good excuse to stay in and catch up on all those chores that’ve been piling up. But first, coffee (and breakfast in bed for the missus)…
– and it’s not a bad place to be today! The Spring weather’s taken a turn for the worse up in’t Pennines. There’s a chill wind, rain and threats of snow (in fact, as I typed this, it started hailing), so I’m happy to be catching up on paperwork, picture-editing and listening to the news – most of which is depressing.
The death of former IRA leader Martin McGuinness features in many reports. Understandably, his memory generates strong feelings from some, but there’s no doubt that , without the willingness of him and others to reject the bullet for the ballot box, ‘the troubles’ would still be with us. I lived in London for nearly 25 years and experienced first-hand the devastation that the IRA wrought. In 1996 I was still living in the East End. I was at home the night the massive South Quay bomb detonated. We lived over a mile North of the explosion in Bromley by Bow, but we though our windows were going to blow in. The blast rattled the hell out of them – and us. I’m glad to see the back of those times which were far more dangerous than today’s hysteria around Islamic extremism. The IRA killed for more UK citizens than Islamists ever have. So, I’m grateful to McGuinness for being part of bringing those days to an end. There’s a lesson in what he did for anyone who wishes to learn it. Who would have thought that two implacable enemies, McGuinness and the Unionist firebrand the Rev Ian Paisley would form such a rapport that they would earn the sobriquet ‘the chuckle brothers’?
I had lots of good intentions when I started this trip. Not least was to blog more! Now I’ve got pages and pages of notes from my various journeys but no time to write them up in a coherent blog – or even an incoherent one for that matter! Some will make it eventually. My rail travels across Java, around Singapore and up through Malaysia back to Bangkok will, I hope, still make interesting reading. For some other stuff, the moment has passed. In the meantime, I’ve still got hundreds of pictures to edit and they’ll have to take precedence.
In all honesty, I’m really not looking forward to my return to the UK. Not just because of the weather but because in the months since the Brexit vote last June, it no longer feels like the country I knew – or home. Now the ‘sceptered isle’ seems smaller, more introverted and a lot less welcoming. And if I feel that, think how non-UK born folk feel. The incredibly positive vibe generated by the 2012 Olympics is long gone. That felt like the UK was a beacon for the world. It celebrated our diversity and our internationalism. Now, it feels like many parts of the country have turned their backs to the outside world. To make matters worse, UK politics is in crisis. Just when we need a strong, credible opposition we have a hopelessly weak Labour party led by Jeremy ‘the fight starts now’ Corbyn. To make matters worse, the economic delusions around Brexit still persist. Many people have no idea what’s coming – and that worries me – deeply. What will happen when the harsh financial realities dawn I wonder? I’m not looking forward to finding out. Nor having to bite my tongue when I hear the right-wing pub pontificators as I’ve always had trouble doing that!
I’ve had an illuminating and enjoyable trip these past two months. I’ve met some great people. As a foreigner I’ve been treated with warmth, kindness and patience. What hurts is knowing that if the positions were reversed I’m not sure many Britons would do the same.
Anyway, enough of such musings. It’s time to enjoy a night in Bangkok.
Paul Bigland 