What an excellent notion. I'd need a well-stocked library and the odd single malt to dull the monotony. Having said that, I've still got to manage a postponed visit to the Pacific Islands which currently looks similarly improbable.
I'd like to agree with your logic and I used to spend far too much time on both motorways and urban dual carriageways. I think that you're missing the fact that most journeys on urban dual carriageways would be well under 20 miles and, probably averaging less than 10 miles. It's a different set of circumstances from the 80 mile to 200+ mile trip on the motorways. If a car starts missing a few beats on an urban dual carriageway you're probably only a couple of miles from the next exit. If it's doing this on the M6, in my part of the world, it's more likely to be nearer 20 miles. The very fact of having massive HGVs barreling along in the 'Smart Lane' is horrifying. I appreciate that they have problems of road capacity on the M25, M4 and other London arterial roads. This isn't the answer and it saddens me that more unnecessary deaths might result before common sense prevails. The reported increase in electric cars just stopping dead in their tracks, as per the RAC and AA, is a concern which won't make the news.
The reported increased incidences of electric cars packing up by both RAC and AA doesn't bode well either. They can't be 'fixed' on the roadside, or towed, but have to be carted away. I cannot see the rationale for Smart Motorways and have to assume that the plan was put together by Mensa Cyclists. It's nuts.
After some 70 years or so, you'd have to be nuts to imagine that the NHS model is anything other than antique. It's not a model used anywhere else, pace Cuba and North Korea. It's record on health outcomes measured by the OECD is poor for most diseases - cancer and heart conditions particularly. It's the last, oldest, sacred cow in British politics, although the Green stuff is heading rapidly up the list. Time for an honest government to set up a Royal Commission on 'National Health Care and Social Care'. Fat chance.
A regular inspection of Effie Deans' blog might be helpful to you. In the morass of a supine press in Scotland she stands high and is usually bang on the money. Alex Salmond, in my personal view, is looking for revenge as well as a significant chunk of loot for his memoires. The two objectives would appear to be coinciding.
I rather though that 'Wee Eck' was a nickname for Salmond? I'm quite taken by the moniker for Mme Defarge acquired at university - 'Seaweed' - because even the tide wouldn't take her out. Cruel, I know, but has a ring to it. This should be an interesting week, and probably not a good one for Seaweed. Salmond is looking for revenge and he knows where the bodies are buried. His memoires will be interesting and I'd expect those to be published before the next Holyrood elections.
Eloquent and precise. Many thanks.
Your characterization of Brexit supporting Tories is risible, not to mention bitter and twisted. Speaking only for friends and family, we have a thoroughly internationalist perspective which swayed us against the EU some many years ago. I’ve seen and read rather a lot about EU protectionism in trade and the exploitation of precious fisheries resources which borders on vandalism through access agreements in developing nations. Your skewed view of the EU doesn’t stand up to any close inspection I’m afraid. It’s a cartel which doesn’t tolerate either dissent or democracy and its days are numbered.
I wish you hadn't mentioned Yemen. Mere mention of the name has caused me to reach for a bottle well before my usual time for a tincture. I only had six months there and was delighted to get the sack!
![[Avatar]](/images/avatar26.png){kind=avatar}
Production