The promise of better transport spring eternal but never seems to manifest.
I had imagined that autonomous vehicles would be the norm by 2020. But, like Crossrail, they remain an enigmatic unicorn.
Sorting out transport in the U.K. really isn’t complex.
First of all, we need a two person pod, which can be expanded by adding additional pods. These would undertake short range journeys and be available on demand. For longer distance journeys they could be loaded onto rail carriages.
Moir rail network needs to be able to support trains that can travel at the very least at 500mph, perhaps using maglev technology.
Urban areas should be tunnelled. Britain pioneered the underground and it remains suitable particularly to bridge river estuaries.
Russia does not operate by the rules of any other nation. Since its foundation by Norse invaders (Russ = red)., the nation has never been occupied or conquered. Mongols may have taken the steppes but they never really took the heartland of Moscow, St Petersburg and Kviv.
It is the world’s largest nation, but that isn’t enough, as the USSR it colonised more than a dozen other nations with only plucky Finland escaping their vast imperialistic grasp. And Afghanistan, time and again.
In reality the whole of the Eastern Bloc and the ’Stans’ were Russian colonies.
The problem is, Russia still think they are.
What has been more complex is the transition from communism to outright facism. An ultra right wing dictator has usurped the country’s constitution.
Russia even managed to place their puppet in the White House. Whether motivated by blackmail, greed or just outright stupidity, the US’ greatest nemesis somehow became the poster kids of the ultra right Republican Party.
Meanwhile, the one person capable of standing up to the Uber bully Putin retired.
It is no coincidence, in my view, that Angela Merckle’s stepping down saw Putin escalate his ambitions.
Energy security has always been a poor priority for most European nations, with the Green morons exacerbating the situation with their tin brained ideas.
Germany shut off a full ten per cent of its energy capacity at the end of 2021 thanks to its idiotic anti nuclear power stance. A country of genius engineers should by now have exported thorium and fusion energy plants to the world instead of lying about the damage their diesel cars cause. But that’s another rant.
So Russia has seen its opportunity. The West is dependent on its energy supplies. Gas in particular. And the Nord 2 pipeline would keep this dependency live for at least another two decades.
Russia annexed the Crimea with no consequences, just like the Anschluss. They could easily take the Ukraine. But I believe that Putin doesn’t necessarily want the Ukraine. He wants Nord 2.
With Metckle gone there is no Western lease of any stature to stand up to him, and he know it. The bully rules the school yard.
The only solution for a Western alliance to invade Russia, occupy and normalise energy supplies. The alternative is this nutter becomes the next Kaiser or Hitler.
Well, which is it ? Both are endlessly keen to please, live with you in every room in the house. Will lie on your bed all night if you let them.
They’re both capable of excreting shit and making you happy.
There’s only one you can take for a walk and throw a stick to be retrieved.
But dogs aren’t so good at many things, including helping you talk to colleagues, put together reports and tackle your email.
But your computer doesn’t have those floppy ears and beguiling eyes. It tries to please, but is clumsy and doesn’t really know you. The sheer anarchy of a dog is sometimes all you crave.
Special People are allowed to park in disabled or child parking spaces despite neither being disabled nor having children.
They are allowed to drive at 60mph in the outside lane on motorways.
They are allowed to not wear masks nor be vaccinated, because they do not understand the difference between a 1 in a million chance of dying against a 1 in 10,000 chance of dying. Their idea of investment is a bet at Ladbrookes… Or crypto.
Of course, they are allowed to hold parties and flout all the Covid rules they created.
They are able to litter since no rules apply to them. Only their world view, carefully honed from experts on Facebook.
Obviously, Special People care about no one else. They are the chosen ones. They get to go to Oxford and told they are the best of the best, and their followers, who can barely read or write, are also special. Because they were chosen. by themselves and are clever enough to follow the select breed of Oxons.
What a lovely world ! With so many Special People!
