Snow: week of 2 Feb 09

I found myself in the uncomfortable position of agreeing with Nigel Farage this week. It was Thursday evening, Question Time and the panel was asked about the shut down of the country after the snow of Sunday night and subsequently. Senor Farage was the only member of the panel who felt that by and large we are a nation of wimps and give up too easily in the face of a little snow.

Senor Farage was one of 5 panelists. The other 4 were Shami Chakrabati, always good value but is she too much of a regular, Geoff Hoon, who seems like a decent chap if a little slow, Theresa May, she of the leopard print shoes, and Will Young. All 4 of his fellow panelists felt to some extent that the mass shut down was justified. Will Young suggested that it was a nice break for the kids and why shouldn’t they enjoy themselves anyway?

My problem is that (a) I remember when we always went to school whatever the weather (remember the winter of 1963 when we had 3 months of snow); and (b) I lived in Switzerland for 13 years where of course they get lots of snow every year and have the systems in place to live with it.

I guess what disappoints me about the whole thing is firstly that it’s so digital. We either have a 100% fully functioning system or we shut it down completely. Why couldn’t we have intermediate solutions? 

And secondly I feel that the people who decided to shut down the country were the managers and their ilk. My guess is that most people would happily do their best, adults and children alike, but that someone else said don’t bother. And a lot of these people would cite health and safety as the reason why it’s easier to take the digital option and not to find a way through the middle.

Anyway, enough of a rant. The second question on Question Time was about the industrial dispute in Lincolnshire and Senor Farage and I were once again at the opposite ends of the political spectrum. Normal service had been resumed.