Simon reeve

[Lakesdigger]

They seemed to skip over the fact that other areas have been built on and all that water is now channeled into the rivers quickly with no floodplain available to use.

It’s laughable to see the “rewilding” or “re-wiggling” to slow the flows of water, that have reached the river naturally, whilst ignoring the man made influences of extra water further downstream that have increased the pressure.

Rivers existed by themselves long before humans started using them as drainage routes for our ultra urbanised areas.

There is nothing natural about a housing estate.

Most of the areas in towns and cities now prone to regular flooding are former floodplain areas now built on. 100 yr ago they knew not to build there as it floods but next generation don't experience the flooding so think its ok to build. Much is made of climate change, I'm not disputing its existence but the earth does also go through periods of cooling and warning v sightly over relatively short periods of time. Maybe the two are working together.

 

[Steevo]

or roads,theres no soakaways for them. look at the amount of water that runs off a motorway.

Yet every house with a water bill pays an annual sun towards “highway drainage”

Don’t see the farmers being paid any of that charge to maintain that infrastructure.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Yet every house with a water bill pays an annual sun towards “highway drainage”

Don’t see the farmers being paid any of that charge to maintain that infrastructure.

dont get me started on the waterrates/waterboard subject

 

[Jimfandango]

I find it quite annoyingly representative of the mean spirited nature and short sightedness of this forum that we can watch an episode of a programme that contains the hollowing out of rural communities by second home owners and a large tourism business that has to bus in temp labour but the takeaway is "mountain rescue are posers". These are VOLUNTEERS who live locally and literally risk their lives to save others. They are better men/women than me.

 

[Sid]

I’d love to know how stunning a fish with an electric current doesn’t harm it at all. I doubt the humans involved would enjoy that process on them…

Plenty have been subjected to a police tasar .

Wonder what the feedback on their experiences are?

 

[Top Tip.]

Plenty have been subjected to a police tasar .

Wonder what the feedback on their experiences are?

Having a daughter who is a police officer, she tells me that it is a thoroughly unpleasant experience.

 

[beardface]

They seemed to skip over the fact that other areas have been built on and all that water is now channeled into the rivers quickly with no floodplain available to use.

It’s laughable to see the “rewilding” or “re-wiggling” to slow the flows of water, that have reached the river naturally, whilst ignoring the man made influences of extra water further downstream that have increased the pressure.

Rivers existed by themselves long before humans started using them as drainage routes for our ultra urbanised areas.

There is nothing natural about a housing estate.

What I said to my wife. Plenty of floodplains been built on round here. I'm afraid we're just going to have to suck it up though. Not like there going to turf people out of their homes to restore the floodplains is it.

 

[Bongodog]

I find it quite annoyingly representative of the mean spirited nature and short sightedness of this forum that we can watch an episode of a programme that contains the hollowing out of rural communities by second home owners and a large tourism business that has to bus in temp labour but the takeaway is "mountain rescue are posers". These are VOLUNTEERS who live locally and literally risk their lives to save others. They are better men/women than me.

Did you see where Simon Reeve interviewed the builder who clearly said that the 2nd home owners provided a very good living to him and his counterparts ?
These small communities in the lakes were entirely based on either farming or mining, neither of which employs substantial amounts of labour any more. The large tourism business featured is in Langdale, in the past the large employer in the area was the Elterwater slate quarry, which will now employ just a handful. If it weren't for the 2nd home owners the cottages would be derelict as the locals would move away due to lack of work.
As to the quote about "mountain rescue are posers" Some of them are highly dedicated volunteers who quietly work free of charge for the good of the community, in this category you will have all the long established rescue teams in the UK, unfortunately however there are an increasing number of people getting in on the act who like covering their cars in reflective stripes and driving around with flashing lights on the roof.

 

[Steevo]

What I said to my wife. Plenty of floodplains been built on round here. I'm afraid we're just going to have to suck it up though. Not like there going to turf people out of their homes to restore the floodplains is it.

Nope. Only displacing the the animals and fish that have made their home in current habitats that the eco-warriors are looking to destroy "improve".

 

[beardface]

Nope. Only displacing the the animals and fish that have made their home in current habitats that the eco-warriors are looking to destroy "improve".

I can see the argument for restoring wetlands and floodplains on what was previously poorer land, prior to the ramp up in food production. However there must always be adequate compensation and an assessment of how it will affect the flow of water both up and downstream. Quite often EA flood defense creation actually does more harm than good.

 

[Steevo]

I can see the argument for restoring wetlands and floodplains on what was previously poorer land, prior to the ramp up in food production. However there must always be adequate compensation and an assessment of how it will affect the flow of water both up and downstream. Quite often EA flood defense creation actually does more harm than good.

Personally I'd shorten your last sentence even further:

Quite often EA flood defense creation actually does more harm than good.

 

[beardface]

Personally I'd shorten your last sentence even further:

Quite often EA flood defense creation actually does more harm than good.

Definitely. A quango that needs culling ASAP.

 

[DRC]

Making good points tonight about farming

 

[Steevo]

Some good points about farming…..and some eco-warriors too.

 

[DRC]

Some good points about farming…..and some eco-warriors too.

Goes hand in hand these days

 

[Steevo]

Goes hand in hand these days

It does on the BBC!

 

[Still Farming]

Good show tonight.
Sellafield and its pollution nightmares.
Whitehaven and it's new coal mine proposed.
Peat bogs preservation.
Slate mining.
Intensive sheep farming and rewilding / nature areas etc

 

[egbert]

Good show tonight.
Sellafield and its pollution nightmares.
Whitehaven and it's new coal mine proposed.
Peat bogs preservation.
Slate mining.
Intensive sheep farming and rewilding / nature areas etc

flying materials in - and surveying bogs- with helicopter...to save carbon. Hmm

 

[Steevo]

flying materials in - and surveying bogs- with helicopter...to save carbon. Hmm

It made me smile with things like that where viewers were encouraged to think about the subjects in a certain way

coal mining = bad
peat mining = bad
slate mining = good
manufacture of wind turbines = good
nuclear = bad then but maybe good now
farming = ??

It seemed to skip over the coking coal a bit though, lumping it in with burning coal.

It made me think how fast we are harvesting the resources around us. Is slate really “better” than coal? It also made me think that likely in 100 years time (or less!) these supposedly “good” things will likely be seen as just as bad.

“Damage” is caused as much by a lack of understanding of the (future) consequences as anything. Some of these eco-projects may turn out to be damaging too in time….but those doing them often think they are “right” just like their predecessors with the coal, nuclear etc.

The big difference I can see is that one party is partly able to benefit from hindsight, and also their ability to (potentially) rewrite/edit the past to suit and reinforce their present agenda.

 

[egbert]

It made me smile with things like that where viewers were encouraged to think about the subjects in a certain way

coal mining = bad
peat mining = bad
slate mining = good
manufacture of wind turbines = good
nuclear = bad then but maybe good now
farming = ??

It seemed to skip over the coking coal a bit though, lumping it in with burning coal.

It made me think how fast we are harvesting the resources around us. Is slate really “better” than coal? It also made me think that likely in 100 years time (or less!) these supposedly “good” things will likely be seen as just as bad.

“Damage” is caused as much by a lack of understanding of the (future) consequences as anything. Some of these eco-projects may turn out to be damaging too in time….but those doing them often think they are “right” just like their predecessors with the coal, nuclear etc.

The big difference I can see is that one party is partly able to benefit from hindsight, and also their ability to (potentially) rewrite/edit the past to suit and reinforce their present agenda.

I think Reeve acquits himself well enough, always trying to find nice things to say and think.....but it's all a bit 'fluffy Guardian soundbite' stuff for me.
Going on about the effects of outsiders moving in and buying up all the homes in a national park amused me, eh Simon?

The Sellafield business was even worse than I'd imagined..... truly shocking.
Not free leccy forever more then. (And the carbon footprint of the industry wasn't mentioned......how many tonnes of concrete?)

I get oh so tired of the 'carbon sequestration' stuff that it jades me.
The wildlife trust twonk* showing you this 'huge' area of peat 100 meters across, and how it could/should be 10' deeper filling the valley bottom in.
Did it occur to him to wonder how big a void an oil well/coal mine leaves?
Or to imagine standing in the bottom of one of the Athabaskan tar sand pits?
He really believes he's going to fix it with a couple hundred cubic meters of peat....meanwhile in Annan, just up the road, it's being open cast mined.
*odds on he's a vegan

I could listen to ole Rebanks about the culture and such....until he got onto soil carbon, and how if we all paddock graze-like him-, the nasty carbon problems will go away.

On balance....'easy listening TV'