Interesting Times

[Dewi9]

I believe the Chinese have a saying - "May you live in interesting times." - which they use as a polite way of saying "May evil and upsets befall you and yours for a long long time."

So here we are, with Covid still an unknown problem after six months or more. What changes will it bring to all of us for the future ?

The camera club I belong to, and am an official of, had a meeting this week to discuss the future of the club. Where would we be in May next year (AGM time) ? Will the club survive ? What are we doing for the members ? What do we do about subs, currently 3 month overdue, and would folk want to pay if we have no meetings ?
We eventually decided that it was probable there would be no physical club meetings before May next year at the earliest, subs would be cancelled for this year and meetings would be (roughly) every 3 weeks but on line (Zoom or Google Meet) with members invited to join in.

In the wider world, of course, other changes are taking place - many office staff and the like (Bureaucracy) are now working entirely from home or flexibly, part home, part office. Can you blame them with annual rail tickets costing thousands just to go to work ?
This will impact the transport system (reduced income from fares) on both trains and buses. Or will the franchise holders hike fares to cover the deficit, or simply rescind their contracts ? There is talk about flexible annual tickets valid for 2-3 journeys per week only, but these would mean a reduction in income.

There is also a knock on into the retail trade - cafes and eateries are taking a hit due to lesser numbers attending the big offices in the City, resulting in many being likely to close permanently.

The biggest problem looming (to my mind) is the loss of jobs due to Covid. Forecast to be in the millions. Should significant numbers lose both income and housing how will our social structure cope ? Will there be major protests leading to local violence or even a National Revolt (worst case) ?

Answers on a postcard please ....

As said at the start - we live in interesting times.

[drmarkf]

Lots of imponderables there, for sure!

Anyway, in the land of the stuff we can have some influence over, our club has been overall more active since March, continuing its normal meetings via Zoom (and carrying on through the normal summer break) and introducing twice-weekly 'coffee' morning-type chat sessions. We've had a number of guest talks, and it's been interesting to see those who've adapted really well to presenting via Zoom and those who've found it more of a challenge...

Some competitions have been held, although it's been difficult with few people having much opportunity for getting good new images, and we've adapted the meetings somewhat. Some stuff has had to be cancelled for 2020 (e.g. our annual Exhibition and the regional PDI competition we host annually).

More recently we've arranged some photo challenge days or weekends where subjects are set and people illustrate them, and the images are later discussed or scored.

We took the view that, bearing in mind the average age and health status of many of our members, lots of people would get a wide range of benefits from the club remaining active and, basically, providing a social support network. We're holding subs the same and we've had no complaints that I'm aware of, and I must say I've valued it myself.

[wornish]

Well you did ask

My postcard is not about the future of camera clubs but more about the bigger picture you painted.

Now more people have experienced working from home I think they have come to realise that it's actually OK. Many of the city-based service businesses like cafes, small shops office cleaners find they have significantly fewer customers. The landlords who own these premises are going to face a large reduction in demand and the councils will face a loss in Business Rates due to empty high streets.

To attempt to force people back into commuting to work in an office is pointless if that work can just as easily be done working from home.

Recommendations for the future:-

Cancel the construction of HS2. It is a total vanity project designed to speed up commuting which people now realise they don't need to do.

We need to stop being dependent on others especially the Chinese to make things. We need to create new UK based manufacturing jobs. To do that we need a better-skilled workforce. So let's get our teachers back to school and teaching and stop the unions playing political games over Covid-19.

Stop creating non-jobs like advisors. I dread to think how many hangers-on there are in the NHS whose value add is zero. Its become a growing trend across the public sector.

Our Quango model of government needs a thorough overhaul. The early issues around PPE were an eye-opener. People are being paid very high salaries but are never held to account.

I could go on.

We seem to be turning into a nation that expects the government to be responsible for everything and take no responsibilities for our own actions. Think history tells us that doesn't work.

[Dewi9]

I agree about HS2, it is purely a licence for the rail franchise holders to print more money for their shareholders, via high fares. But given the amount of work done so far and the fact of HMG losing face over the project being cancelled I cannot see that happening. The money would be better spent in upgrading the Pennine Routes and Manchester / Birmingham / Newcastle lines.

Similarly the ratio between worker bees and drones in companies seriously needs addressing, I was reading about a silicon valley(USA) company with a $3Bn turnover having 540CEO's on the books. Why ?

Our manufacturing base has been decimated over the years by a concentration on university education (the thinkers) as opposed to the old artisan route (the doer's) gaining BTEC's. Compounding the problem is the push towards a throwaway society, rather than repair/recycle/resell.

Don't get me started on HMG (banned on here I think) - the sooner we get Proportional Representation with a new parliament building (like the EU model, in a circular fashion) the better.

[Otto]

And how many actually do do what they promised Dave? . At least with PR the smaller parties would get to moderate things a bit. At present we have virtually a dictatorship where they seem to be able to do what they want, without any scrutiny. And only a minority of voters chose the Conservatives at the last election.

[Dewi9]

The figure I have seen, for PR, in the last election would have been -

2019 Election - the Conservatives would have had 75 fewer seats (288), Labour would have had 10 more seats (213), the SNP 22 less (26), the Liberal Democrats 65 more (76) and the Green Party, 17 more (18). The Brexit Party (which won no seats under first-past-the-post) would have got 13 seats.

So the Conservatives would still have had a majority (though a bit less) but the opposition would have been more varied, allowing more viewpoints to be heard and discussed.

The current 'Yah ! We won ! We can do what we like.' mentality is doing none of us any favours.

[DerekW]

The UK needs HS2 and HS3 and 4 etc - the country has been starved of infra structure investment for decades (if not centuries) I bet if HS2 was going to route via Lincoln to the north you would welcome it with open arms as it would at long last overcome the negativeness of Sibthorpe stopping the rail route to the north.

[wornish]

DerekW commented
1 hour ago
The UK needs HS2 and HS3 and 4 etc - the country has been starved of infra structure investment for decades (if not centuries). I bet if HS2 was going to route via Lincoln to the north you would welcome it with open arms as it would at long last overcome the negativeness of Sibthorpe stopping the rail route to the north.

I would not welcome HS2, 3 or whatever number regardless of the route.

Please explain what business sector will benefit from HS2 or any other high-speed line. AFAIK none of them will be freight services. So it's down to all these commuters - going where exactly? and for what purpose?

The world has moved on, but our politicians don't seem to be able to keep up, never mind look ahead. They are technically illiterate and have no concept of what's possible today.

[DerekW]

A mixed use line has a lower capacity than single use, in a mixed use line the express trains have to be scheduled to avoid the slower goods trains and stopping passenger trains.
Look how the French railways seperate out the express trains from the rest of the servicees.

As to who will benefit - future generations - like our generation did get some benefit from the dual carriage way roads, the National Grid, the national telephone network as opposed to the locally organised services on a town by town basis.

[Phill D]

I have to say I do agree with much of what you said Dave but I would be quite sad if HS2 did get scrapped. A prestige fast rail network would be a good thing in my book but I do think it needs to be more beneficial to all somehow. Surely a mixed passenger and freight service would be worth doing maybe limiting freight to overnight? if the freight could be made to travel as fast as the passenger trains even better. The UK manufacturing decline has been an issue for some time and that does definitely need to be reversed so to be honest I'd like to see more high tech engineering/manufacturing initiatives to help provide jobs for the Science and Engineering apprentices and graduates.

[DerekW]

HS2 will free up capacity on the existing network so local services will be able to be punctial and more frequent.

[jima]

Unlikely to be significant, Derek, too limited in scope and in any event it is massive bad design and bad management which gives us an infrequent, unreliable and expensive rail network. Definitely a Halo project, it should be scrapped without delay and replaced by a program of increasing normal routes, especially freight, not faster ones, and replacing the majority of the management. Chances of it happening with vested interests and Bozo at the helm - zero.

[Otto]

A shame it's not practical to reinstate the old Great Central main line from Marylebone via Leicester and Nottingham to Sheffield, Leeds, and Manchester. That was the last main line built in the UK and it was built to the European loading gauge. Are any intermediate stations planned for HS2 or is it simply non-stop London to Birmingham? If so it's unlikely to free up much capacity, especially since ticket prices will likely be far in excess of current lines. As a letter written to one of the newspapers at the time it was announced put it - "Does the Prime Minister know anyone who actually wants to get to Birmingham twenty minutes sooner?" .

[Rocknroll59]

The GCR was the last main line built in the UK it ran through two city centres and had no level crossings until it reached near Sheffield. Unfortunately the Governments of the past who could see no further than the end of their noses decided it was surplus to requirements and it closed in 1978, it had connections to the network at various locations (which the HS2 line will have only 1 or 2 I believe) so you could reach other parts of the UK from its location. Nottingham's station in particular was sited right in the city centre and is now a shopping mall (which in the current climate has a limited life i'm guessing.) HS2 is a vanity project however you try and dress it up. 20mins quicker to Birmingham ??!! and yet if the current infrastructure was upgraded it would be even less time advantage. If you talk of the future generations regarding HS2/3/4 hen think about the folk who will not have use of vehicles that we have today and tomorrow where a fully integrated and coherent rail infrastructure would serve a much larger percentage of the population than the HS2 is planned to. Read the book on the GCR by Mac Hawkins, it was a case of criminal damage and yet we still have the 'kneejerk' reactions by Governments of all parties without looking any further than the end of their noses. Remember that it was the Wilson Government and Barbara Castle who implemented the biggest proportion of the Beeching Rail cuts of the 1960's, and my how we miss aspects of our Rail network now. Also freight is limited to 75mph on the network , any new large warehousing and distribution sites throughout the UK none are rail linked, so how does freight on our railways stand a fair chance against road deliveries?? Totally different in Germany however.

[Harold Gough]

Similarly the ratio between worker bees and drones in companies seriously needs addressing, .

Worker bees are females and drones are males! Careful what you wish for!

Harold

[Dewi9]

Sorry. Thinking back to my schooldays I understood that the drones simply served the Queen Bee and then were redundant. Worker bees did just that - all the work. I was not trying to upset anyone over gender equality.

[wornish]

In today's times, what is gender?

I can't believe what's happening these days. Probably best to keep my head down and shut up

Oh, and I better be careful what I post or the thought police will be calling

[MJ224]

The fuse has been lit....:-))

[wornish]

I know and I really worry about what's happening.

It's not just Gender.

BLM are out of control.

The US seems to be heading towards a civil breakdown.

Climate change seems to have dropped down the medias important ratings, but watch this space with Extinction Rebellion!

It' will all be OK though according to today's protests - Covid-19 is a con !?

Today's kids face a tough future.

[MJ224]

Amen..........

[Graham_of_Rainham]

.... The world has moved on, but our politicians don't seem to be able to keep up, never mind look ahead. They are technically illiterate and have no concept of what's possible today.

The world has only ever moved on, yet so many look to the past without learning from its failures, and simply revel in bygone “glories”...

Forward thinking, visionary’s in our “government” are entirely self serving! With access to the information on climate change, pandemics, and all the other global factors, grabbing as much as you can to secure your place in the apocalypse bunker, seems to be no longer the actions of the sci-fi villains.

[MJ224]

I read that it's the logical end game for Western Democracy. We, the common lot, have too much choice. Everyone's views can be aired, and followed. Is it a Facebook problem? Facebook is just a conduit, its all of us who are the problem. Maybe we should all go back to church and be indoctrinated again..............Or have another type of dictator..........The human been is very diverse, and its difficult to have any sort of common interest. In the past, our (global) leaders have invented wars to make us all sit up and tow the line....We all have RIGHTS, but many demand them and don't earn them. None of these are suggestions, I am too at a loss ...........But don't be too downhearted, often the worst does not happen, and remember how full the glass is............ :-))

[Otto]

The concepts of heaven and hell were invented to keep the serfs in line too and it worked for centuries. As religion in the west becomes less and less relevant we maybe witnessing the result. I am not religious, by the way, that's just an observation. I think social media does have to take some of the blame, it's just too easy now for ignoranmuses and weirdos to make their views public whereas when the only way was to write to the newspapers where an editor would screen out the rubbish, these nonsensical views would rightly be suppressed, and not gain credence.

[wornish]

Came across this today.
The TED talk link on the page is worth watching.
Certainly makes you think.


Do you want to live in a good country?

https://www.goodcountry.org