Jay – your response exemplifies an aspect of modern life. Lack of planning. All the things you mention, notwithstanding force majeure, can be planned around – but few bother any more.

Only because you fancied Florence 😀

Jim.

Lincoln .7

Only just stumbled on this – damn you’ve found me out. So will you come clean and own up to enjoy giving Ermintrude a tickle now and then? At least my competition is only Dougal whereas yours is Brian.:diablo::diablo:

Are our lives so driven that we simply must be in Manchester 30 or 40 minutes earlier?

Well we can agree to disagree about that, but you haven’t answered my question.

I have a considerable ambivalence to this. I had seen a report about it a few days ago. On the one hand I can understand Germany’s sensitivity but on the other the reaction plays into the hands of the mad few. All and any publicity they garner they revel in.

“Journey times in the UK between distant cities and London, Birmingham and Manchester could be improved though (yes sadly some beauty may be lost or possibly re-done) making more productive business communication and commuting.”

But not by enough to justify the enormous costs, disruption and public antagonism. Are our lives so driven that we simply must be in Manchester 30 or 40 minutes earlier? I sincerely hope not!! In any case in another 20 years business communication will require less face to face meeting rather than more. The need for travel might actually be reduced, other than for leisure purposes.

In don’t disagree but to be honest I am far more exercised by the shenanigans in Brussels and their potential affect on us and on our future relationship with the EU, by the energy situation, and by our domestic economic and fiscal situation than I am by the duplicity and immorality of a few disreputable journalists.

Yes, how true. But how depressing.