Met Office/Government Rant
 

Am I the only one who's more than a bit pissed off about how poorly prepared the councils are for this weather? Obviously as a result of the Met Office predicting a warmer winter?

It's funny how we're being taxed left, right and centre to slow this 'catastrophic climate change', while at the same time having one of the longest cold spells for years. And after going along with that crap, we aren't even allowed the expense of a bit of salt to go about our lives. Haven't seen a gritter for about 2 days now, and I'm doubtful if the main road to Edinburgh(A702) is even being treated.

It's a f*cking joke.

vote socialism, get screwed!

You're not the only one :)

Can I add our council to your list? We've not had our bins emptied for over a month now. There are turkey carcasses, dirty nappies and Christ knows what else under this blanket of snow.

Their excuse: health and safety... :rolleyes:

So it would seem!

That's pretty shocking. How do they use the excuse of health and safety? Have I missed something?

Any excuse to save some cash, largely to finance their obscene pensions! Sod the motorist-we are of no importance of course!

Having said that, I have to say that our council down here in the SW have done well so far in clearing the roads.

Les

Bunch of work-shy boneheads :rolleyes:

Errr - try lugging around 20-40kgs of luggage on ice covered pavements. It might just hurt when you go over on your arse!

Regarding your original point - do local councils stockpile grit reserves based on Met Office long range forecasts?

Yeah, the binmen(or maybe should be bin persons now?) aren't allowed to break a nail these days. I'm sure I read somewere that if they can't pull the bin with one finger, they are advised to leave it. :cuckoo:

Haha, that can't be fun!

That was me just assuming. I just thought that if the weather forecast was for a warmer winter, that they wouldn't be so worried about preparing for the worst/stockpiling grit.

On the plus side, this weather gives you a good excuse to get cuddled up with those sheep! Did they get any xmas 'treats'?

Not on the seasonal forecasts. Because councils and other interested bodies actually understand the caveats provided with long-range/seasonal forecasts, unlike it seems most of the press and a fair number of people on ScoobyNet.

They also have sight of much more accurate medium and short range forecasts than the public ever sees.

Blaming the Met Office because councils don't have enough salt/grit is ridiculous. It isn't as though the Met Office can order the salt for them or even have access to their budgets.

All the councils have to do is stockpile for winter. When they appear to be using it at a good rate, order more. It isn't rocket science. If the Met Office is to blame then how come some councils are doing just fine and others appear to have messed up? Maybe it could be the councils themselves? Just an idea.

And the bottom line is the winter is cold and icy this year. Get over it, it happens. Why people need to blame someone I have no idea.

I think they stockpile it based on the IPCC predictions. Although, if they did that they wouldn't need to stockpile it as the UK would soon be a desert with enough sand for any eventuality :rolleyes:

I'm waiting for the first 'expert' to appear on BBC News blaming this current WINTER weather on climate change :cuckoo: I really hope this is the first of a return to proper British winters, which might force them to either STFU, or more likely change their cause, effect and resultant policy (read: taxation) on this BS.

I saw on the news this morning that one council - Harrow I think - had ordered more rock salt in December and it had not arrived, though they'd been chasing and chasing. So who is at fault there?

Maybe they should have ordered it a little earlier.

Chip

Firstly, the blaming of people is only because of how poorly the roads are being maintained, when there has been heavier snow before over a shorter period of time and the roads have been cleared. Therefore the problem is with the people responsible for treating it.

Secondly, I didn't say I thought the Met Office were responsible for the supply of grit. I was just criticising the quality of their forecast and the way the councils or whatever have acted on that, and haven't prepared for the worst case.

But if it's a fact that the councils do not take notice of forecasts then I'll obviously accept I'm wrong about that part of my little rant.

You just can't trust the bloody post office these days! ;)

OK. So the Met Office has much more accurate forecasts available. Why the h3ll don't we see them? They have a wonderful web site that allows you to put your 6 or 7 digit post code in for *local* weather - and it comes out wrong more often than not! *IF* you are saying that this isn't an accurate forecast but they have more accurate ones available then should we sue because they are basically lying to us?

Dave

They aren't socialists!!!

Why do so you and so many on here have a problem understanding this? It's not like you are thick so why do you let blinkered attitudes get in the way of fact?

I knew you would bite at that! ;):thumb:

An article in the Independent said as much before Christmas.

All they do is say, "You need to understand the difference between weather and climate". End of argument.

Ask them to EXPLAIN it to you though............."Oh, you'd never understand, I haven't time, look it up, etc etc ":rolleyes:

I think Christopher Monkton has explained it all quite well enough !

I think that's a bit unfair.
The definition of socialism has by necessity been a pretty fluid concept.
Some would say that "socialism" in it's dictionary definition sense died with the Berlin wall.
In this day and age, it seems to have become an adjective to describe policies associated with it's historic definition. Central state control, nationalised industry, police state, some people more equal than others etc.
If you are an old school class warrior (comrade ;)) - you may feel that Labour is not a socialist party and does not have socialist policies.
I can understand this view.
Others may not see it that way however.
Does it really make any difference?

I blame the tyre manufacturers. They should have go go gadget spikes that pop out at the press of a button.

I think we should all get 4wd cars.

oh wait we have.

No money to pay for salt - they have to ration it. In the meantime businesses suffer, economy suffers and tax revenue decreases.

If only they had left something in the kitty...

Lets not bash the Met Office, they were right and have done an outstanding job in telling everyone what the current weather conditions are apparently.......

BBC News - Chief defends Met Office record

Spat my tea out over the first comment :lol1::thumb:

If you are a man made global warming supporter then one cold year in an ever increasing average is largely irrelevant to a bigger picture. Climate will always vary year to year, one or two anomaly years deos not change the overall trend. The lack of sunspots the dilution of the gulfstream by melting glaciers can all be used to explain a few anomalous years of cold weather.

If you are a man made global warming supporter, then our countryside is going to look like this by 2020
http://www.newwest.net/images/galler...ert_resize.jpg

if we don't stop driving these...
http://i.treehugger.com/images/2007/10/24/h2-410.jpg

I read an article today where the Met Office categorically stated that this weather is not due to Climate change - it's just the ebb and flow of normal weather.

They actually speculated that it's due to the Gulf Stream being diverted further south (giving North Africa a very mild time) and allowing two areas of high pressure to bring the cold winds in from the North.

Yep, the BBC now giving a good portion of their news bulletin to tell us global warming is still a problem and this cold snap has nothing to do with that. Got to keep the taxes coming in :mad:

s'funny how heatwaves and droughts are due to Global Warming, while snow and ice is just weather.

Melting Arctic stuff is a worry though...

Message Board - Arctic Warms Seals Vanish Icebergs melt

oops, that was in 1922...

Yup, i saw that blatantly biased article. They only interviewed alarmists (including some high-priest from the Met Office), had some meaningless animation of the world average temperature and repeated the same old "snow is weather, warming is CO2" bollox and "if it isn't at least 30 years then it ain't climate" (as in, pick whatever timescale suits your lies).

:mad:

mb