To have no sympathy with Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee for having their house flooded

[ReallyTired]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26184129

I feel more sorry for people in council housing along the river than multi millionaires who can CHOOSE where to live.

If you buy a multi million pound house by the river thames then you should not be surprised if it gets flooded. I don't agree with the idea of dredging the river thames as I feel it would destroy wild life.

I agree with them that planning permission should not be given for properties that are guarenteed to flood. Or if people must build on the flood plain then the houses should be built on stilts so that the occupants stay dry. My parents' house is on the flood plain and it is built two feet off the ground so reduce the chances of getting flooded.

If the council refused them plans to rebuild to be safe from flood water, do you think the council should pay for the repairs?

I do.

I do feel more sorry for ordinary people who are suffering due to the flooding and storms than for wealthy people. It will be so much harder for ordinary people to pick themselves back up. However, OP said she feels zero sympathy for PD and DM, that's why she's getting a hard time. Even rich people can deserve a little bit of sympathy sometimes.

Well said Chipped, OP is shifting her stance with every post. I also note wildlife came first in her sympathy league table, and then poor people.

I have been moved to tears by stories of fisherman families unsure if insurance will pay outing their boat, single mum families with no insurance as they couldn't afford it who can't actually leave the attic of their house as there's nowhere to go.

So have I, I live in the SW, it's awful, but I still have sympathy for people like Paul Daniels, flooding is awful

OP said she had no sympathy, not less

Anyone who operates a sliding scale of sympathy here is a bit of a wanker.

But the notion that having money means you are not worthy of sympathy is fairly routinely thrownout by those with little imagination. Very little imagination. And often a huge fucking chip.

Paul Daniels is a twat, but I feel sympathy for anyone who's home is flooded, it must be awful.

I've read some pretty nasty things on MN before now (far more nice ones, though) but this one is high on the list of awful.

Pag took the words out my mouth re imagination - lack of.

Harsh Pag.

Please note I said I also have less sympathy for myself as I can afford to either fix my roof or use my insurance to do so.

It's usual surely to have less sympathy for those who can buy their way easily out of trouble

I wouldn't expect sympathy if I was staying in a hotel instead of being forced through having no insurance to stay in my attic with no electricity.

I think a sliding scale of sympathy is normal - look at the fact 30000 people died in the flooding in Bangladesh - that was horrific and as the 12th richest country in the world it's nowhere near as bad here as it is there.

To be fair, Paul Daniels should be able to wave his magic wand and make the water disappear

Seriously though, in future we need to design and build properties that will withstand this sort of weather.

My sympathy goes to EVERYONE who are suffering during the floods.

Laurie, Tired is only getting the kicking she hoped would be dished out to PD and DM. No doubt because people think they are a little odd Tired was expecting us all to pile in gleefully mocking them and laughing at their misfortune. Why anyone would want to do that to another person whatever their status or wealth is beyond me and is indicative of rather nasty character traits.

You think she wanted us all to mock and laugh at them

I don't read that in her post.

And she ain't that cunty

In fact no one is on here, apart from that weird clarksonman who's fucking strange

I agree emotion what a vile OP, can't quite believe anyone would wish that on another!

There is so much bollocks in your posts it's unbelievable OP. I live on a flood plain but when I bought my house I checked the last time it flooded and it was in 1947. So not exactly in RECENT memory as you put it. This is the worst period of heavy rainfall in over 200 years so hardly sensible to say that anyone could have predicted this. There is a foot of water under my house. I've had no heat or power since Tuesday. But I'm rich enough to be able to afford a pump, and I should have known this was coming, so it's ally own fault, right?

Nobody, rich or poor, is criticising the government for the weather because that would be a bit bloody stupid. What people are angry about is the lack of support, advice and help being provided to minimise the impact of these floods. Get your facts right before posting total bullshit.

Incidentally, I doubt that Paul Daniels gives a shit whether you feel sorry for him or not.

Hope things improve for you Vino

I wouldn't wish flooding on anyone.

There was an item on the BEEB website about the horrible sewage-laden water (which was hooching with bacteria) swirling around in flooded houses.

So on top of water damage you have a soup of infectious agents to contend with.

I feel really bad for anyone having to contend with that

I would just like a sliding scale of money confirmed please

If I lose all my children's baby photos and earn less than 50k I get sympathy, more than 200k and it's tuff fucking tits

If I lose the last letters of my mum and earn (see above)

If I lose the last ornament my children made and earn (see above)

It's not just about replacing a sofa which I agree a rich person would find easier it's replacing the irreplaceable which must be soul destroying

No, not harsh IMO.

Im perfectly content with what I posted.

Deciding on degrees of sympathy to apply to those in situations not of their creations is exactly the same instinct that allows people to segregate the deserving and undeserving poor. It's crap.

It's a horrible situation. Chosing who to feel sorry for just means you are layering your uninformed moralising on those about whom you probably know nothing.

Thanks chipped

Paul Daniels worked for his money. So what if he is wealthier than most? Good luck to him. I hope his house will ultimately be ok.

Do people honestly believe being able to 'buy your way out of trouble' (stupid way to put it) makes it ok or more tolerable?Are you that shallow tgat you think that's all it takes and all that matters?

There is so much ignorant, prejudiced, nastiness and bias towards the financially comfortable. It is very uncool.

HoidaysAreNice
Interesting, would you have a case against LA if your application to include flood defence in your house plans were rejected, in favour of 'something more in keeping with the local character'?

A lot more people will be affected by new flood maps. Every time you buy/sell this will come up. I'm sure the LA/developers couldn't give a toss as long as the dividends keep on coming in. Perhaps we should save our contempt for these rather than people who buy the houses.

Very mean spirited.

Places we should therefore avoid buying in...

• Hemel area (Buncefield)
• Cumbria/Kent/Somerset etc... (nuclear power stations)
• Coastlines (erosion)
• Somerset/Wiltshire/Dorset/Devon/Thames valley (flooding)
• HS2 route (through some very very naice areas - ah fnuck it, they can afford it in Amersham etc...)
• Anywhere built on limestone (potential sink holes - whoops Somerset again!)
• North circular - increase pollution, potential health problems (not just the NC, any built up area)
• Near prisons - dangerous people might escape...
• South East in general - number 1 place to get targeted if we had a 'big war'.
• oop North - might get flattened by vowels (I am a northerner :-)
• Scotland - I don't suit plaid and I'm sure they've got nuclear subs up there.
• Near schools - dangerous parking and driving. Sure my life insurance premiums would increase.

Sorry Rutland, we're all moving to you. Budge up.

I'm sure I've missed lots of other places for very good reasons we shouldn't live...

And say that Paul buys his way out of it, I would still feel very sorry for him. How horrible to see a vast amount of your wealth disappear simply to get back to where you were before a flood. I would feel sorry for anyone, regardless of their income, in that position.

Paul Daniels didnt appear to be feeling sorry for himself when I saw him on the news. He seemed to be saying he'd chosen to remain where he lived in spite of certain flooding as he loved the location and his home and so had made all possible moves to ensure his property was safe and dry. He spoke about having powerful pumps and his house on 'props' and able to quickly move perishable belongings to upstairs.

Entirely the responsible attitude to have in my opinion.

Yes I do think it's better/easier if you have means to buy your way out of trouble - it's a fuck of a lot easier being able to afford to replace my roof than not being able to afford it.

It isn't all that matters but having money makes it easier.

And I don't think it's moralising pag to feel more horror/more sorry for the dead 30,000 in Bangladesh due to flooding. They have nothing - as an economy and as a society we will recover. We are ultimately very lucky to live in this country.

I can't believe people are calling on the daily mail website to stop paying foreign aid to the flooded in Bangladesh because 'we're flooded too'.

You're right, I don't know anything about Paul Daniels personally but he already said he knew he was going to flood so he moved anything previous upstairs and then him and his family moved out. There's a lot of folks who obviously didn't have that option due to money - or having no warning like if you lived in Bangladesh.