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AIBU?

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Original poster

To feel this country should be able to cope with snow fgs?

197 replies

QueenEagle · 02/02/2009 08:14

Why does everything come to a standstill in this country when we have a bit of snow?

We don't even have half of what we had when I was a kid when we just got on with it even when we got snowed in for days on end.

Are we soft or what?

OP posts:
MABS · 02/02/2009 09:20

10 inches is a bit different to a couple of centimetres. tho i know men say size doesn't matter.....

Thunderduck · 02/02/2009 09:22

No,and those aren't the pics I'm talking about. Those aren't bad there's been much worse posted on MN.

Siberia and it's ilk would be equipped to deal with this type of weather, as it's a relatively rare event here we, understandably, are not.

SlackSally · 02/02/2009 09:24

Oooh maybe it's more like 10 inches here then, Mabs. Hard to tell as I live in centre of town so mst of it's been trodden down/driven over.

Herbietea: I never said things weren't still happening. I've seen plenty of kids walking to school (though not sure whether they are open or not) and adults to work and I went out just for the hell of it.

midnightexpress · 02/02/2009 09:25
wheresthehamster · 02/02/2009 09:25

mabs. 10 inches here as well. Am going to brave the arctic conditions in a moment and go to the post office. MN book club books are due to be posted today and I feel it's my duty to not let the side down.

SparklyGothKat · 02/02/2009 09:26

we have more than the bbc pics, its about 7 inches deep..

DaisyMooSteiner · 02/02/2009 09:27

Oh, I agree, it's really pathetic that people aren't driving around needlessly in dangerous conditions creating more work for the emergency services

Oblomov · 02/02/2009 09:28

But WHY aren't we Thunderduck ?
So, it doen't happen very often ?
SO what ? We could still be prepared. More gritters, more ploughs. Its not rocket science is it ?
Just becasue something doesn't happen very often, doesn't mean you can't be prepared for it.

Thunderduck · 02/02/2009 09:28

Sorry I'm just tired of people whinging that Canada/Russia/Alaska/Norway etc copes, well we're the UK not farking Norway. It is unusual for us to have such heavy snow.

Apologies if I sound bitchy, I was hoping to have dp home today but that doesn't look like it's going to happen because of the snow.

DivamakesKimchi · 02/02/2009 09:29

i think pathetic is the answer. we still get snow a few times a year, well at least once a year we have snow, and everytime is chaos.

TrillianAstra · 02/02/2009 09:29

When there are a limited amount of resources available being prepared for weather like this (which generally happens for a day or two a year, and not every year) doesn't make economic sense.

Thunderduck · 02/02/2009 09:30

We've also had a few relatively smal. hurricanes and tornadoes, should we also have a system set up to deal with those, and perhaps earthquakes?

We haven't really got the money to spend on preparing for relatively rare events such as this, certainly not beyond spreading a bit of salt on the roads.

DivamakesKimchi · 02/02/2009 09:30

thunderduck, my dh is in down south somewhere(obviously he told me where but i cant remember) and he stuck as flights and trains all stopped.

DaisyMooSteiner · 02/02/2009 09:31

So do you have snow chains for your car DivamakesKimchi?

OrmIrian · 02/02/2009 09:31

oblomov - it's not rocket science is it. But it is expensive. What services would you prefer to do without to provide snowploughs and extra gritting lorries for the odd week once or twice a decade.

PeachyBAHonsPRSCertOnRequest · 02/02/2009 09:33

Agree Oem.

Ours chool open with no heating. Now THAT is just stupid!

mysterymoniker · 02/02/2009 09:33

YABU

it is an event of great national excitement, there are so few things left in life to be truly excited about

Thunderduck · 02/02/2009 09:34

Damn. Sorry to hear that Diva, hope he gets back to you soon.

Sounds like I won't have dp back today, he's in South Bucks at present, he has the car with him but I don't want him to drive all the way back to Scotland in these conditions.

misdee · 02/02/2009 09:34

its deep here. lot worse than the bbc pics. my road wont be cleared. go to walk into town later.

throckenholt · 02/02/2009 09:34

SO what ? We could still be prepared. More gritters, more ploughs. Its not rocket science is it ?
Just becasue something doesn't happen very often, doesn't mean you can't be prepared for it.

because it costs a lot of money to have snow ploughs etc sitting around waiting for the few times we have snow.

And we all complain about how much council tax we pay already - are you going to offer to pay more so they can stock up on snow ploughs ?

southeastastra · 02/02/2009 09:34

oh stop moaning about it. it's lovely!

wheresthehamster · 02/02/2009 09:35

That's illegal I think Peachy. Unless they think it can be fixed within a reasonable time (i.e. a couple of hours) they should be making arrangements to send the children home if possible.

Oblomov · 02/02/2009 09:35

Heathrow airport is closed, my dh jut ranfg to say.
Surely this is not true. But dh drove past it this morning, on his way to Birmingham NEC.
One of the worlds largest/busiest....
I think that it is a shame that Uk can't cope. 6-10 inches here.
Its not 'un-cope-able-'
But also when it is hot. Everything stops.
No, sorry. We have an air conditioning type unit in the garage. We dig it out we get on with it.
Its called being prepared. And yes its not that hot very often. But we are prepared.
I know i am trivilasing this, but really the principal is still the same.

wheresthehamster · 02/02/2009 09:36

Maybe we do have the gritters etc ready but the people who operate them are unable to get to work

loobeylou · 02/02/2009 09:36

Oh come on, are you people really prepared to pay £££££ more to stockpile gritters and snow ploughs on the off chance they will be used on 3 days a year?!! Would you not prefer that money to be used for medical resources that will be used every day?

even if we had them, the drivers would be unable to get in and out of their depots because of all the other nutters clogging up the roads!

Daisymoo at 9.27 - exactly!!