The Winter Wonderland - a laughing stock...

As our transport infrastructure crumbles at the first sight of snow, the media is beginning to reflect the astonishment emanating from the rest of the world. In Yakutsk, Siberia where the temperatures regularly drop to -40 degrees a duty airport officer ironically offered to give advice to Gatwick Airport.

In the really cold countries where snow falls heavily and regularly they shake their heads sadly at the sight of inept travellers not being able to cope. How can we design trains for example that can't cope with snow? Why does Southern Rail just pack it in whenever the snow arrives? How come a major airport like Gatwick does not have the equipment to keep the runways clear when Gander, Newfoundland, continues in far worse conditions.

The local councils are claiming that they gritted the roads and yet it really is not apparent in many of the southern counties. Despite that, it still comes down to driving standards. What this cold snap has proven is that driving standards in this country are very poor. The driving test does not prepare people for adverse conditions or even ensures that they can handle their car under normal circumstances.

When one witnesses drivers (most of the outstanding examples I have to say are female) who cannot reverse, cannot park and have little practical knowledge of the highway code then it is hardly surprising that they cannot alter their style of driving in the snow. The driving test in Germany is much tougher and encompasses motorway and night driving and we should seriously look at following their example.

There should be a far reaching government enquiry into what has happened in the past few days and then we must take action. The airports and railways just cannot be allowed to quit so easily without incurring huge penalties and councils who fail to cope must also be held to account.

The British public deserve a better transport system. It has been allowed under the NoLab government to drift into chaotic disarray and The Coalition must get it back in line again.

The Winter Wonderland!

How can we be so inept? How can our transport services be so inept? How can the Highways Services be so unprepared for an event that happens every year? How does Helsinki airport remain open every year and yet Gatwick cannot cope?

We are hopeless when faced with adversity. This is the nation which bred the Dunkirk and Blitz spirit and when a few inches of snow arrive on our doorstep everyone collapses. Now don't get me wrong my daughter and her family arrived back from Edinburgh last weekened and they have had real snow.

Further north it can be really difficult. For example in Northumbria they have had bucketfulls and nobody could criticise the shepherds and farmers trying to feed their livestock. That is real hardship.

But down here in the soft Midlands there is no real issue. We have had a few inches but conditions are easily overcome. OK it may get worse but at the moment nobody has an excuse for opting out of anything.

How the rail authorities excuse their performance or those responsible for gritting down south can explain why they have once again let the public down I do not know. It happens every year and every year the nation grinds to a halt!

No Airport should shut! No HGV driver should pull over and claim defeat until conditions become extreme. Obviously there comes a time when winter defeats us all but in this country it arrives far too early and far too conveniently.

Snow and the British

This is ridiculous! Thousands of schools closing because of a couple of inches of snow! Many of the roads are actually clear but it doesn't stop the doommongers. In Leicestershire, schools are closing and yet the traffic is moving without any hindrance of snow. At the heart of the hysteria is the BBC who are hourly broadcasting desperate forecasts that we can't cope! It is utterly ridiculous because these conditions are far from extreme. The BBC is encouraging everyone to blame snow in order to skive.

They are deliberately encouraging our children to adopt a skiver's mentality. It should be a challenge to beat the elements but they make it so easy to shut things down that the challenge is never faced. All the reports are negative and it is only when they inadvertently interview a Dane or a Pole that we get the incredulilty which their doom and gloom attitude should be viewed.

I was in Berlin in 1969/1970 when they had (at the time) the worst winter for 125 years. In temperatures of minus 20/30 we (as soldiers) never missed a shift even though the pavements disappeared for six months. Public services fought hard to keep the city going and snow was piled up feet high.

For heaven's sake get a grip. Go to work, go to school and to the public services get your workers back to work. You knew it was coming so why didn't you plan for it?
Why start gritting after the snow comes? Six inches of snow stops nothing if you have the will and the skill to conquer it.