England, no way sorry

Racism is a form of tribalism.

Are Welsh people really a separate race from other Brits? My Welsh husband isn't.

Nothing tribal Baggs, the Welsh are a race not a tribe

The Welsh would have no stocks of water to give or sell if it weren't for the Brummies' foresight and investment.
Do the Welsh sell the water to Birmingham then? ~Do they make a profit from it?

Actually, I think it was Tony Blair's Government which privatised water - I voted for them believing that they would stop this.
Unfortunately
Both Peter Mandelson and his successor at the department of trade and industry believed it was the role of government to foster entrepreneurial culture.

The second and third New Labour administrations pressed aggressively for further state down-sizing and privatisation.

It's the twenty-first century now. Time to put aside tribal resentments.

Well the Brummies should have built the reservoirs in England shouldn’t they not flood Welsh homes . In the 19th Century Wales was completely under English rule.

The reservoirs in the Elan Valley, which supply Birmingham, were paid for by Birmingham ratepayers, including my grandparents. The Welsh would have no stocks of water to give or sell if it weren't for the Brummies' foresight and investment. I felt very aggrieved when a former Tory government sold off property which wasn't theirs to sell and called it privatisation.

Ah yes - so they do. I used to pass one of them near Staines quite regularly.

The reservoirs around Heathrow are bordered by high grassy banks which are the ‘walls’ of the reservoir. Sheep happily graze on them.

Hands off Rob Brydon please and don’t even think of pinching Rob Gilbert

Rod Gilbert is very funny but he shouts
I think Rob Brydon has defected to England now, but I'll let you share him.

Water, or lack of it, is going to be of the most serious problems we are all going to face.
Weren't there plans to build a new reservoir at Abingdon by Thames Water? Is this the one posters refer to that would have a wall built around it?
Surely there is another site somewhere in the south-east that would be suitable - although I suppose it would take 10 years for a feasibility study, then another 10 years whilst court cases were heard, then another 20 years to build the reservoir.....

Grafham Water, just outside Huntingdon is half enclosed by a “wall” because of the slope of the land. The wall is not actually a wall but a high grass bank, sheer on th water side but gradually sloping on the road view side, complete with cycle track, trees, wild flowers and grazing sheep. Very attractive actually in a flat landscape.

Not me niggly, don’t like going up to third story of a building. ?

In truth I feel guilty , I donate to water aid then kick off because London needs water. That union chap shouldn’t have been so arrogant . Water is God’s gift

I can see how you feel annie, these things are very complex. I think there are just so many people! Perhaps anyone over 65 should be put on a carousel and whizzed away into space!! Wasn't there a film like that year's ago?! ?

Well we’re fighting to try and stop a huge housing development in the middle of our village in Norfolk. More houses than we have on the village already.
They will be bought mostly by second homers who will add nothing to our community.
I’d rather have a reservoir.

Hands off Rob Brydon please and don’t even think of pinching Rob Gilbert ?

is there anything else we can pillage?
Welsh male voice choirs?
Rob Brydon - to cheer everyone up?

I was thinking about that this afternoon, suedonim. HS2 was set to run adjacent to where we are living now, with the loss of a large hotel, two farms, the best part of two villages, a section of the Transpennine Trail, and even a bit of a famous stately home. The “consultation” was a farce. Fortunately they changed their minds about the route, but now some other poor folks stand to lose homes they and their families have lived in for generations. It reminds me of the Vogons and their hyperspace expressway in HGTTG! Unstoppable!

Baggs, speaking out against does not mean anyone listens

Sue, I like that ?

I haven't read anything about this issue but it does sound poorly handled in the first place. Do spokespersons never stop for a moment to think how it will sound to the wider public?

Regarding the effects of reservoirs on communities, is it so different from people affected by new roads or the likes of HS2? Or even the third runway at Heathrow, where I understand that an entire village is to be removed? Such matters should be handled in the most sensitive way possible, of course.

Also, Annie, a Welsh reservoir would be a nice bargaining chip for Wales. 'Do what we demand or we'll turn off the taps!'

I agree with Baggs water doesn’t really belong to anyone (despite what the likes of Northumbrian water shareholders might think). It surely makes sense for reservoirs to be in places like Keilder in the North East where there is a much higher than average rainfall. A bit pointless to install/build a reservoir somewhere where there is low rainfall.

If the fight against the valley flooding took eight years, those arguing were not ignored. Decided against but not ignored.

It isn't Wales's water. It's the UK's water.If the mountains and the highest rainfall were where London is and if the highest population was in Wales, the water would have to be shared the other way.

And three years later Wales was again ignored following the Aberfan disaster , all we wanted was Lord Robens sacked but no. He kept his job.

The flooding of Capel Celyn was carried through by Liverpool taking a private members bill to parliament , by obtaining the authority Liverpool needed no planning consent from Welsh authorities so no arguments could be expressed, thirty five out of the thirty six Welsh MP’s , one abstained , was ignored . Wales fought for eight years to save the valley. Ignored. And the people told to have their dead dug up or the bodies would remain at the bottom of the reservoir. Little wonder Liverpool apologised , but took 40 years.

The statement by the GMB was a reminder of this.

Wales has so many reservoirs but we to suffer droughts , admittedly not for some time.

Ilovecheese, it was the arrogance that annoyed me ‘the current restoration of the Cotswolds Canals should be seized as an opertunity to transfer the water from the reservoir to the Thames’

Who said it doesn’t matter , it was the arrogance , no mention of any agreement with or approval/permission of Wales. What they were saying really was ‘London needs water, Wales has plenty so we will take some of theirs .

Followed by an apology when Plaid blew a fuse and spoke of
The anger and distressed caused over Capel Celyn. The apology made me more cross, ‘we didn’t know what we were treading on.