Missing in-action

Annie1 The fact that people are drowning and undoubtedly some will die of heat stroke or heat exhaustion, rather suggests that people do need to be reminded of how to deal with what are the highest temperatures ever recorded in this country and experienced by many people in urban areas, trapped in small flats designed to keep heat in, not let it out.

If you had read some of the stories of families, with members with respiratory problems. struggling to keep cool and well in small flats, where all the windows face south or are above busy city streets, you would understand they need all the help and advice they can get to try to keep cool and out of A&E.

It is fine for the educated, healthy older people, a description, that probably applies to most GN members by default to be superior about the nanny state, but not everybody has our advantages.

twitter.com/UKLabour/status/1549337977704402954?s=20&t=iAkz1u7hwkEQIFqd-jGxvQ

I can't be bothered with this thread any more.

We will have to start inventing a new meta- language, all the heightening of catastrophe and fear has become mundane. No doubt tonights Alarm will be ‘Devastating Storms bringing destruction and floods’ it’s all gotten too ridiculous for words.

I haven't been on Gransnet for a long time but this topic interested me. However, I can't understand why some people seem determined to come to the defence of a man who is not doing the job he is being paid to do. The man is not on garden leave. He's supposed to be doing the job until September. He's being paid and has all the perks and privileges. If he doesn't want to do the job then he should officially resign and leave it to Dominic Raab to nurse the country through to the official change over. I have no objection to him keeping the job but I object to contributing to pay him when he's not fulfilling his duties. This is nothing to do with my politics or whether or not I like the man. It's a matter of principle. No one in this country gets paid for doing nothing. Before anyone claims that the unemployed don't work, I would remind them that they are obliged to prove that they are actively seeking work and if not, or they miss an appointment at the Job Centre, no matter how reasonable the excuse, they will be sanctioned by having part or all of their benefit removed for a fixed period.

Boris Johnson is not above the rules.

Spot on, MaizieD!

MaizieD

^ no doubt you will soon be telling us what an incompetent that PM is too. You, Maizie,Varian and WWM2 will soon be on the case. I cannot wait NOT!^

As the next PM will be one of the current contenders for the leadership of the tory party, who have so far demonstrated absolutely no concern or solutions for the problems which actually face the UK, I can assure you, Anniel that your prediction will be absolutely correct

... LOL!

^ no doubt you will soon be telling us what an incompetent that PM is too. You, Maizie,Varian and WWM2 will soon be on the case. I cannot wait NOT!^

As the next PM will be one of the current contenders for the leadership of the tory party, who have so far demonstrated absolutely no concern or solutions for the problems which actually face the UK, I can assure you, Anniel that your prediction will be absolutely correct

I think the UK should look at other countries as to the running of trains. It was over 41 degrees yesterday and the trains at the end of my garden were still running. In Paris, the weather is continental, colder in winter and hotter in summer than London, but there is no freezing of points, leaves on line or rails suffering heat conditions.
Admittedly they stopped in some places because the fear of the electrical sparks causing fires.

Petera?

Anniel

Volver you are always right! Well in this case it is you and yout lefty friends who
are deluded. Nobody needs the nanny state to tell them to keep
Out of the sun to stay hydrated and take extra care in hot weather. The nanny state is not required.There is a cabal of you on this board who are mainly interested in attacking Botis Johnson and anything Tory. A few grans dont need yout declarations. I never hear you denouncing the SNP men who were thrown out of the Commons for disgraceful behaviour. Nor of the problems Nicola Sturgeon has in Scotland. We will soon have s new PM and no doubt you will soon be telling us what an incompetent that PM is too. You, Maizie,Varian and WWM2 will soon be on the case. I cannot wait NOT!

I disappointed that you haven't included me in your list. I must try harder.

growstuff

Doodledog I commented because it was one of the few summers from my "youth" I do remember. I was contradicting those who claimed that we all just got through it with "common sense". I wasn't in the UK, but my experience was that other countries' governments were pro-active in warning people of dangers through public information and, in some cases, fines.

I didn't mean you?.

Annie1, just to correct your misapprehension - the MPs who were thrown out of the House of Commons are in the Alba party now, and not the SNP. You can bash Alex Salmond for their conduct if you would like to, but not Nicola Sturgeon.

It was a heatwave in 1976. There were 16 consecutive days where the temperature reached above 30 degrees. It is hotter this year, but it’s nowhere near as prolonged as yet.

Doodledog I commented because it was one of the few summers from my "youth" I do remember. I was contradicting those who claimed that we all just got through it with "common sense". I wasn't in the UK, but my experience was that other countries' governments were pro-active in warning people of dangers through public information and, in some cases, fines.

I'm not sure why the fact that something did or didn't happen in 1976 is important now - it was 46 years ago! I was 16, and did a few things I wouldn't do again with hindsight . Things have moved on since then. Where they haven't, such as the infrastructure of the country, we need governments to take the lead, based on the advice of much-maligned experts.

I am very aware that young people are mocking the 'we coped in 1976' mentality, and whereas I usually dislike generational stereotyping I'm starting to agree with them.

On that map the UK looks like it was actually hotter in 1976 irrespective of the differences globally

I was travelling round Europe on an Interrail during the summer of 1976. Everywhere we went, there were posters warning people not to have BBQs in forests and fields and to carry water. There were announcements on trains telling people not to throw cigarette butts out of the window. I remember travelling past numerous fires.

The difference, globally, between summer 1976 and summer 2022.

It's a nice coloured picture so making it easier to understand that the two years are completely different.

BTW temperatures in '76 were nothing like as high. It was a drought (no rain for weeks) not particularly a heatwave.

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Excellent post, Vampirequeen. Leaving the heatwave to the ‘common sense’ of some on here who think they know better than the experts would result in a disaster-movie situation.

sazz1

Really can't see what all the fuss is about. Most on here wanted Boris out. So he's going. Most wanted him to go immediately. So why do most want him to chair a meeting or be at any meetings?
Perhaps because they feel nobody is as competent as him?

He is still being paid because he says he is Prime Minister till September. His wage for being PM should be stopped as well as using number 10, Chequers and all the trappings unless it is linked to running the country.
Playing Top Gun considering the pollution it must of caused regarding climate change was not necessary, being in a Cobra meeting was.

Excellent post vampirequeen. A calm and measured response.

I find it ironic that those who complain most about the 'nanny-state' are right-wing (I'm assuming that because of the derogatory "leftie" label they attach to anyone who is critical of Boris Johnson) and, presumably, voted for this government... and we - "lefties" - end up defending the government they voted for, and we probably didn't!!

... I don't know why anyone gets upset about being reminded to stay hydrated, keep out of the sun, etc, etc, and takes it as some sort of personal insult - it's just so easy to ignore the advice, when you already know the drill!

... but, that isn't what COBRA is about - as you have clearly and articulately indicated...

The government was ill-prepared for the pandemic - but has stepped up to the mark over the heatwave and planned in advance. Good for them.

LuckyFour

I'm utterly sick of hearing Johnson being blamed for absolutely everything. People need to take responsibility themselves. We all have brains and we can use them. If something is not quite right it's somehow automatically BJs fault. I'm sick of hearing this. I take people as I find them and he has done his best during a terrible two/three years.
Everything can be improved 'with hindsight'.
Keir Starmer has no ideas and just criticises. That's easy to do.

I quite agree! I think that we have been encouraged in this country to become accustomed to government directing and informing our lives. The pandemic has helped this enterprise enormously and I find it a very worrying trend. We need to return to individual responsibility and accountability with government as an ally not a ‘benign’ dictator. This was what the essence of conservatism was about. The Conservative Party and its leaders should remember this otherwise we will end up with an imitation of the Labour Party and political choice will be dead in the water.

*nobody needs the nanny state to tell them to keep
Out of the sun to stay hydrated and take extra care in hot weather. The nanny state is not required*

Where’s the banging head against brick wall emoji.

Have you not bothered to read ANY of the thread explaining that the cobra meeting ISNT about staying out of the sun ????

1959 was my O level year. I cannot rememeber anything being adjusted because of the heat, but the temperatures then were nothing compared with what we are experiencing now.