Gransnet forums

News & politics

The man is mad!

(153 Posts)
Fennel Sun 09-Feb-20 17:48:41

I don't enjoy entering the news and politics forums, but this news item shocked me:
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7982525/Boris-Johnson-revives-20billion-plan-bridge-Scotland-Northern-Ireland.html
Especially today with the threat to bridges like the current storm.

J52 Sun 09-Feb-20 18:13:16

They’d be better spending money on repairing the huge pot holes on the A75. Mostly caused by heavy good lorries coming from Stranraer to the M6.

phoenix Sun 09-Feb-20 18:13:36

Positively Dagenham, just one stop short of Barking.

paddyanne Sun 09-Feb-20 19:08:35

is this part of his plan to woo us back to the "union" that isn't a union at all.I hear he's having adverts in cinemas as a sweetener telling us how wonderful Westminster is and how good it is to Scotland...lol.Someone should explain to him we can see the ignorance and derision our MP's are treated with on a daily basis and all the cinema ads in the world won't make a shred of difference.He really is deluded

Nandalot Sun 09-Feb-20 19:08:50

Vanity project.

Barmeyoldbat Sun 09-Feb-20 19:37:15

So what happens if Scotland goes it alone and even if Ireland became united? As its been said, a vanity project and I believe he didn't finish some bridge in London.

Urmstongran Sun 09-Feb-20 19:38:34

China has a bridge (or two) twice as long. Denmark has one linking x with y. Sorry can’t recall the area.

Is it planning for the future? Speculate to accumulate? Cuts down air traffic. Less pollution.

Yes it’s a huge project. Early planning stages. Will big business be involved with finding? Time will tell.

boat Sun 09-Feb-20 19:41:09

He makes me think of Caligula the mad Roman emperor.

varian Sun 09-Feb-20 19:45:27

Instead of spending billions on another vanity project, why doesn't he just try go repair some of the damage that his party has inflicted on our country?

growstuff Sun 09-Feb-20 19:49:48

Absolutely bonkers! Hopefully it won't be too long before the whole idea is consigned to his discarded list of vanity projects.

growstuff Sun 09-Feb-20 19:51:19

So how does all the road traffic get to the west coast of Scotland to the end of the bridge?

SirChenjin Sun 09-Feb-20 20:33:04

Apparently it’s technically feasible, but the 20billion is a ‘conservative estimate’ according to a BBC article. I wonder how many years it would take to build such a bridge? The man is an idiot if he honestly thinks £20billion plus couldn’t be better spent.

MaizieD Sun 09-Feb-20 20:34:24

There'll still be border checks whether goods cross to NI by bridge or ferry.

SirChenjin Sun 09-Feb-20 20:36:08

I wonder if the engineers will be required to install bumps along the bridge road? grin It would laughable if it wasn’t so tragic.

FlexibleFriend Sun 09-Feb-20 20:50:46

I don't think it's nuts, why is it ok for others but not the Uk. It's ambitious and will cost far more than estimated but that doesn't make it daft.

Oopsminty Sun 09-Feb-20 20:52:29

I remember my father saying how mad they were to consider building a tunnel under the Channel

SirChenjin Sun 09-Feb-20 21:02:41

Yes it’s nuts because of a)the cost, b)because as Maizie rightly says, it won’t stop checks, c)because it’s technically incredibly difficult to navigate the depth and the munitions, d) because it would have to close regularly in the bad weather and e) because it crosses an incredibly busy shopping lane.

SirChenjin Sun 09-Feb-20 21:02:52

Or shipping even!

annodomini Sun 09-Feb-20 21:12:42

When he last mentioned this scheme, it was pointed out that a lot of unexploded stuff from WW2, had been dumped in the channel that separates Scotland from Northern Ireland. Think of the infrastructure that would have to be put in for the construction of such a bridge and for the roads on either side. This is one of Boris's vanity projects as was his 'garden bridge'.

Nezumi65 Sun 09-Feb-20 21:21:40

That area of the sea has been used as a weapons dump for years.

Think I’ll stick to Stena line - it’s not exactly a long crossing

Nezumi65 Sun 09-Feb-20 21:22:25

Oh whoops anno - only saw your post after pressing post

SirChenjin Sun 09-Feb-20 21:46:17

I don’t think I’d like to drive over a bridge that length - what if there was an accident around the middle - can you imagine getting the emergency services on site?

Hetty58 Sun 09-Feb-20 21:51:22

I like the idea of a tunnel - why not?

growstuff Sun 09-Feb-20 21:58:49

Even the QE2 bridge over the Thames estuary has been closed this afternoon.

growstuff Sun 09-Feb-20 22:02:14

It might not be too bad if the country were awash with money. We've just had 10 years of austerity and existing infrastructure is crumbling. I'm not very impressed at the idea of any savings being "spaffed" on a vanity project bridge (if there's any change left after HS2).

I must be imagining that people were complaining that Labour's election manifesto was unaffordable. hmm