First things first...War!

I wrote this bit about a month ago and the situation is even more ridiculous - even as I write this tonight - the straight is blocked.

Travelling to London a few days ago, I got a sense of the enormity of the situation we are in. The world is beautiful, people are beautiful and we allow ourselves to forget it.

Facebook too, on the whole, is a great place to be. It gives a sense of thought, understanding and ability to be challenged - if you let it. Rubbish can be managed and, unlike others, as long as the game is fair and right. I'll stay!

War is a scary prospect. The world is at its most unstable since the second world war. A simple trip to Take Shelter in Brighton (second Sunday of each month (bar August) by the way) should be more than enough to see the devastating consequences of it, brought about by, whichever way you look at it, people who appear far more important than us. Going through my mind is every Dr. Who and Red Dwarf episode, among others, i've ever watched to reassure myself that resolution can come from bad.

My only comfort - we have satire, analysis and there is always good more than bad in the world. I've never played risk, it's a board game for that reason. Should it hit the fan - and article 5 ever be triggered, then we are in uncharted waters.

How about we just stop bombing the rubbish out of each other? How much I want just to stand in a field, encouraging others to link hands and literally make a ring of peace - as far and as long as it can.

So I say to you, your to children and your children's children's  - 'No! we are not doing this!'

Rant over!

 

Fuel for thought

Before getting any ideas, lets look at where we are and what we need to be. 

The Strait of Hormuz is important, but only accounts 20% of the fuel we need for not just vehicles, but manufacturing too. It may even be, with some irony noted, complicit in the building of wind farms.

The local fuel price has increased but appears to have stabilized in the low 190's (I love the fact we have a .9 on the end). There was a discussion of peace, but as I write this - the straight has been blocked by the US. It should be said that someone so anti-green should be making people want to consider it.

It shouldn't have escaped notice that the price rose almost immediately the war broke out. It may be possible to reach £2 (what happens if fuel stations have only two segments for the first digit?). Those with heating oil appear to be suffering more than most.

And just to say that thankfully and with praise to all of my followers with cars, Panic buying hasn't become an issue and long may that continue.

 

Protest-station

In Ireland, protests have taken place, impacting on fuel getting to the pumps by farmers and haulers: fuel protests: Irish cabinet meeting to be held to discuss ongoing protests - BBC News 

Now, good folk of Sussex- Lets think about this logically. Unless you do this in one lane of a duel carriageway (the lane closest to the central reservation), this will not work. Each A-road has a public bus or coach service of some sort - remember that partial A27 closure? This would cause massive delays to anything from 17, 28-29X, to 273. The only place you would have little direct impact would be the A27 west of Pycombe(!) The next issue, planned or otherwise, the alternative routes will clog up - A259 is bad at the best of times.

The third issue is - who's protesting? Truckers - yes and essential road users - yes (not sure who counts), emergency services - yes! Buses will just...bus! Unless a company wants to make a particular statement.

Please don't allow yourselves to undermine the point of a protests like Just stop Oil (intention noted) or ULEZ pitching up to a bus stop in a town with all electric buses! 

 

So what?

Then what about just simply lowering the fuel cap for these important groups, in priority order and start means testing other motorists during this time. It's those who choose to use a car - when a bus is a convenient inconvenience to be good enough to use for that journey - are they protesting? Otherwise not hemmed in by a protest!

According to the RAC, overall 8 in 10 would struggle without a car, more pointedly 3% - 30% of cars are SUV's . This leaves, by some irony, 20% of road users the ability to use another form of transport. Now consider the 76% of those recently surveyed said they would not use a bus to a new development if it was one put in! Open, accessible and (in most cases) more cost effective alternative options.

Now our home arrangements are our own business, but if there was an offer of the installation solar panels from our key person, then I would get them. I am OCD about washing - I will not use a table dryer and used to have a windmill that turned a light on whenever the wind blew. Ironically electricity will be free for people to use excess electricity this summer. Does it all add up?

 

The Rationale

Noted by our PM, Kier Starmer (we remain non-partisan at this point)...

'I know the consequences of the situation in the Middle East are being felt right across the country.    

It’s why throughout this conflict I’ve been clear that we must see a full de-escalation. 

The Iran war has been a warning to us. Britain must build up its resilience - both at home and with our allies in Europe. 

We should not be at the mercy of events abroad and we can’t manage this crisis by desperately trying to return to the status quo.

That’s why we will build a Britain that is stronger, more secure and more resilient. 

That is what this moment demands and it’s my focus.'

Bigger defense and security spending? spending on public transport? with lots of green ideals? ideas and hopefully a little collective responsibility? What about conscience? Can we spend here? A conscience of care, self pride, looking out for each other and making decisions based on fact and respect? Can we do that?

Wave energy, wind solar and nuclear - the former, nowhere near as explored as it could be.

 

Free bus travel

I hear a constant drum beat of: 'Why can't we have free travel?' I agree - they should be. But as shown with the £2 fare cap -the greater the subsidy, the lower to ability to invest and take risk.

Conversely, families are still reeling from the loss of the East Sussex Day ticket. Even me, the one who should know the best ticket - still gets it wrong - PlusBus, Discovery, under 19's, 24hr - it all gets too much and we all must loose out somewhere.

The conversations with the children. Especially on transport are some of the best and taxing. One such occasion was just after the fare announcements, wondering why the bus fares had increased - referencing the historic tradition exchanging of commodities like monkeys, carrots or radishes. They too think it should be free - how about yours? Would this demonstrate that diesel use be reduced by one simple change to fares at relatively low comparative cost.

 

All over

This could all still get really silly.

There may be a bigger global plan for the Middle East - far beyond my understanding - such is the support of talk radio we can get these ideas, understanding and two sides to an argument. So the best way to protest - don't use your car of you don't NEED to, don't buy the oil and show the big corporations that we all get there better, of we all work together!

If there is a time for a domestic conscience - it's now!