A Son of the Rock

Apart from the ridiculous nature of the phrase itself, what snow event?

All I’ve seen is a few flurries. No roads blocked, no days off work, no sledging in the park. An “event” affecting only parts of the UK at the time is nationwide news? And the worst in Britain for 18 years? Falls like that are commonplace in the Highlands most years.

I know some places have had it badly, but on the other hand there was some twerp saying the road he was speaking from was impassable yet there was barely a covering on the pavement behind him.

I’ve seen bad snow and driven in it. An inch isn’t bad. If you can see the pavement it certainly isn’t bad. But people are not used to it, I suppose.

OK, the worst snow I’ve ever experienced was when I lived in Essex and Hertford. Howling in from the East like this week. But there wasn’t the same fuss nor absenteeism. People tried their damnedest to get to work. They even used skis to get in to the good lady’s workplace!

But that was in the long ago days before Thatcher taught us all to be selfish. This week it was just an excuse for a skivy day or two off.

And as to the supposed cost of the disruption; where did the figure of £1 billion come from? It looks pulled out of the air to me. If folk didn’t buy something today because they couldn’t get to the shops or the shop was closed they’ll buy it tomorrow or next week if they need it, so businesses will make any loss up. It’s a nonsense, yet seems to have been trotted out uncritically by journalists (who, by the way, just love things like this. Any whiff of disaster or anything out of the ordinary and they’re off, almost salivating at the prospect of hogging the screen for a few minutes.)

Rant over. Enjoy the rest of your winter.