and the way it's brought to it's bastard knees by the weather is fooking disgrace.

Yesterday I had the misfortune of being scheduled to fly into Manchester Airport from Istanbul. We were delayed three hours ten minutes then the flight was cancelled altogether. We were told that we could catch the Birmingham flight ten catch a shuttle bus to Manchester. It was the only choice we had so did it. Look I understand the weather has been terrible but what pisses me off is that other countries get these winters every single year and run smoothly, we oh why the fook does it bring this place to a stand still The only place that was affected by delays and cancellations at Istanbul yesterday was the UK we saw flights departing to Minsk, Donetsk, and Kiev all on time. These places have temperatures below -10 and snow!! If it wasn't for the airport being stowed out with incredible Eastern European women I may have lost the plot altogether!

How, oh how I didn't take a swing at the brummie 'lovely lovely person' at Birmingham Airport who told us (this after setting off for Jakarta Airport 35 hours before) how 'lucky' we were as the airport had only been open again an hour I don't know

So how do airports in other countries stay open in much worse weather and ours are closedl? Is it a case of snow being rare so they don't invest in things like snow ploughs for runway clearing and the like? If that's true isn't that like saying we won't bother with emergency services on stand by because we've never had a crash

Good holiday PJ?

Brilliant until the last couple of days of nightmare!!!

To be honest though, PJ, in about 20 years I've never seen the country have such three big snowfalls in 3 consecutive weeks.

Other countries with much colder and longer winters than us e.g. Austria, Switzerland and Eastern Europe are more adapted to the snow because they are more used to it in my opinion.

For the UK to get a large amount of snow is very rare, that's why whenever the weather forecast hints at just even the smallest amount of snow falling, we pray for it to snow so that we can enjoy the magic of it.

But it's not impossible for us to have this weather is it?

Surely we should have to facilities and plans in place to deal with it, other countries do.

Christ to places like Canada and Russia this weather is mild.

So you'd like us to spend the same amount of money on stuff as countries like Russia even though we might only use it for a few weeks every ten years?

And you'd like your taxes to be increased to pay for all of these things to sit in storage and only be brought out once in a blue moon?

Are you mad?

Exactly. If the attitude of some of the gritters I've heard talking during the last snowfall was anything to go by, it is that they would just let nature take its course.

We wouldn't need to spend anywhere near as much money as a country like Russia would we?

But being a bit better prepered would be nice. A few inches of snow should not be shutting a major international airport.

there were saying that if this temperature continues through till next week, which it looks like doing then it will be the coldest Christmas on record.

Quick everyone go out in your Land Rovers and make it warmer

Christmas was ages ago. How the hell does next week's weather affect if this will be the coldest Christmas on record?

There was a woman on the radio this morning complaining that she couldn't get her pushchair out. She wanted the council to clear every pavement.
Imagine having the facility to clear every motorway, A road, bus route, side road, car park, pavement, runway etc etc.
If we had a contingency plan to deal immediately with four or five hours of snow, it would cost millions of pounds and need thousands of men.
In countries like Russia, Canada etc., snow/bad weather is the norm, here it isn't. It is a major part of their budget, here it isn't.
If airports want to keep their runways clear THEY should have contingency plans. They obviously think people returning from holiday is not a priority
It's not as if the airports didn't know it was coming. They just don't want to spend the money. Let's blame the country, the government, IOR, or Chris Turner.
The airports, in the main, are privately owned. It is their responsibility to deal with it..........they obviously choose not to.
I hope you had a good break, PJ and welcome back. Did you bring any rock???

I think the christmas records run over the winter period, but dont quote me on that, was just passing on information I heard on the news on 5 live

Why not get some workshy doleys on the job then? Make them earn their benefits instead of scrounging off the state!!!

i think you will find that today is the last day of christmas it's called the epiphany

Good idea..............there are enough of them to catch the bloody stuff coming down.

You try pushing a push chair in the snow, all the way to tesco, to buy baby milk, which you need, and then come back to me and tell me you dont feel the pavements should be cleared.

I'd love the pavements cleared mate, and the roads, runways, car parks etc etc.
Trouble is I can't see any council paying for it.
Do what other people have done....buy or make a sledge...put the kid and the groceries on that.
What..I hear you say...I'm not spending good money on something that I might never use again......

So you propose i carry a 6 month old child, in my arms, from the town centre, to tesco, whilst also carrying his changing bag incase he shits, and then also carrying the baby food back home.

Firstly as stupid as that is, he would need wrapping in blankets and would need the warmth that a pushchair provides.

Stick to commenting on summit you know summit about, or think you know summit about.

HTH

Ah here we have someone who invented parenthood.

My post was for chip, i specifically quoted his post so that it could be for him, your comments are not needed

Regards

p.s. yes i did invent it

regards regards

Leave the kid at home ala stig of the dump, or go to the coop near martin knowels

[x] Sheepsishly, red in the face admits that g is spot on.

Don't be so silly.

Just go in the car.

My immaginary non existant car?

That's the one.

Just walk down the gritted road with the bairn on your back pretending to be holding a steering wheel.

I know were you live there is a shop on your corner

Ah...so he was being melodramatic......thought so.

you should write a book on this you would be a millionaire

He's been blown out more often then a windsock

It's just been on the radio that they've closed the outdoor Ice Rink in Newcastle because of snow and ice