It’s a long way from London to Pembrokeshire, so if you didn’t have too much to carry, you might fancy a nice through train from Paddington to, say, Tenby, famous old resort. And until 2019 you could do just that. Four and a half hours of Co2-busting ease, bypassing the holiday jams. But not any… Continue reading
Destination Lincoln – How to tempt daytrippers from car to train.
The summer of 2021 presents a rare opportunity to persuade people to leave their cars at home and take day trips by train. As we wait for the government to explain exactly what it means by our transformed railway system ‘Great British Railways’, some train companies have decided not to wait to see how that… Continue reading →
Big Issue founder wants politicians to think long term
The welcome initiative by Lord Bird (John Bird, founder of The Big Issue), He arranged a “balloted debate” in the House of Lords in June 2019 – (a debate on subjects raised by backbenchers) on the case for better protecting and representing the interests of future generations in policymaking. is a promising start. The pioneer work… Continue reading →
Exit cuckoo, pursued by climate change?
‘The cuckoo then, on every tree, Mocks married men; for thus sings he, “Cuckoo; Cuckoo, cuckoo!” O, word of fear, Unpleasing to a married ear!’ (When Daisies Pied and… Continue reading →
Is the court of public opinion siding with climate protesters?
An interesting piece in the Guardian by Peter Hain (Lord Hain, the former Labour minister.) He makes a strong case for a halt to all pending trials of Extinction Rebellion (ER) activists, accused of deliberate criminal damage in their attempts to highlight the climate crisis. Last month (April 2021) six members of ER, charged with… Continue reading →
Syria – when it was last at peace
This morning, December 8th, 2024, we heard that Bashar al-Assad’s unspeakable government in Syria had fallen. This was a piece I posted in 2010, just before the country entered its age of agony, when it was still open to tourists. ___________________________________ We stood on the high, haughty ramparts of Crac des Chevaliers. The rest of… Continue reading →