Instead of going on about Boris breaking the rules, the media should be asking why the rules were there in the first place and what effect did it actually have on a virus, I would say none
The best informed people in the country about the 'deadly virus' had a party, no social distancing, no lock down, not a care in the world.. They had no fear! Why was that? That's the question everyone should be asking!
It was the media that demanded lockdowns in the first place, not the government. There was a perfectly sensible plan put forward by the government of social distancing and isolating the elderly/vulnerable, but the care homes and hospitals really put their foot in it and didn't introduce sensible quarantine procedures, and the virus spread like wildfire. Hence why the government had this terrible knee-jerk reaction where they well full on CCP and stripped people of their civil liberties for 2 years.
@@MrRadiorobot No one is asking that question because the intellectual people already know the answer. The non intellectual don't want to know the answer
Railways were the result of an unrepeatable combination of Victorian ambition and cheap labour. Their wanton destruction was social vandalism and financial opportunism of a unique order.
Peter Hitchens is absolutely right here. Labour would have doubled down. We need to investigate why the country was put in lockdowns and mandates which ultimately led to catastrophic economic, educational and health consequences.
Regarding the destruction of the coal industry. I heard the coal mines are not just sealed up, they flood the galleries to make it infeasible to open them again.
My brother-in-law is a geologist who worked for the NCB. They actually collapsed the galleries and pitheads with explosives, so it would cost an exorbitant amount of money to reopen them.
My degree nearly 25 years ago was in town planning with a special endorsement in transport policy. It was well understood at that time in academia at least that road building on the scale it had been carried out in the UK was a significant mistake, and that as Peter correctly states new roads generate additional traffic. I felt sure as a student that the future would see either a return to rail and light rail, or more inventive new solutions. I never for one moment imagined that 25 years later I would be hearing this point made as if it were some new discovery, while rail lines remained derelict and cars and lorries still swarmed over the land like locusts.
I think Peter's point about Marples and the destruction of the UK's rail industry should extend to a piece about the TSR2 and the destruction of the UK's aviation sector.
Duncan Sandys paper set in motion the wholesale destruction of the world leading UK aviation sector through amalgamation leading to division and mismatch of corporate culture and vision. However, TSR2's demise was much more sinister in its ultimate execution and the ruthless speed it happened. It's a fascinating yet frightening story of incompetence, corruption and abject surrender by a series of intellectual lightweights posing as the UK's leading politicians. I wonder why it's never spoken of to this day.
We had to build a modern road network, by the mid 1950s our tiny byways were clogged even with the rail network in place pre Beeching. Mr Hitchens vision of a railway and tram utopia was not shared by most people in the 1960s. The motor car became an obsession. People wanted to race each other on the M1, even if it killed them. Stafford Cripps wanted to tax the private motor car out of existence, but was swept aside. People chose Alec Issigonis instead!
Would love to hear Peter's opinions of what's happening with Russia at the minute... seems like the an obvious go to.. but i haven't seen him on talking about it anywhere...
In Northern Ireland, the NI Government (still a self governing dominion at that stage) required adjacent landowners to buy back the railway trackbeds after closure, to prevent lines reopening.
No I disagree no person enjoys realising the ‘system’ whether it’s the government or of late the monarchy are not fit for purpose. The scandals surrounding both are outrageous! The everyman wants to do the right thing and expects the people we all pay for through ridiculous amounts of tax are actually doing their job!
Don't think Hitchens said anything in opposition to that sentiment. He's just saying the focus is all on a short-term media circus surrounding one or two individuals - which is pointless if nothing actually gets changed.
Our politics is becoming increasing americanised all the time (ie hollow, unsophisticated, vain). Its essentially just a soap opera for hormonal teenagers now and completely lacks any substance or competence.
The unforgettable (ehem) Michael Fallon destroyed our army and RAF, limiting our ability to defend ourselves as a country but got chucked out for touching Andrea Leadsom on the knee!
I'm not sure if I agree with Peter Hitchens on numerous issues - but I might be. I think he dos make sense, and I think the media deflect our attention on big matters and attempt to get us to focus on more menial things. Really the media should focus our attention on the bigger issues. Something isn't right with both the politics and the media deflection of the actual issues. Peter Hitchens isn't easily throbbed off...
We´ve hit a giant ice berg and the ship is sinking. Should we man the life boats, bail out the lower decks and call for help or batten down the hatches? No, let´s polish the spoons in the dining hall!
My idiot brother says he will wear a dress that covers the bombs strapped to him if saville loving Starmer tries to glue himself extinction style in the manner of a squatter in Parliament ☺️
Motorways in UK were simply designed and built by idiots. Three lanes of course are always reduced by roadworks (UK type of corruption, like road signs plague) but at the SAME time in Holland etc they were built with five or even six lanes across the more intelligent Europe.
Only 7% of the country is built on including roads, so I'm sorry Peter you're wrong and as for trains they're hopeless if you don't live in major population centres.
The could definitely help with the intercity transport of heavy goods, there's no reason to have all these lorries travel from city to city, and intercity travel of civilians is more sensible often and would greatly relieve traffic congestion and parking issues.
That’s not the point he was making. Motorways are built to relieve congestion, however, they have the opposite effect because it encourages more and more people to drive
Neither are. Instead they’re basically factors which are taken into account with pre-existing offences as aggravating factors. If someone being male was the victim of a crime motivated by Gender, that would also be a hate crime. Like I get where you’re coming from but this is nothing like the dankula case and doesn’t really change anything significant in the law
@@oliverreno4734 it always has been. feminists just constantly demand more of the society that already exists whilst pretending that that society hates them and thus they are the 'change ' group. me were the ones kept out of the lifeboats, men were the ones forced into the trenches, men are the ones rescued last in disasters and traded last in hostage situations on and on. society has always valued men less, feminists have managed to trick people in to believing the reverse in order to deeper the pre existing division...
@@ravenmusic6392 If someone being male was the victim of a crime motivated by Gender, that would also be a hate crime mm youll forgive me for being suspicious. because what is notable is that every crime against a woman is framed as a crime because shes a woman. the most obvious being murder. in reality men are 3x more likely to be murdered than women. so in the real world any woman murdered is likely murdered despite being female. yet all we hear is nonsense about how women are at specific risk. in addition we live in a society that has always valued male life ;less than female-kept out the lifeboats/forced into the trenches/less spent on medicines and treatments and research/harsher punishments particularly the death penalty when we had it(still in the usa etc) on and on. and yet despite this general lack of regard for male life i never hear any murder being referred to as based on gender when its a male victim despite the fact that it fits both the pattern of who is considered more disposable by society and who is more likely to be murdered... in additon the determination to move away from who is more likely to be the victim and into distractions about who does what to whom gives the game away.
What Hitchen fails to acknowledge is that its totally unacceptable to have a clown and liar as PM. If a teacher, Dr, policeman had acted in the way Johnson has they would at least be sacked if not permanently struck off their professional register. Why aren't politicians held to the same standard? A totally biased interview, as normal from talkRadio. When is Graham going to award himself the Plank of the Week award? He would win every week.
Hm I think Hitchens is pointing the finger at the whole system tbh but your point is till right its unacceptable but then again it is almost and mandatory requirement to lie these days as a politician
What are you talking about? Hitchens and Graham have been highly critical of Boris for years, both have acknowledged that he's highly incompetent with no seemingly conservative values what so ever, both think he has no business being Prime Minister. Hitchens has been lamenting the state of British politics for literally 2 decades now, this latest fiasco is only the most recent example of the distain Johnson has for the electorate. And, It isn't intellectually dishonest to say that Keir would simply do what the Conservatives have done to the country, only more severe. One of the biggest problems we've had during this whole plandemic is that there has been NO opposition to any of these wacky lockdown and vaccination policies. The whole system is broken.
"There's no-one else" isn't a valid reason for keeping Boris Johnson. Yes, there are many important issues currently - but the government has completely lost any trust the public had in them. And until this is rectified, the public won't let this drop. Johnson has to go.
Peter - you do not understand motorways, roads or transport policy and you should stop talking about it as it makes you sound very very foolish. Advice given with respect.
Hitchins doesn't realise that friction is necessary between tyres and roads or the wheels would spin. Someone needs to teach him mechanics. The reason that you can get away with lower friction on trains is because of the much lower acceleration and the sheer weight of the vehicles
He is not disputing any of that. His claim is that since cars require more friction, it makes more sense to utilise railways as they are more efficient and environmentally friendly. You seem to have missed his whole point?
Trains don’t go around sharp corners, or up steep gradients. They require expensive maintenance, complex switching system and an enormous electric infrastructure. They also don’t go to your street, or the theatre, or your place of work. Cars avoid all that. The reason they are jammed up is because there is no variable pricing which would occur in the case of private roads. Private railways might also work, they certainly do for freight, but the Government dictates what can be charged, how many trains must be run, where they are to stop, how often and how many carriages they must have. Again, government in the way creating chaos at our expense while they have wine and cheese parties.
This is missing the point. Trains weren’t in isolation pre-beeching. From most mainline stations in Britain you could immediately transfer to a tram, which would take you to the cinema or street you mention, except often faster and cleaner than a bus. If we, for example, ripped up the motorways around London and replaced them with railways, the capacity would increase by many times and reduce the impact on the environment, and possibly cost long term, if they’re subsidised. Obviously people aren’t suggesting we literally rip up every single road in the UK
Do you know what other form of transport will get you to the cinema? Riding a bike, or walking. What is the obsession with driving everywhere in order to avoid walking; no wonder we are all so fat and unhealthy. It should be sufficient to take a train into town and then walk from there.
Instead of going on about Boris breaking the rules, the media should be asking why the rules were there in the first place and what effect did it actually have on a virus, I would say none
Media always ask; 'Why didn't we lock down sooner? Why didn't we lock down harder?' I'm not expecting any more than that.
The best informed people in the country about the 'deadly virus' had a party, no social distancing, no lock down, not a care in the world.. They had no fear! Why was that? That's the question everyone should be asking!
It was the media that demanded lockdowns in the first place, not the government. There was a perfectly sensible plan put forward by the government of social distancing and isolating the elderly/vulnerable, but the care homes and hospitals really put their foot in it and didn't introduce sensible quarantine procedures, and the virus spread like wildfire. Hence why the government had this terrible knee-jerk reaction where they well full on CCP and stripped people of their civil liberties for 2 years.
I would say your 100% right.
@@MrRadiorobot
No one is asking that question because the intellectual people already know the answer. The non intellectual don't want to know the answer
Railways were the result of an unrepeatable combination of Victorian ambition and cheap labour. Their wanton destruction was social vandalism and financial opportunism of a unique order.
Peter Hitchens is absolutely right here. Labour would have doubled down. We need to investigate why the country was put in lockdowns and mandates which ultimately led to catastrophic economic, educational and health consequences.
Something to do with a new, highly transmissible virus.
Labour has also been fully on board with lockdowns and wanted more of them. Look at what has happened in Wales, for instance.
I love Peter Hitchens' point about "Coincidence Theories"...
Politics is rotten to the core
You could argue that the human race is, to varying degrees.
Politics is CRIME they don't even hide it... they revel in it
And while the automotive industry struggles to produce cheap electrified cars and a reliable charging network, a lot of rail is electrified already.
Regarding the destruction of the coal industry. I heard the coal mines are not just sealed up, they flood the galleries to make it infeasible to open them again.
Chances are that the mines would flood naturally, due to the natural water table level. Operational mines have pumps running 24/7 to keep them dry.
My brother-in-law is a geologist who worked for the NCB. They actually collapsed the galleries and pitheads with explosives, so it would cost an exorbitant amount of money to reopen them.
My degree nearly 25 years ago was in town planning with a special endorsement in transport policy. It was well understood at that time in academia at least that road building on the scale it had been carried out in the UK was a significant mistake, and that as Peter correctly states new roads generate additional traffic. I felt sure as a student that the future would see either a return to rail and light rail, or more inventive new solutions.
I never for one moment imagined that 25 years later I would be hearing this point made as if it were some new discovery, while rail lines remained derelict and cars and lorries still swarmed over the land like locusts.
Its bit more than simply being cheese and wine, listen to what people went through then look how politicians carried on
Well spoken Peter. Obvious truth and common sense, but of which we need reminding.
Like most MP's Boris is a stranger to the truth get over it
I think Peter's point about Marples and the destruction of the UK's rail industry should extend to a piece about the TSR2 and the destruction of the UK's aviation sector.
Tsr2 that was sacrificed on the alter of the general dynamics f111?..yep..uk politicians at their dabbling despicable worst.
The sands white paper or was that the lightening?
Duncan Sandys paper set in motion the wholesale destruction of the world leading UK aviation sector through amalgamation leading to division and mismatch of corporate culture and vision. However, TSR2's demise was much more sinister in its ultimate execution and the ruthless speed it happened. It's a fascinating yet frightening story of incompetence, corruption and abject surrender by a series of intellectual lightweights posing as the UK's leading politicians. I wonder why it's never spoken of to this day.
You need rail and road integration... A train cannot deliver to a local supermarket
Well before supermarkets existed, local butchers and green grocers were within walking distance and so the need for a car is rather an artificial one.
Railways, so convenient, I can get on a train right outside my house and go directly to wherever I wish to go, at any time of night or day - NOT!
We had to build a modern road network, by the mid 1950s our tiny byways were clogged even with the rail network in place pre Beeching. Mr Hitchens vision of a railway and tram utopia was not shared by most people in the 1960s. The motor car became an obsession. People wanted to race each other on the M1, even if it killed them. Stafford Cripps wanted to tax the private motor car out of existence, but was swept aside. People chose Alec Issigonis instead!
You rarely hear anyone else say what he said about railways vs. cars but that is very common amongst transport anoraks.
I never went partying during lockdown. I just kept myself busy on the concrete farm.
Would love to hear Peter's opinions of what's happening with Russia at the minute... seems like the an obvious go to.. but i haven't seen him on talking about it anywhere...
In Northern Ireland, the NI Government (still a self governing dominion at that stage) required adjacent landowners to buy back the railway trackbeds after closure, to prevent lines reopening.
Perhaps Sue Gray is a pseudonym for Boris.
Boris plans mass clear out, will he please include himself🙏
Sounds like a big, laxative dump.
At the end of the day the education system does not teach anyone about how our country actually operates. Why?
No I disagree no person enjoys realising the ‘system’ whether it’s the government or of late the monarchy are not fit for purpose. The scandals surrounding both are outrageous! The everyman wants to do the right thing and expects the people we all pay for through ridiculous amounts of tax are actually doing their job!
Don't think Hitchens said anything in opposition to that sentiment. He's just saying the focus is all on a short-term media circus surrounding one or two individuals - which is pointless if nothing actually gets changed.
We plebs who travel little, can not afford to pay the enormous rail fares, when we need to get from A to B.
Our politics is becoming increasing americanised all the time (ie hollow, unsophisticated, vain). Its essentially just a soap opera for hormonal teenagers now and completely lacks any substance or competence.
I agree with Mr Hitchens in general but let's consider hs2. I think it's vainglorious madness.
I think you’ll find he is likewise vehemently opposed to HS2
I love the word vainglorious it’s underused 👌
It could be useful if done properly
@@2506JJhudson1990 , yes he is, Hitchens is opposed to HS2.
I’d like Mr. Hitchens to elaborate on his coincidence theory. Very interesting.
I disagree showbiz politics is the most addictive, to hell with housing and tax etc
The proper name for the Prime Minister is "Mr Johnson" or "Prime Minister Wiff-Waff."
The unforgettable (ehem) Michael Fallon destroyed our army and RAF, limiting our ability to defend ourselves as a country but got chucked out for touching Andrea Leadsom on the knee!
I'm not sure if I agree with Peter Hitchens on numerous issues - but I might be. I think he dos make sense, and I think the media deflect our attention on big matters and attempt to get us to focus on more menial things. Really the media should focus our attention on the bigger issues. Something isn't right with both the politics and the media deflection of the actual issues. Peter Hitchens isn't easily throbbed off...
Definitely not Boris.
Sue Gray has a Wiki page and government page, both rather slim.
We´ve hit a giant ice berg and the ship is sinking. Should we man the life boats, bail out the lower decks and call for help or batten down the hatches?
No, let´s polish the spoons in the dining hall!
Logic doesn't stand for London Khan has proved that.
My idiot brother says he will wear a dress that covers the bombs strapped to him if saville loving Starmer tries to glue himself extinction style in the manner of a squatter in Parliament ☺️
I agree Peter, it makes no difference and is rather silly.
No information on the background of Sue Grey? Not even D.O.B. Then that means she is high up in British Intelligence (very high up).
Horrah the fabulous Peter Hitchens, still with rubbish sound tbh!!! Luckily not quite so near his nostrils this morning!!! Paula x
No the public does not want to know about party s .what about the important things that are going on. It’s a smoke screen !
this is just the swine flu scandal part 2!!!!
Motorways in UK were simply designed and built by idiots. Three lanes of course are always reduced by roadworks (UK type of corruption, like road signs plague) but at the SAME time in Holland etc they were built with five or even six lanes across the more intelligent Europe.
More intelligent europe? When it comes to roads maybe. Restrictions nah!
Only 7% of the country is built on including roads, so I'm sorry Peter you're wrong and as for trains they're hopeless if you don't live in major population centres.
The could definitely help with the intercity transport of heavy goods, there's no reason to have all these lorries travel from city to city, and intercity travel of civilians is more sensible often and would greatly relieve traffic congestion and parking issues.
Is Sue Grey, Johnson,s Auntie?
All roads should be in private hands. It’s like all things government-crap.
Fewer roads isn't the answer.
Well of course motorways attract traffic what else are they used for.
That’s not the point he was making. Motorways are built to relieve congestion, however, they have the opposite effect because it encourages more and more people to drive
Wonder if the covid warnings are done by a bot or done manually by some sad person working at youtube,
If misogyny is now a hate crime I assume misandry is to?
Neither are. Instead they’re basically factors which are taken into account with pre-existing offences as aggravating factors. If someone being male was the victim of a crime motivated by Gender, that would also be a hate crime. Like I get where you’re coming from but this is nothing like the dankula case and doesn’t really change anything significant in the law
No, because nowadays it's fashionable to be hateful towards men.
@@oliverreno4734 it always has been. feminists just constantly demand more of the society that already exists whilst pretending that that society hates them and thus they are the 'change ' group.
me were the ones kept out of the lifeboats, men were the ones forced into the trenches, men are the ones rescued last in disasters and traded last in hostage situations on and on. society has always valued men less, feminists have managed to trick people in to believing the reverse in order to deeper the pre existing division...
@@ravenmusic6392 If someone being male was the victim of a crime motivated by Gender, that would also be a hate crime
mm youll forgive me for being suspicious.
because what is notable is that every crime against a woman is framed as a crime because shes a woman.
the most obvious being murder. in reality men are 3x more likely to be murdered than women. so in the real world any woman murdered is likely murdered despite being female. yet all we hear is nonsense about how women are at specific risk.
in addition we live in a society that has always valued male life ;less than female-kept out the lifeboats/forced into the trenches/less spent on medicines and treatments and research/harsher punishments particularly the death penalty when we had it(still in the usa etc) on and on. and yet despite this general lack of regard for male life i never hear any murder being referred to as based on gender when its a male victim despite the fact that it fits both the pattern of who is considered more disposable by society and who is more likely to be murdered...
in additon the determination to move away from who is more likely to be the victim and into distractions about who does what to whom gives the game away.
PETER THE SELL OUT
What Hitchen fails to acknowledge is that its totally unacceptable to have a clown and liar as PM. If a teacher, Dr, policeman had acted in the way Johnson has they would at least be sacked if not permanently struck off their professional register. Why aren't politicians held to the same standard?
A totally biased interview, as normal from talkRadio. When is Graham going to award himself the Plank of the Week award? He would win every week.
Hm I think Hitchens is pointing the finger at the whole system tbh but your point is till right its unacceptable but then again it is almost and mandatory requirement to lie these days as a politician
What are you talking about? Hitchens and Graham have been highly critical of Boris for years, both have acknowledged that he's highly incompetent with no seemingly conservative values what so ever, both think he has no business being Prime Minister. Hitchens has been lamenting the state of British politics for literally 2 decades now, this latest fiasco is only the most recent example of the distain Johnson has for the electorate. And, It isn't intellectually dishonest to say that Keir would simply do what the Conservatives have done to the country, only more severe. One of the biggest problems we've had during this whole plandemic is that there has been NO opposition to any of these wacky lockdown and vaccination policies. The whole system is broken.
Ike was a socialist? I’ll try that with Americans! Lol
I wish to goodness Peter Hitchens would do something about his terrible sound system. He sounds like his under water and it gives me a headache.
Sue Gray is clearly a legend which means s she's a spook.
"There's no-one else" isn't a valid reason for keeping Boris Johnson. Yes, there are many important issues currently - but the government has completely lost any trust the public had in them. And until this is rectified, the public won't let this drop. Johnson has to go.
Peter the only person who can moan more than Harry and Meghan..
Peter - you do not understand motorways, roads or transport policy and you should stop talking about it as it makes you sound very very foolish. Advice given with respect.
Hitchins doesn't realise that friction is necessary between tyres and roads or the wheels would spin.
Someone needs to teach him mechanics.
The reason that you can get away with lower friction on trains is because of the much lower acceleration and the sheer weight of the vehicles
He is not disputing any of that. His claim is that since cars require more friction, it makes more sense to utilise railways as they are more efficient and environmentally friendly. You seem to have missed his whole point?
Trains don’t go around sharp corners, or up steep gradients. They require expensive maintenance, complex switching system and an enormous electric infrastructure. They also don’t go to your street, or the theatre, or your place of work. Cars avoid all that. The reason they are jammed up is because there is no variable pricing which would occur in the case of private roads. Private railways might also work, they certainly do for freight, but the Government dictates what can be charged, how many trains must be run, where they are to stop, how often and how many carriages they must have. Again, government in the way creating chaos at our expense while they have wine and cheese parties.
This is missing the point. Trains weren’t in isolation pre-beeching. From most mainline stations in Britain you could immediately transfer to a tram, which would take you to the cinema or street you mention, except often faster and cleaner than a bus. If we, for example, ripped up the motorways around London and replaced them with railways, the capacity would increase by many times and reduce the impact on the environment, and possibly cost long term, if they’re subsidised. Obviously people aren’t suggesting we literally rip up every single road in the UK
@@ravenmusic6392 People didn't want trains and trams, they wanted a Mini Cooper!
Do you know what other form of transport will get you to the cinema? Riding a bike, or walking. What is the obsession with driving everywhere in order to avoid walking; no wonder we are all so fat and unhealthy. It should be sufficient to take a train into town and then walk from there.
Liddle Peter. All that talk - but he’s never had the guts to do it for real…..