The Cold War
Harry McGee
I saw scenes in Dublin last night that I have never witnessed before and am unlikely to witness for another generation. A combination of snow fall and then a hard freeze in the run-up to rush hour made the whole of the city (and most of the country) into an ice rink. Journeys of one hour or less turned into six or seven hours as people from the suburbs got caught in mass gridlock as cars failed to negotiate even the tiniest of inclines.
I was out for a while last night and walked home at about 11.30. The streets were deserted, save for the odd straggling soul. It was like a scene from 28 Days Later, even though slightly more serene.
When something like this happens when one is travelling, it’s called a Force Majeur or an Act of God, something that can be attributed to the weather or natural circumstances; and not to human error.
Granted, this is unprecedented. We haven’t seen anything like this in half a century. But it’s getting worse.
And what’s becoming a little creepy is the continuing silence of the Government. If they issue a statement, or come out in public, would it just be for the sake of doing it? Or is there something practical that can be done? Would calling in the army for such a mass phenomenon make any difference? Or could it? Sure the country was unprepared for this? But realistically, could it have been any other way?
I just get the feeling this morning that we have reached a pass. And that the Government has now been resting for a little too long and needs to start getting out there and at least give the impression that it’s trying to lead from the front.
1:24 pm
Harry – salt like honey doesn’t spoil. Reserves won’t go to waste if properly managed as part of a reserve. The key question is what is the restocking trigger point. It would appear that we allow near total depletion i.e. 20% safety buffer or lower before reordering.
I acknowledge that distribution is an issue and that demand is high but there are other materials that give traction and can be used in these circumstances like dirt and sand. Salt is best because it lowers the freezing point and grit better as you git dirt and sand.
Like with everything else, the government is behind the curve. It seems that they are entitely incapable of getting anything right first time.
Incidentally, how many of the other 26 European parliaments are still on vacation?
Comment by robespierre