Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Spring is here
Or at least, it seems to have arrived in our garden. Yesterday I saw the first newt of the season surfacing in the deeper of our three small ponds. The celandines down the bottom are out, if not in full bloom. And this morning the leaf buds on the top of the hawthorn in the front garden and the flower buds on top of the camellia in the pot on the back patio are starting to burst.
And being spring, it is also time for a Budget. Given that this one will no doubt be focussed on the need for our country to make more stuff, being seventh or whatever in the league table of stuff not being anywhere near good enough any more, I shall give some quality time to the matter of whether UK Incorporated, given that a lot of the stuff which we used to make is now made in eastern Asia, ought to specialise in the supply of airports to Western Asia. There are clearly people out there who think that, as inhabitants of a small offshore island, we are well placed so to do. Zillions of aeroplanes can come in from over the seas and tear up the Bristol and Thames estuaries to land in airports in and around London, causing no more nuisance than the disturbance of a few whooping swans. From where the discerning travellers can descend onto our shops and other tourist attractions, hopefully spending lots of money, before their onward journeys to wherever on our high speed rail links. Clearly an obvious way to generate a bit of growth.
I am reminded that the sometimes prescient George Orwell thought to rename our country 'Airstrip One' in '1984' more than half a century ago.
And being spring, it is also time for a Budget. Given that this one will no doubt be focussed on the need for our country to make more stuff, being seventh or whatever in the league table of stuff not being anywhere near good enough any more, I shall give some quality time to the matter of whether UK Incorporated, given that a lot of the stuff which we used to make is now made in eastern Asia, ought to specialise in the supply of airports to Western Asia. There are clearly people out there who think that, as inhabitants of a small offshore island, we are well placed so to do. Zillions of aeroplanes can come in from over the seas and tear up the Bristol and Thames estuaries to land in airports in and around London, causing no more nuisance than the disturbance of a few whooping swans. From where the discerning travellers can descend onto our shops and other tourist attractions, hopefully spending lots of money, before their onward journeys to wherever on our high speed rail links. Clearly an obvious way to generate a bit of growth.
I am reminded that the sometimes prescient George Orwell thought to rename our country 'Airstrip One' in '1984' more than half a century ago.
# posted by Jim @ 2:10 AM 
