Britain’s much-maligned £3 million ($3.95 million) surf reef has hit a new low after a section of it washed ashore during Storm Brian this weekend.
A massive geotextile bag used to create the defunct artificial structure has been found strewn across Southbourne beach in Bournemouth, Dorset.
Yes, I know, different technology and all that. But it doesn’t bode well all the same for those offshore wind farms, the various tidal ducks and all the rest. The ocean is a pretty unforgiving environment.
In fact, as far as I know at least, the only long term structures we’ve ever managed to keep out there are lighthouses and oil rigs……both using up rather a lot of maintenance.
If God had wanted a reef at Bournemouth he’d have put one there.
Why do these twerps in power always want to change things? Bournemouth used to be a perfect example of English seaside gentility; I remember Southbourne and its charming seafront café in particular. Then the rules for claiming benefits changed and such places along the south coast became infested with crusties. Boscombe is now pretty much a no-go area now, home to many a drug addict. I have a friend who is regrettably employed by the council as a social worker and she can’t wait to get out — the problems are just too overwhelming, not a few of them caused by the above-mentioned twerps.
Perhaps Mother Nature doesn’t hold with all this man made climate change stuff. Just making a point!
The reason that solar power is even remotely feasible is that the sun puts out a hell of a lot of energy. Which has to go somewhere. Usually into winds that blow hard and seas that crash on shore.
And it is a hell of a lot of energy as anyone who has been in really bad air turbulence can tell you.
Which means it is going to be very hard to engineer something that can survive for long in the North Atlantic.
Personally I think that the state – which can’t be bothered to collect the rubbish or arrest criminals when they break into people’s houses – ought to concentrate on their core competencies. Which do not include better surf breaks.
What are the “State’s” core competencies? Wasting taxpayers money is the only one I can think of – the reef is just one of these (add to shit MoD, Foreign Aid, money to Trade Unions, Parliament etc).
Mr Yan – “What are the “State’s” core competencies? Wasting taxpayers money is the only one I can think of – the reef is just one of these (add to shit MoD, Foreign Aid, money to Trade Unions, Parliament etc).”
Well, convicting criminals, locking them away for a long time, keeping serial rapists out of the country, killing Islamists wherever we find them and protecting us from immigration-related diseases like TB and HIV. Maybe, if I was generous, I would say teaching da yoof to read.
The state should concentrate on those before it moves into really difficult issues like reform of the House of Lords.
@SMFS
I almost thought you were being serious when you mentioned:
Convicting and locking up criminals.
Killing the mad RoPers.
Protecting us from immigration (and it’s diseases).
Teaching the next wave of dumb lefties.
The last one was probably the one that made me realise you are just taking the piss.
Then the rules for claiming benefits changed and such places along the south coast became infested with crusties.
Add in about 20,000 students.
About the benefits change, Hastings is fairly horrible as as for Rhyl…it was always a bit like Blackpool but I was shocked when I drove through there. It looked like a small scale war had been going on there for years.
I bet the local council who squandered money on this have been moaning every year about how they don’t have any money because of ‘cuts’. Wankers.
I went to a wedding on the South Coast last year and stayed in the Bournemouth Hilton. I assumed Bournemouth must be OK, if it has a Hilton.
Utter toilet. Streets full of the worst of Britain’s druggie, alkie underclass (actually probably not the worst but I’ve lived a sheltered life recently) and a real nasty feel to it. Even the pensioners on holiday from the north were scummy.
The beach is spectacular, absolutely beautiful, but the town is awful.
Hotel was perfectly decent, staffed almost entirely by Eastern Europeans and a few Chinese students.
@Mr Yan,
I think that SMFS use of the word “competency” got you confused. “Role” would have been better, as it is indeed the basic role of the state to enforce laws, protect the country, etc…
There is no hint of competency by the state at fulfilling these roles unfortunately.
@monoi
Agreed. Still to see why we have shit politicians and therefore shit government we only have to look in the mirror.
If you’ll vote for the party that promises you the most without regards to the benefit/betterment of the country as a whole then you get what you deserve.
Mr yam- almost, we all get what you deserve would be closer.
The role of the State is keeping the peace (coppers), defending its territory (mainly killing roppers these days, although not nearly enough of them) and enforcing contract law. Anything else is ultra vires. We might decide to let it fund education, but it was a fucking stupid idea to let it provide it. Same goes for just about anything you could name.