Since I arrived in Andalusia on my quest to spend some quality time with Daughter I’ve moved from sea level to 3,468 metres, spending most of my time at 1,350 metres.
There are so many things, so much that I’ve seen, that are worth commenting on, if I have time I’ll try to pick them off over the next few days.
But for now, here’s just one thought.
How is it that the overtaxed British public have to endure a road system routinely equalled in many Third World countries, whilst Spain (a borderline Second World country) has roads – even the Alpine-like mountain roads – that are surfaced and as smooth as a baby’s bum?
Funnily enough, I asked exactly the same question of my wife as we drove from Barcelona to the Costa Brava, last week.
Like me, she didn’t have an answer.
Indeed. We crossed the mountains between Southern France and Spain and the road was gorgeous, smooth, well maintained and not a hole to be seen. Some of the roads through Manchester require a 4×4 to successfully negotiate the fucking great potholes. The only explanation I can come up with is that foreign countries actually spend their tax money on useful stuff like roads while we spend ours on 5 a day co-ordinators and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender inclusion officers.
At least you are not driving in Michigan
http://www.scrc-mi.org/news/news_206.pdf
I guess EU subsidies are helping Spain out but the rising cost of asphalt, an oil by-product, will hit us all in the end.
It isn’t anything to do with the cost of keeping the British elite in duckponds and chemineas, is it?
Masher, it’s not as if we don’t pay enough road tax.
Vicola, have you seen this: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1209841/ROBERT-HARDMAN-The-PC-supermayor-slashed-public-spending-axed-pointless-jobs-banned-word-diversity.html
Colin: Hello! I thought you’d dropped off the planet or something. Nice to see you. If you know what I mean. Anyway; shocking story. And shocking to see the word ‘plough’ misspelt so badly.
Susie: One can’t help thinking that a two- or three-hundred fewer duckpond owners might go some of the way towards fixing the problem.
Thanks for the link, we need more blokes like that. I had a look on my lunchbreak at the NHS jobs website and the local government jobs website for a giggle. It’s actually not funny when you read through it. I could knock 30% off the NHS and local government spending simply by being given a list of every job in the country and a red highlighter pen. I might write up some of hte most obscure ones that I found on today’s lunchbreak. I tell you what, it’s no bloody wonder the budget in this country is fucked.