churchward

The world is not perfect and of course CRT could do more but they are a navigation authority and they are doing maintenance. What on earth do you think the closures are all about in the winter??? We have no idea as to the full story of what happened at Whalley bridge just yet but you are clearly a prescient expert in these matters willing to pass judgement without evidence. All dams are independently on a regular basis.

You did not read the OP's post correctly it said.... "In my opinion the waterways have never been so unreliable and in such poor condition." I am disputing that statement as clearly untrue. people also have short memories of BW I can remember on here and other places that people could not wait to get rid of BW and let CRT take-over.

You have never boated on the canals in the 1970s if you think the waterways have never been more unreliable or poor condition. It was a high order of magnitude worse then. I don't suppose you remember the collapse of Blissworth tunnel meaning the Grand union was cut in two for a few years in the 1980s? Your statement is not even close to being true.

The article in the OP is not about Heritage Railways as such like Severn Valley, North Your Moors or Llangollen for example but Heritage trains running on the mainline. There is a great deal of difference between the rules of running at track limit speeds on the mainline and the running of trains under light railway rules (normal max 25mph) as they do on a heritage line. It is true to say though that the ORR and other bodies have put increasing requirements on Heritage railways in recent years. In my experience volunteering as operational staff (signalling) is much more strict and prescriptive these days. On the Llangollen coal has been sourced from many different sources including overseas such as Poland. It is a significant portion of the cost of running a steam loco.

No that is not flying it is just falling with style.

Hamilton has a very enthusiastic and dedicated fan base in the UK. One will only have to look at the reception he will get at the British Grand Prix in July. However, he also has his critics. His like of fashion, music and the whole celebrity thing puts some people off. Also like many successful drivers he is very single minded and well, selfish. He seems for some to lack the somewhat indefinable charisma of other drivers. He is much more like a Schumacher or Prost character than a James Hunt, Jenson Button Jackie Stewart or Graham Hill character or even Senna. Senn was an oddity in that he was every inch the selfish racer but had a lot of charisma. The media I think does give Hamilton a bit of a hard time and one thing a quite like about him is that he is pretty straight forward in expressing his mood. He does occasionally go off the boil and seems rather distracted from his racing goals. If your a fan this makes him seem more human but to those it is reason to criticise. Undoubtedly he will be the most successful British (or any nationality) F1 driver in history. Whether that makes him the greatest driver though is another matter, its not all about the numbers. Personally his driving does not outclass Fangio, Clarke or Senna. He is for me a better driver than Schumacher or Vettel. All-in-all I can't feel sorry for him if he gets criticised. He and all of them are well compensated for their efforts.

Lots of things in the past have seemed an impossible barrier until someone comes up with the answer. and although Fusion is a long time coming (and I have no idea when it may happen) it just needs the right discoveries and technology and it will be possible. I think the motivation due to fission technology etc. science and the money has not had sufficient "incentive" or motivation to progress at speed. Starting the process is not necessarily the problem but controlling and harnessing the energy is. I agree that it seems unlikely to be a short term answer but with a suitably funded project It is possible to do.

I agree less plastic is a priority. We can do our bit by buying stuff with no or the least plastic packaging. Also reusing plastic as much as possible. I have been known to take stuff out of its packaging and leave it for the Supermarket to dispose of in the hope they get the message. As I mentioned above we grow a lot of our own vegetables but I still use plastic pots. When I am asked why I answer that I am reusing the ones that I have a many times as possible and only disposing of them when they no longer function.