French government expected to issue all citizens with survival manual
- Thread starter 66jj99
- Start date
-
Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (21st July - 2nd August) available until March 31st, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.
There is a bin strike in Birmingham at the moment. There is rubbish lining the streets in the more run down areas, rats the size of cats, chewing car wiring that costs hundreds of pounds to fix, and it's a stinking mess. But, go to the better off areas where people have cars and can move their rubbish to tips and you wouldn't know there was a bin strike. Had those people no cars, they would be in the same situation.
My rubbish is minimal, and securely binned, and my back garden is clean and tidy with no areas that would encourage rats, but I still get them. Caught another the night before last..about a foot long! Shudder! I detest dealing with them, but my neighbour isn't so tidy, they've made holes in the fence, and come through to my property. He won't deal with them. So it's left to me. I've had them trying to get in the cat flap before. It's now securely fixed closed with a board, as I don't have a cat.(fitted by a former tennent).
My rubbish is minimal, and securely binned, and my back garden is clean and tidy with no areas that would encourage rats, but I still get them. Caught another the night before last..about a foot long! Shudder! I detest dealing with them, but my neighbour isn't so tidy, they've made holes in the fence, and come through to my property. He won't deal with them. So it's left to me. I've had them trying to get in the cat flap before. It's now securely fixed closed with a board, as I don't have a cat.(fitted by a former tennent).
Yes indeed, we all judge each other and we all apply labels to each other - it’s impossible not to do so.
Folk reading this post are assessing the writing and the writer and shifting their stored impression of something called Pattree.
They are doing the same with all their perceptions all the time including their impression of “preparedness” and “preppers”.
I can get irritated or angry at assessments that differ significantly from mine but unless they affect me I shall try to leave the self image of others intact.
…. And there we differ
I spend a lot of time thinking about belief structures and the structure of belief. I believe that belief is the basis of “reality” but that’s another story for another day.
My impression is that the French Government’s pamphlet and the individual who stores a year’s supply of food, fuel and ammunition are both envisaging a future reality which is unpredictable as is the future society during and beyond the anticipated emergency. Even a power cut in a community which has never experienced one will change that community to some degree. How many toilet rolls do you stock compared with five years ago?
I have watched three Mad Max films. Our solo hero is totally dependent on post-apocalyptic communities, however dysfunctional those communities may be. I find him very sad.
The French Government is presupposing that it will be managing a future emergency. The solo prepper, if I may use that label, it’s presupposing that they will be self managing.
Neither case is certain but politics shall be a significant element in an eventual outcome and needs to be factored into preparedness..
In that case , May I suggest the file ' Heretic ' - interesting little production.
Posh people do the bin man's job in the plebby areas? Oh yes of course!I'm sure they are only too willing,...... hence the mess.
What you are calling a “plebby area” has plenty of cars that could do the job. Are collections continuing in “posh” areas.
I have no idea where plebby ends and posh starts. People can help each other. This is exactly why politics, particularly leadership is an integral part of disaster relief / survival.
I have no idea where plebby ends and posh starts. People can help each other. This is exactly why politics, particularly leadership is an integral part of disaster relief / survival.
Which is where you get into what "community" actually means. I'm tempted towards the belief that it's a lot closer to being a synonym for "tribe" than many in a functional, first world society are comfortable with.
Most of them are probably working.
I don't know about Birmingham but the places I have lived the tips do not take domestic waste, our current one does not. It also will not accept many types of vans.
Perhaps a better idea would be if the managers and councillors that created the problems got out of their comfy offices/homes and collected the waste?
What I also found surprising was.the amount of waste generated in such a short space of time. Perhaps a lesson for many to learn would be reducing our waste before it becomes a problem.
Sorry about my terminology, I was very tired and just couldn't think of a better way to illustrate the different areas.
By the way , if I had to put myself in either category, I'd be plebby. Though I don't think I'm a pleb, i dont have a car, and I'm most definatly not posh. I would have a problem disposing of waste if I lived there.
Slow worm. Yes, it's a good illustration and lesson on how much waste someone is generating, but I doubt most people will even see it. They are blindly generating it with no thought as to where it would go if the bins didn't come.
How do you get people to generate less waste, when the supermarkets etc double wrap every darn thing up in plastic and cardboard?
I do know someone who works for Birmingham Council, who will be comming down to my area to visit family at Easter, so will have a conversation with them about what's happening.
Last edited:
Yep, that's very true. I doubt there are very few farmers markets in Birmingham, and many couldn't afford to shop at them, or access them anyway if they don't drive.
Besides, everyone has been conditioned to shop at supermarkets for ease and convenience, over the past 50 years, and small greengrocers and butchers have been put out of business by the big boys, so choice is limited.
Habits once ingrained, can be hard to break, especially if it's titled as easy and convenient.
When seeing the replies on the posh and the plebby and the apparently vast differnce in cleanliness and waste, I would say it is by choice rather then imposed topdown.
If there is no wastecollecting in a city, yet neighbourhoods look ery different, then it is by residents' choice. probably because the plebs just don't care to keep things clean, separate waste and make it "someone else's problem".
A social divide, tribalistic as previously mentioned.
If there is no wastecollecting in a city, yet neighbourhoods look ery different, then it is by residents' choice. probably because the plebs just don't care to keep things clean, separate waste and make it "someone else's problem".
A social divide, tribalistic as previously mentioned.
That would seem to be fundamental but it needs a credible voice to make and repeat that statement.
Blaming the council for the waste piles might be appropriate to an extent but what that implies is that you want Council tax to go up beyond what can be afforded (or allowed). There are at least four stake holders in this issue.
I am reminded that keeping big stocks of supplies also means large amounts of packaging. Prepping = packaging. A few will be keeping food in reusable sealable containers but not many.
When Birmingham’s issues are resolved the rubbish piles are unlikely to be sorted for recycling.
One of the casualties of emergency/disaster is the planet.
Or more likely - that the money you do pay in taxes is better utilised -better audited - better controlled and better kept out of potentially corrupt hands and under an eye of 'best use'
That's, well, rubbish. There's plenty of reports about the problems there.
Edit to add. I don't know that much about Birmingham but have spoken at length to our council as, despite now being expected to pay £3k a year in tax, they don't collect our recycling. It became very clear they didn't seem to know what they were doing or care.
Last edited:
To my mind it's about educating people, and laziness.
I do not even put my recycling out every week, as there is not enough to make the effort worthwhile. I live on my own, but each side of me are two person households.
They put out full and often overflowing recycling every week.
They shop at supermarkets(delivered) I don't. I use the local greengrocers and butchers (on the rare occasions I want meat. ) My milk is glass bottle refills, and to be honest it's not very hard. Both wives are at home, so no real excuses.
Both households have at least two cars, I have non. I have mobility issues, so find walking into town difficult some days, but I have to do it to be responsible for my waste. They could drive if they wanted, so realy there is no excuse apart from laziness.
If they were all working full time, I could almost see a case.
Even when I worked full time, bringing up children, pets ,no car, studying part time, I never created as much waste as I see being put out nowadays. So don't say they are too busy.
Sounds a bit harsh perhaps, but its reality.
I do not even put my recycling out every week, as there is not enough to make the effort worthwhile. I live on my own, but each side of me are two person households.
They put out full and often overflowing recycling every week.
They shop at supermarkets(delivered) I don't. I use the local greengrocers and butchers (on the rare occasions I want meat. ) My milk is glass bottle refills, and to be honest it's not very hard. Both wives are at home, so no real excuses.
Both households have at least two cars, I have non. I have mobility issues, so find walking into town difficult some days, but I have to do it to be responsible for my waste. They could drive if they wanted, so realy there is no excuse apart from laziness.
If they were all working full time, I could almost see a case.
Even when I worked full time, bringing up children, pets ,no car, studying part time, I never created as much waste as I see being put out nowadays. So don't say they are too busy.
Sounds a bit harsh perhaps, but its reality.
100% agree with you here.
It’s unfortunate that people seem to always be lumped into “posh” or not. I bought my council house, the one next door still council. The family there keep their place immaculate, clean their cars every Sunday, pay for repairs themselves etc.
I wouldn’t say they were posh, but they do have pride.
Which streets do the bin men (refuse technicians) live in I wonder?
How many Council meetings have you attended?
How carefully have you studied your councils audits and financial reports?
People are giving up considerable amounts of time and taking considerable amounts of flak in an attempt to interpret government intentions with government permitted finances and government limited authority to make your parish/ local authority / borough / county work.
Many councillors are exhausted and demoralised but still they attend.
We need a national leader who will give us a straight statement:
The nation is skint and not producing enough. We are totally dependent upon a glorified betting shop.
Someone has to choose how money is allocated. Bricks, Bandages or Bullets? You can’t have them all.
And as to the OP (ish) How many of us have looked at (and acted upon?) local contingency planning?
I haven’t.
Similar threads
