It's been a while

I've been too busy blogging about football, criminal injustice and murderous politicians of late to talk about two of my favourite subjects...

N.I.M.B.Y.s & Water Companies

So imagine my delight when I here they could do battle.

Thames Water have had increasing shortages of water supply due to the fact that they've done little but count their profits ever since they took over from the (clearly unfit for purpose) public sector.

Until now all these water companies have done nothing but sprout out bullshit like "It's the wrong kind of rain" or "It's climate change" or "It's your own fault because you're using too much water"

However by announcing that they're going to create an enormous reservoir in Oxfordshire they've all but admitted that the shortages are due to their pisspoor management and lack of foresight (Or stupidity for selling off reservoirs to developers in the first place)

Naturally they won't pay the £1bn needed for this project, their customers will. But as their bills are miniscule compared to the ones we pay down here in the South West, I'm parked firmly in the "Don't give a toss" camp.

But what amused me the most about the whole story was when some local councillor ranted on the six o'clock news about how the reservoir would destroy "Unspoilt countryside". It's all farmland you stupid twat! It couldn't be more spoilt if you shoved a motorway through the middle of it.

I'm all for saving the countryside but the reality is there's very little of it left in Britain.

Which is why I get pissed off when people start coming out with tripe about "Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty" or AONBs as they're now called. If your house is in an AONB then it isn't natural is it dumbass?!? What they mean to say is "We think it looks pretty here and if you want to build a house for someone else to enjoy it, it will ruin it for us because we'll have less room for snobbery"

Unfortunately most of the locals seem to be in favour of this reservoir so I don't have as many N.I.M.B.Y.s to slag off as I would have liked.

But maybe if Thames Water could suggest converting it to a Hydro-Electric plant that might change a few minds. After all, nothing makes a N.I.M.B.Y. come out of their shell quite like renewable energy.