THE SADDEST OF OUTCOMES

[Grandad]

I have no doubt that everyone, like me, was hoping that the four missing miners in that South Wales pit would come out alive and well.

Regrettably that was not to be and my sympathies go out to the families of those men who died. RIP.

Pit disasters are always so tragic when we consider the conditions that miners work under. In this case it is even more poignant because according to the BBC report, this is a very small mine with a worforce of just seven. Four of whom have now lost their lives.

My wifes paternal family were all miners in the valleys and although we have no record of tragedy in her family we know what a hazardous occupation mining is.

[Horus]

I agree with you Grandad, our own family history contains many such deaths in tragic circumstances. I have worked in very deep Copper and Gold mines and sometimes, (like today) I just cannot watch the unfolding tragedy on TV as my own imagination conjures up the awful reallity of their plight. I think that unless you have experienced such conditions it is hard to imagine the ordeal that these poor souls would have had to experience, my thought go out to their families and my hopes that the miners knew little of what happened to them.
R.I.P. brave lads.

[LovelyLadyLux]

This is so sad and tragic. Nothing was on the news here about this but these types of accidents are tragic and leave a memory on communities forever. This will touch many for years to come. I only pray the end was swift and without pain.

[Morgita]

I had hoped that the words "South Wales mining disaster" had been consigned to history. There are only a handful of small private mines left in operation in this area and they only operate when the economic conditions permit. They are frequently mothballed when the imported coal is cheap. Despite the dirty cramped conditions these poor men would have had only occasional work. This awful event took place just 3 or 4 miles away from me and has tapped into dark memories for the older generation. Mostly sadness that we have not yet been able to prevent loss of life in collieries and that families are again experiencing the pain of loss.

[BillH]

I really thought these disasters were a thing of the past, especially after those miners in Chile escaped an almost certain death last year..

However, living in Wales, and my Paternal grandparents were from a long family of miners in south Wales ( Neath) and that I live quite literally a stones throw from the old Gresford Colliery.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresford_disaster
My sister lives in a village on the other side of the town, underneath this village is where it is believed that these poor souls are entombed.
If I recall correctly, there are now only 2 relatives that receive money from the fund that was set up for the immediate families, and the mine has long since gone, just an old wheel remains at the entrance to the colliery club.

A very dangerous job I have to admit. I spend a lot of time down the old slate mines in the mountains near us, and these mines had operated for centuries until about 1968. Imagine how it must have been back in the 17th century, never mind in modern days with modern machinery..

[Grandad]

Good to see you around BillH You are travelling a bit, aren't you? Wasn't it Poland or Czech Republic last time??????

[BillH]

Thank You Grandad I think it was Poland . I was in Krakow a few months ago.
Since then there has been many and still more trips to Italy, in both Rome and Lecce, then I was in Malta a few times, as the company had to restructure very quickly and many people lost thier jobs which was a sad time, although they were given the option of going to Malta or Romania, here in Bucharest. Some took the opportunity, but many did not..

Its all the fault of the UK government who were trying to squeeze us for another 15% of our profits, so we had no choice.
seems they are getting desperate for cash, because our trading position was perfectly acceptable very other year prior to this.
In the end its going to cost them dearly in lost revenue from those employees who sadly lost their jobs and the unemployment benefits they will have to pay out to them.

once the Euro collapses, which it will...soon, then I too may well not have a job either.. Ho Hum !!

[Horus]

No worries for you there Bill, Greece WILL default, but the euro will still survive, propped up by the Germans and the French as they don't really have an alternative option.

[BillH]

from day 1 I thought the Euro was a stupid idea. Different countries with different levels of wealth using the same currency.. Only Politicians could be so stupid as to come up with that idea..

It certainly is not in my interest to make such "wild" predictions, but the writing is on the wall.
Italy and France have just had their credit rating downgraded, so will face higher interest charges. The Germans will have no choice to pull out of the Euro shortly after Greece defaults or they will be in the same boat as France and Italy. Germany will be back with the deutschmark very soon..

I estimate in about 6 months after the Greek default...

[Horus]

They will just do another fudge of the rules allowing Greece to default, reinstating the Drachma whilst staying in the EU, in effect a two tier and two stage Europe.

[BillH]

They will just do another fudge of the rules allowing Greece to default, reinstating the Drachma whilst staying in the EU, in effect a two tier and two stage Europe.

Oh God forbid ! Let the E.U and the Euro be cast into hell...

I, like 75% of all "europeans" detest ALL that the EU stands for.
It was a white elephant, borne from paranoia about another World War evolving from europe and that was how it was sold to the people, using their fear to accept that if all the countries were one big ahppy family then there could not be another war like that of WW1 and WW2.
It was never actually going to do any good whatsoever for the people though.

The demostrations in Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Italy now are not just about Austerity, these people want their identity back, just like we do in Britain. they have finally realised that the E.U is not abou the people, its about big business. ( it should be called by its original name "the Common Market".. that would reveal more of the truth about its true purpose......)

Its just another gravy trian for the self centred has been's and wannabee Politicians who could not make it in their own country.


I have been warning people for 20 years about modern Fractional reserve banking. Its a fake economy.
Just look at what the BoE has just decided to do !
Print itself another 75Billion UK Pounds !! That's 75 Billion UK Pounds counjoured up out of fresh air ! just like the 200 Billion before that.
Its a Ponzi scheme, like Pyriamid selling, eventually it topples.

Europe and the EU is certain to be a thing of the past in less than 10 years, infact I could probably half that figure.

Arab Spring, European Summer, American Fall, whatever Next ???

[Horus]

Although I don't agree with your analysis, I too would be happy to see the Euro along with the EU gravy train cast into oblivion, it has cost us dearly over the years.

[BillH]

Although I don't agree with your analysis, I too would be happy to see the Euro along with the EU gravy train cast into oblivion, it has cost us dearly over the years.

Let us take ourselves to the streets and start a revolution.. It's long overdue

[Horus]

The British don’t take to the streets Bill, we just form an orderly queue, but I do detect that people in general are tired of our out of touch politicians who seem to reflect minority views at the expense of the majority, due in the main to the fact that they are all a product of a certain privileged education system that churns out this political elite, most of whom have never had a proper job in their life and have personal wealth beyond most peoples dreams.

So I would ask how on earth these people can represent an average person in today’s society, protests are OK and we should do more of them, but unfortunately they always get hijacked by the anarchists and the popular support then drops away. These radical idiots fail to realise that people in the UK want change, but they do not want anarchy, they do not want mobs rampaging through the streets, they want a voice, something that is sadly lacking in today’s political parties.

[BillH]

You are right, sadly, Horus.
I wonder what it is going to take to have things changed, or even if we will be allowed to protest in the future ?
I am convinced that is why the police failed to act initially during the riots, so that the public would demand firmer action by the police and call in the army.

So the general populous didn't like it when the poor started rioting, and then the stupid looters took over, and the press focused on that, rather than the fact yet another person had been murdered by the police. :/

Look at the hypocrisy there as well. The courts handed out really tough sentences, yet the THIEVING politicians who deliberately stole from the people through fiddling expenses got the option to pay back the money. The looters were not given the option of handing back the goods they stole :/
Yeah, one rule for the self styled Eatonian elite, and another for us..But then THEY run the justice system don't they ?

Now, should the rest of us find cause to protest, just watch the Army appear in force and the rubber bullets start flying.. After all, that's what people called for..

What a sham democracy is though, getting to vote for one of three puppets, all of which are connected to the same hand.
I care not who is in power, it's irrelevant. What I want is my say on the major decisions, like having the vote on the referendum which we were promised, or having my say on wether we start another war or not.
That in my simple mind is a TRUE democracy, not some sudo facist regime that the west is really governed by.

I cant see anything happening too soon, as you say, the British don't do protests, and it's not like we even have the power to withhold monies paid to the government, as all of what we pay to them is deducted at source or at the tills of the shops through taxation..

I wonder just how far we can be pushed... probably right back into the dark ages once more as far as our rights and freedoms are concerned...

[Horus]

I can'y say I would argue with most of that Bill. especially the opportunity to have our say on important issues.

[BillH]

Occasionally, just occassionally I have good ideas that may even elevate the human race up the next step of the evolutionary ladder..