Forth Road Bridge Closed

[G-Man]

I'm driving from south side Glasgow on Thursday to pick up my aunt at Cambusbarren and take her to hospital appointment at 'big new hospital" (assuming it's near Stirling?) at 9am. I'm planning on leaving home at 7am and assuming this will give me hunners of time and room for a cuppa at my aunts house before we leave. Reading this thread I've realised my geographical knowledge is truly pish poor and I'm worried somewhere someone's said travelling to Stirling in the morning takes hours longer than normal. Just want to know if departure time of 7am is plenty to get to hospital for 9am?

Many thanks my TAMB advice gods/goddesses.

Oh and will my journey home be affected by this travel chaos, leaving about 3pm for first appointment in EK at 4.15pm?

[BremnerLorimerGray]

Decided to bite the bullet this morning and ditch the car for my daily commute from Quarter to Burnstisland. Got to Motherwell Station this morning at 6 to find all trains towards Edinburgh cancelled until the back of 7 which was an excellent start to becoming reliant on rail travel. I ended up having to take the car as usual, went up towards Stirling services followed the A9140, then A913 through to the M90 then eventually onto the A909 to arrive at Burntisland in just shy of an 1 and 45 minutes. Very little traffic, a decent run despite it being a 20 odd mile detour and one I will be using from now on when commuting, however it's looking more likely that I'll start staying up here Monday to Friday.

[G-Man]

BLG, have a wee visit to Easterhaugh, lovely castle built by 2 slightly eccentric gents. It had a hidden room and 4 poster bed and some other things made with a tree they got at auction that had originally been bought by a young man heading to India, the plan being that by the time he died it would be grown and used as his coffin. Sadly he died not long after he arrived so it was cut and sold years later.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/life/property/historichomes/article4324064.ece

[Larky Masher]

Christ the uk government is not to much coming forward on who they sell arms too.

You probably didn't even know they sold arms to Israel.

Why do you think the uk gives cash to India? Part of that is to do with keeping them in the commonwealth.

You're simply not going to get any government in the world to say they give aid so they can buy arms.

When the Egyptian government was ousted Cameron went to visit there with 40 arms dealers, a tax funded junket for them.

More stuff from google and don't expect the uk government to admit to any of it.

http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/british-aid-and-british-arms-a-coherent-approach-to-yemen-577040

Suggesting that the UK government only gives aid if countries agree to spend it on British arm is utter nonsense in 2013 the UK gave £2.3 billion in aid to Africa and arms exports to Africa were around £40million. Almost 99% of British arms exports go to the Middle East, the US, Europe and Asia (mostly Japan and India) and 90% of the aid goes to Africa and Asia (and if you're wondering about India who we do give aid to almost 90% of their arms imports are from Russia, US and Israel).

[BremnerLorimerGray]

BLG, have a wee visit to Easterhaugh, lovely castle built by 2 slightly eccentric gents. It had a hidden room and 4 poster bed and some other things made with a tree they got at auction that had originally been bought by a young man heading to India, the plan being that by the time he died it would be grown and used as his coffin. Sadly he died not long after he arrived so it was cut and sold years later.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/life/property/historichomes/article4324064.ece

Just booked a hotel in Aberdour for next week so I'll take a wander round.

[antidote]

And the UK exports to the US, and China, and Saudi Arabia etc etc.

Do you actually disapprove of overseas aid? Your position seems to be that such aid is ipso facto bad.

Nope don't disagree with overseas aid, I'm all for it, but I strongly disagree with using aid to influence countries politically or for them to buy arms.

[hannibal smith]

Errol down to Edinburgh this morning was 1hour 15 via Stirling, not too bad although I did leave quite early

[antidote]

I'm driving from south side Glasgow on Thursday to pick up my aunt at Cambusbarren and take her to hospital appointment at 'big new hospital" (assuming it's near Stirling?) at 9am. I'm planning on leaving home at 7am and assuming this will give me hunners of time and room for a cuppa at my aunts house before we leave. Reading this thread I've realised my geographical knowledge is truly pish poor and I'm worried somewhere someone's said travelling to Stirling in the morning takes hours longer than normal. Just want to know if departure time of 7am is plenty to get to hospital for 9am?

Many thanks my TAMB advice gods/goddesses.

Oh and will my journey home be affected by this travel chaos, leaving about 3pm for first appointment in EK at 4.15pm?

There is no big new hospital near Stirling, maybe you mean Forth Valley Hospital which is in Larbert in Falkirk district.

[antidote]

Suggesting that the UK government only gives aid if countries agree to spend it on British arm is utter ###### nonsense in 2013 the UK gave £2.3 billion in aid to Africa and arms exports to Africa were around £40million. Almost 99% of British arms exports go to the Middle East, the US, Europe and Asia (mostly Japan and India) and 90% of the aid goes to Africa and Asia (and if you're wondering about India who we do give aid to almost 90% of their arms imports are from Russia, US and Israel).

You suggesting that I suggested that the UK only gives aid unless they buy arms is real phuqqing nonsense. I suggest you read what I said again.

[DonnyTJS]

Nope don't disagree with overseas aid, I'm all for it, but I strongly disagree with using aid to influence countries politically or for them to buy arms.

But your initial post appeared to dismiss overseas aid out of hand.

[Larky Masher]

You suggesting that I suggested that the UK only gives aid unless they buy arms is real phuqqing nonsense. I suggest you read what I said again.

Sorry I must have misinterpreted your earlier posts

Ask the tory government, I'm sure they'll oblige.

It's a well known fact that overseas aid is given when that poor country buys uk arms.

It's called sweetners btw.

I'm sure you know how to use google.

A wee appetiser for you.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=B4hwrv2zhtMC&pg=PA170&lpg=PA170&dq=uk+aid+for+arms+sales&source=bl&ots=4j2V2aizXz&sig=LTdQczw-1rNpoKRKKfmKzFnQF34&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjih62ErcrJAhXDuBQKHXTcBKoQ6AEIOjAF#v=onepage&q=uk%20aid%20for%20arms%20sales&f=false

C'mon even a blind man could see that the uk Gov s up to no good on arms sales.

Here guv have a few million squid to buy medicines for the poor, which they don't do, in your country. Btw we have lovely bombs that will kill women and children if you wan't them...oh what's that you don't wan't them, ah well yir no getting that money you could stuff in your own bank account if you wan't too.

[antidote]

Suggesting that the UK government only gives aid if countries agree to spend it on British arm is utter ###### nonsense in 2013 the UK gave £2.3 billion in aid to Africa and arms exports to Africa were around £40million. Almost 99% of British arms exports go to the Middle East, the US, Europe and Asia (mostly Japan and India) and 90% of the aid goes to Africa and Asia (and if you're wondering about India who we do give aid to almost 90% of their arms imports are from Russia, US and Israel).

Yes you're right you were mistaken. I'm sure I also said that it also buys influence and of course I'm sure there is some aid there somewhere.

[antidote]

But your initial post appeared to dismiss overseas aid out of hand.

Maybe appeared that way, but it is not my feelings on the matter.

I do have a problem with the uk giving money direct to governments though, as I'm sure agree with me, that many overseas government would rather spend the aid money on themselves and on arms for their armies.

[Larky Masher]

Yes you're right you were mistaken. I'm sure I also said that it also buys influence and of course I'm sure there is some aid there somewhere.

How could I have misinterpreted "Here guv have a few million squid to buy medicines for the poor, which they don't do, in your country. Btw we have lovely bombs that will kill women and children if you wan't them...oh what's that you don't wan't them, ah well yir no getting that money you could stuff in your own bank account if you wan't too"

[Scunnered]

Yes you're right you were mistaken.

Fooled me as well friend.

[DonnyTJS]

Maybe appeared that way, but it is not my feelings on the matter.

I do have a problem with the uk giving money direct to governments though, as I'm sure agree with me, that many overseas government would rather spend the aid money on themselves and on arms for their armies.

See, if you'd said something like that instead of stating that the entire UK overseas aid budget was a slush fund to give backhanders to foreign governments in order to achieve arms sales we might have avoided a thread diversion of Kincardine Bridge proportions...

[antidote]

Fooled me as well friend.

You're easily fooled.

[thplinth]

It'd need to be some length of a tunnel under the Forth to Edinburgh!

If you took the length of Glasgow’s vast underground 'network' and stretched it out into one straight tunnel would it theoretically be long enough to get under and across the Forth?

[antidote]

How could I have misinterpreted "Here guv have a few million squid to buy medicines for the poor, which they don't do, in your country. Btw we have lovely bombs that will kill women and children if you wan't them...oh what's that you don't wan't them, ah well yir no getting that money you could stuff in your own bank account if you wan't too"

So when does a few million squid translate into over £12 Billion???

You also conveniently left out the part where I said it is also used to buy influence.

I'm sure it is also used to pay for the mess in countries that the uk has been in wars with, like Afghanistan, Iraq etc.

[antidote]

See, if you'd said something like that instead of stating that the entire UK overseas aid budget was a slush fund to give backhanders to foreign governments in order to achieve arms sales we might have avoided a thread diversion of Kincardine Bridge proportions...

Correct, but I didn't state the entire overseas fund is a slush fund. I'm sure I said it was used as a slush fund, along with buying influence.

[Scunnered]

You're easily fooled.

Possibly! I did vote Yes after all

[Parklife]

If you took the length of Glasgows vast underground 'network' and stretched it out into one straight tunnel would it theoretically be long enough to get under and across the Forth?

Wiki says the Subway in Glasgolia is only 6.5 miles long.

[antidote]

If you took the length of Glasgow’s vast underground 'network' and stretched it out into one straight tunnel would it theoretically be long enough to get under and across the Forth?

Now, don't wind up the weegies and their, clockwork, underground.

[DonnyTJS]

Correct, but I didn't state the entire overseas fund is a slush fund.

Eh?

The uk budget of 0.7% is a slush fund for backhanders to poor countries so they will buy British arms.

[Larky Masher]

So when does a few million squid translate into over £12 Billion???

You also conveniently left out the part where I said it is also used to buy influence.

I'm sure it is also used to pay for the mess in countries that the uk has been in wars with, like Afghanistan, Iraq etc.

When you add up all the few million quids it gets to £12 billion and I didn't mention influence because I wouldn't dispute it's used as an influencing tool.