I don’t blog about politics and my personal politics are not up for airing in public, at least not here. But UK readers cannot fail to have been aware of the terrible flooding that has devastated vast swathes of the country. Having been flooded, indeed that was the reason I started this blog in the first place, I know how distressing and devastating it is to watch filthy water pour into your home. Fortunately our flood was transient and quite tiny compared to the horrors that thousands of people are suffering as I type. The long term effects will be with us for years. Farmland that will be unusable, family farms that will go out of business, homes ruined, a massive increase in the benefits bill, homes that will never be insurable again….. and that is just the practical effect it doesn’t even begin to touch on the emotional one.
Facebook followers will have seen me rant about the way the Government has handled, or rather mishandled, the situation. However I think that Jane Young summarises it far better than I can. Please do read her blog.
We’re a wealthy country… money’s no object…
There are hundreds of comments, and they are worth reading too. Please do not fall into the trap that many commentators have of believing that she thinks that all of the Home Counties are full of middle class Tory voters. . Her point is not that there are not people suffering, of whatever financial situation. BUT that it is when flooding is affecting an area that is PREDOMINANTLY (not entirely) Tory and RELATIVELY (not 100%) wealthy that David Cameron is able to find funds to support them in their need. Meanwhile people who have also been in great need have been told that there is no money available to them. Yes, there is a difference between a natural disaster and ongoing need, But even if you take that out of the equation and look only at the flood victims the levels of support available in the Home Counties overnight compared to Cumbria and the West Country since Christmas is pitiful.
one pair of shoes at a time 
Oh Gillian, I’m so sorry that you all are getting the brunt of this awful weather pattern. We all seem to take turns in being the recipient of disastrous weather: a couple of years ago, we were in a historic drought, now you’re going to have to watch flood waters destroy so much. I’m sorry that those in power seem to favor helping some areas over others. I hope you stay safe and are spared floodwater damages!
It’s wet here but nothing like the south. Politics is really a very nasty business.
I don’t know much about this – Yay, America! The land of the free and the home of the blindly ethnocentric! – but it sounds pretty damned dire. I hope you won’t fly off to Australia and decide not to come back. But even if you did, I’m sure you’ll still be blogging, right?
In other, perhaps completely insensitive news so my immense apologies but I didn’t want you to be the last to know, come check out today’s post on my blog. I nominated you for an award. Please don’t feel obligated to do much with it except bask in the fact that you’re super cool. I really just wanted to recognize my peeps, and I am honored to consider you one of them.
Always sorry to hear of disasters. About the only silver lining is that sometimes it brings people together in an effort to help out those in need. People are always, understandably, so stressed in the aftermath and trying to cope – only to be further frustrated if help is delayed or misplaced by government agencies. Wish we could send you some warm, sunny weather to help dry things up and improve dispositions!