Of all the animals of prey, man is the only sociable one.
Every one of us preys upon his neighbour, and yet we herd together.
The Beggar's Opera: John Gay

Friday 31 October 2014

Quote of the Day - Roger Hargreaves, where art thou?

Some time ago, we discussed the (many) shortcomings of Junction 10 of the M40, an intersection which is clearly the brainchild of someone who hates motorists with a passion and must take great pleasure in the daily queues that build up there.

A few miles further on lies Junction 11 on the north side of Banbury, where a planned retail park, industrial development and a vast quantity of new housing are set to cause traffic chaos in a few years' time.

Thinking ahead, a group of concerned residents have started - inevitably - a facebook and twitter group calling for a new junction to be built between 10 and 11.

There is, however, a slight problem, possibly related to the spontaneous late-night genesis of the 'Banbury needs 11A' campaign, as its charmingly aptly-named founder explains:
Mr Muddle added that the group, which was set up in a hurry, is technically calling for junction 10A but, once he realised the mistake, it had too many likes and followers to change the name.
As a bonus, this is, I think you'll agree, an excellent example of the media tail wagging the dog in true 21st-century style.

3 comments:

  1. Ah, Banbury, it used to be a lovely town. Hook Norton Brewery was not far away and it was Flora Thompson country down the road. I probably knew the area in its last days as deep rural set of communities.

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  2. Demetrius, you're right; a quick glance at the map shows the way dozens of Home Counties market towns have had vast housing estates tacked onto the edges, along with all the infrastructure and retail development that entails.

    Just as political ideology wrecked the grammar school system, so successive generations of politicians and town planners have conspired to abolish the perceived privilege of living in a pleasant rural town.

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  3. It's a wonder anything functions in society. Was it like this at the start of WW2 and things suddenly came together or was it a muddle through the war?

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