Monday 7 November 2011

Fun Online Polls: OccupyLSX and that M5 pile up

On a high turnout (thanks to everybody who took part), the result in last week's Fun Online Poll was:

Should the St Paul's protesters be evicted?

Yes - 60%

No - 33%
Other, please specify - 6%


So that's pretty conclusive and I'm firmly in the minority on that one as well.
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Two possible explanations have been given for the poor visibility which caused the M5 pile up on Friday, earlier eye witnesses said it looked like fog but the police seem to have decided that Somebody Must Be To Blame and think that it was smoke coming from a nearby fireworks display.

On the basis of no information whatsoever, I'd say the fog explanation seems far more likely (there was fog in the area at the time) and I've been to plenty of fireworks displays but never have I seen huge clouds of smoke billowing out from where they are launched, they just aren't built that way.

But what does everybody else think? Vote here or use the widget in the side bar.

12 comments:

Robin Smith said...

The negative vote for Occupy London Im pretty certain is due to people still believing what they read in the media.

Even the faux radicals.

Proof is explicit in the comments.

I have done a hundred news interviews and have been astonished at the blatant lies that a few report, mainly the big guys.

Sometimes not even economic with the truth.

The only way to be certain is to come and see for oneself.

You will be amazed. The media il not tell you about that.

dearieme said...

Once upon a time people would have a bonfire on some handy small space and invite a few neightbours round. Then the elves said that was too dangerous and, lo, fireworks were organised by town councils, or schools, or rugby clubs. So a few dispersed wisps of smoke are replaced by (the risk of) billowing clouds. Ain't the elves wonderful?

chefdave said...

Did anyone else see the Peter Schiff's Youtube vid where he engaged the Occupy protesters in the U.S? The 'dialogue' was entirely predictable as the activists came across as a bunch of left wing economically illiterate half-wits.

The mainstream media have it bang on.

formertory said...

It was entertaining to hear Mike Penning whiffle on "from personal experience as a firefighter" about bonfires like the one at Taunton, and the piles of plastic and rubber that are very often burned, generating huge quantities of toxic smoke and that the effect of it mixing with the fog known to be in the area could be disastrous etc etc cont. p94 .

And then quickly add that "we mustn't jump to conclusions".

Shortly before someone else from the BBC reported that there hadn't been a bonfire, just a fireworks display.

The Rentagobs are out early.

Anonymous said...

http://davidthompson.typepad.com/davidthompson/2011/11/thuggery-and-squalor-is-new-and-exciting.html

It's MUCH worse than the MSM let you know.

AC1

Mark Wadsworth said...

D, but do properly made bonfires create a lot of smoke? Surely not.

CD, AC1, I've visited Robin at OccupyLSX a couple of times and it all seems very well-mannered to me.

FT, that's the next question - did they have a bonfire, and if so, did it make a lot of smoke?

Derek said...

At any fireworks display I've ever been to, the fireworks have produced much more smoke than the bonfire. A big bonfire is so hot that the smoke is all consumed even if there are old tyres on it whereas gunpowder is pretty smoky stuff. The main hazard from the bonfire always seemed to be red hot sparks and ash floating up from it and blowing around.

James Higham said...

Act of God?

dearieme said...

Act of tail-gating, more like.

Gregg said...

I blame Occupy myself. I blame them for that accident on the M57 last night too. Bastards!

Gregg said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

According to local news the firework display ended 10 minutes before the accident.

I have never seen smoke from fireworks persist for more than a minute or so after firing, so it seems to be a load of bull.