Central London to be shut down for three days

[Donut]

Originally posted by Timber Loftis: I wouldn't dare streak nude through Trafalgar, what with all the pigeons who are so used to being fed by people hanging around. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Dem pigeons have gone. No food available in the square, £50 fine for feeding a pigeon in the square, and a Harrier Hawk, employed to fly round the square twice a day to keep pigeons away at a cost of £55,000 per annum.

[Skunk]

Originally posted by Donut: quote: Originally posted by Timber Loftis: I wouldn't dare streak nude through Trafalgar, what with all the pigeons who are so used to being fed by people hanging around. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Dem pigeons have gone. No food available in the square, £50 fine for feeding a pigeon in the square, and a Harrier Hawk, employed to fly round the square twice a day to keep pigeons away at a cost of £55,000 per annum. [/QUOTE]It sounds like a lot of money - but as it costs approximately £100,000 per annum just to clean up the droppings every year, there is actually a net direct saving of £45,000 p.a.

Other costs include the infrequent clean up and specialist restoration of the column and surrounding buildings (the droppings are acidic and therefore damaging to masonry); costs of lawsuits (built up droppings are slippery - as accidents occur, people *do* sue for damages); road traffic hazards (flocks rise up suddenly obscuring the view); transmissions of diseases and lost work days as a result...the list of problems are endless. So 50K is really an insignificant amount to pay when weighing up the savings it actually represesnts.

As they say, those pigeons are no more than 'rats with wings'.

an update on the "dumb little oil monkey"'s visit to London.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_ne...086397,00.html 'Shoot-to-kill' demand by US Martin Bright, home affairs editor Sunday November 16, 2003 The Observer Home Secretary David Blunkett has refused to grant diplomatic immunity to armed American special agents and snipers travelling to Britain as part of President Bush's entourage this week. In the case of the accidental shooting of a protester, the Americans in Bush's protection squad will face justice in a British court as would any other visitor, the Home Office has confirmed. The issue of immunity is one of a series of extraordinary US demands turned down by Ministers and Downing Street during preparations for the Bush visit. These included the closure of the Tube network, the use of US air force planes and helicopters and the shipping in of battlefield weaponry to use against rioters. In return, the British authorities agreed numerous concessions, including the creation of a 'sterile zone' around the President with a series of road closures in central London and a security cordon keeping the public away from his cavalcade. The White House initially demanded the closure of all Tube lines under parts of London to be visited during the trip. But British officials dismissed the idea that a suicide bomber could kill the President by blowing up a Tube train. Ministers are also believed to have dismissed suggestions that a 'sterile zone' around the President should be policed entirely by American special agents and military. Demands for the US air force to patrol above London with fighter aircraft and Black Hawk helicopters have also been turned down. The President's protection force will be armed - as Tony Blair's is when he travels abroad - and around 250 secret service agents will fly in with Bush, but operational control will remain with the Metropolitan Police. The Americans had also wanted to travel with a piece of military hardware called a 'mini-gun', which usually forms part of the mobile armoury in the presidential cavalcade. It is fired from a tank and can kill dozens of people. One manufacturer's description reads: 'Due to the small calibre of the round, the mini-gun can be used practically anywhere. This is especially helpful during peacekeeping deployments.' Ministers have made clear to Washington that the firepower of the mini- gun will not be available during the state visit to Britain. In return, the Government has agreed to close off much of Whitehall during the visit - the usual practice in Britain is to use police outriders to close roads as the cavalcade passes to cause minimal disruption to traffic. A Home Office spokeswoman said: 'Negotiations between here and the US have been perfectly amicable. If there have been requests, they have not posed any problems.' An internal memo sent to Cabinet Office staff and leaked to the press this weekend urged staff to work from home if at possible during the presidential visit. Serious disruption would be caused by 'the President Bush vehicle entourage requesting cleared secured vehicle routes around London and the security cordons creating a sterile zone around him'. Meanwhile, negotiations are continuing between police and demonstrators about the route of the march. Representatives of the Stop the War Coalition will meet police at Scotland Yard tomorrow to discuss whether protesters will be able to march through Parliament Square and Whitehall. Spokesman Andrew Burgin said he hoped for 'a good old- fashioned British compromise'.

[Donut]

Bush is on his way. The cost of policing the visit will be £5.5 million. And who do you think pays for it? The Government? Perish the thought - London taxpayers pay for it!

The latest is a request to turn off all mobile phone masts in central London so that a bomb can't be triggered by a mobile phone!

[Rokenn]

Originally posted by Donut: Bush is on his way. The cost of policing the visit will be £5.5 million. And who do you think pays for it? The Government? Perish the thought - London taxpayers pay for it! The latest is a request to turn off all mobile phone masts in central London so that a bomb can't be triggered by a mobile phone!

Bush is getting paranoid in his old age it seems. Mini-guns, sterile zones, and no cell phones? Sounds like a bad b-movie.

[skywalker]

I wonder how he can possibly get out of bed in the morning? Paranoia seems to be running deep in Bush.

Mark

[Ar-Cunin]

I don't see what the problem is - Bush is just comming over to see how his poodle is behaving.

Now the visit may be a problem for Blair - it may put him in the dog house with the Labour voters.

time for some post-game analysis...

from the sunday mirror Sunday Mirror Nov 23 2003 GROUND FARCE 1 Queen's fury as Bush goons wreck garden Exclusive By Terry O'Hanlon THE Queen is furious with President George W. Bush after his state visit caused thousands of pounds of damage to her gardens at Buckingham Palace. Royal officials are now in touch with the Queen's insurers and Prime Minister Tony Blair to find out who will pick up the massive repair bill. Palace staff said they had never seen the Queen so angry as when she saw how her perfectly-mantained lawns had been churned up after being turned into helipads with three giant H landing markings for the Bush visit. The rotors of the President's Marine Force One helicopter and two support Black Hawks damaged trees and shrubs that had survived since Queen Victoria's reign. And Bush's army of clod-hopping security service men trampled more precious and exotic plants. The Queen's own flock of flamingoes, which security staff insisted should be moved in case they flew into the helicopter rotors, are thought to be so traumatised after being taken to a "place of safety" that they might never return home. The historic fabric of the Palace was also damaged as high-tech links were fitted for the US leader and his entourage during his three-day stay with the Queen. The Palace's head gardener, Mark Lane, was reported to be in tears when he saw the scale of the damage. "The Queen has every right to feel insulted at the way she has been treated by Bush," said a Palace insider. "The repairs will cost tens of thousands of pounds but the damage to historic and rare plants will be immense. They are still taking an inventory. "The lawns are used for royal garden parties and are beautifully kept. But 30,000 visitors did not do as much damage as the Americans did in three days. "Their security people and support staff tramped all over the place and left an absolute mess. It is particularly sad because the Queen Mother loved to wander in the garden just as the Queen and Prince Charles do now. "Some of the roses, flowers and shrubs damaged are thought to be rare varieties named after members of the Royal Family and planted by the Queen Mother and Queen. "Other Royals had their own favourite parts of the garden as children and some of those areas have been damaged." The Queen's insurers have told her she is covered for statues, garden furniture and plants she personally owns, but the bill for repairing damage to the lawns and the structure of the Palace will probably have to be picked up by the Government. The Americans made alterations to accommodate specialised equipment. The mass of gadgetry meant the Royals couldn't get a decent TV picture during the visit.

on the one hand... how arrogant! on the other... well, it is just a garden!

edit: is this a real paper? or the national enquirer of the UK??

second edit: my wife tells me this is more than "just a garden" http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page568.asp

[ 11-26-2003, 01:23 AM: Message edited by: sultan ]

[johnny]

Well, the Queen could always travel to Washington and take a dump on the lawn of the white house. I'm sure Bush will call it Even Steven after that.

[Donut]

Whilst the Metropolitan Police force were out protecting the President the incidence of reported muggings in London rose by 20%.