LETTER: Unbelievable that snow brings life to a halt

The almost complete stoppage of national life occasioned by the recent spattering of snow was scarcely believable.
By The Newsroom
Published 21st Dec 2010, 10:35 BST

When I was a child, our schools were kept open by every janitor, able-bodied teacher and even the school dinner ladies being set to the task of digging out the playground with old fashioned shovels.

The same “all hands to the deck” attitude applied to airports where the general manager was to be seen setting an example with his spade alongside ground and cabin staff as well as pilots and navigators as they fought to keep runways clear.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Not only are we now far too reliant on often inadequate and unreliable mechanical means of snow removal, but the EU mandated adoption of the SI system of units has brought a touch of fatalism to how Britons regard low temperatures. Zero degrees Celsius is now seen as a sign that civilisation as we know it must be temporarily suspended whereas 32 degrees Fahrenheit never had that effect!

JOHN EOIN DOUGLAS

(via email)