Without Northern Trains I probably would not be able to make my 9am lecture on Wednesdays for German politics. Maybe a good thing. But to get there on time I need to get the 7:17 from Stoke-on-Trent.
Northern Trains, by comparison to XCountry and Virgin, are god awful to boot. The trains are like Arriva's, it's a cardboard box with tiny toilets, no desks or power sockets. And it takes a full hour to get to Manchester because Northern like to stop at all the little stations like Kidsgrove, Congelton, etc. What's the point when the pull of trains is that it's faster than a car? If I had a car I'd probably get there quicker than a Northern Train!
And that's a sad thing to contemplate. Not to mention the ridiculous times I have to wake up just to get there for 9am.
Most people are still asleep at this time. So for me, it calls for a blog, some relentless and reading the news on my iPhone.
I guess, putting it that way it's not all bad....
-- Post From My iPhone
Showing posts with label Germany. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Germany. Show all posts
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Friday, 16 January 2009
Bush: Smart, Articulate, Successful
So said Bob Tuttle, US Ambassador to the United Kingdom in the Telegraph.
What successes, I wonder? The Iraq debacle will always be his 'legacy', in my mind, and the global crisis that has soured the end of his second term.
Not to mention he is the most unpopular outgoing President (ever). The sooner Obama is sworn in, just a few more days come Jan 20th, the better.
Can't say I blame Connecticut, to be honest.
One thing, if anything I agree with Tuttle on, is that we should keep close ties with our American cousins. It is important for them, and important for us. I wouldn't have thought Sarkozy and France, Merkel and Germany would be too comfortable with us having a major role in European Politics, particularly as we weren't one of the founders of the Rome Treaty in 1957.
That is not to say I am a Euro-skeptic, far from it. Recent events in the financial crisis have shown that we do have an important role to play in International Affairs. Even though it was a big gaffe for Brown saying he 'saved the world' regarding the financial crisis... Even though he seems to be leading the way.
The only thing is... I'm not so sure if Obama and Brown will be best of friends, even if Obama thinks Cameron is a 'lightweight'.
It will be interesting to see how relations and UK impact on the foreign stage will play out in the next decade.
-- Post From My iPhone
What successes, I wonder? The Iraq debacle will always be his 'legacy', in my mind, and the global crisis that has soured the end of his second term.
Not to mention he is the most unpopular outgoing President (ever). The sooner Obama is sworn in, just a few more days come Jan 20th, the better.
Can't say I blame Connecticut, to be honest.
One thing, if anything I agree with Tuttle on, is that we should keep close ties with our American cousins. It is important for them, and important for us. I wouldn't have thought Sarkozy and France, Merkel and Germany would be too comfortable with us having a major role in European Politics, particularly as we weren't one of the founders of the Rome Treaty in 1957.
That is not to say I am a Euro-skeptic, far from it. Recent events in the financial crisis have shown that we do have an important role to play in International Affairs. Even though it was a big gaffe for Brown saying he 'saved the world' regarding the financial crisis... Even though he seems to be leading the way.
The only thing is... I'm not so sure if Obama and Brown will be best of friends, even if Obama thinks Cameron is a 'lightweight'.
It will be interesting to see how relations and UK impact on the foreign stage will play out in the next decade.
-- Post From My iPhone
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