Second update on TFL funding crisis

​Short blog update

Couple of days ago, I published my blog post about TFL funding crisis with a first update.

Click the link here to learn more about it

Now this latest one is a second update & it said that TFL grace period have been granted by the government & that it has been extended until February next year (two months from now on 4th February). Since it is all focused on the Covid variant (Omicron) that is currently affecting London & the rest of the UK. But still, the government must really quit messing around & just provide a long term funding to Transport For London as I know it have been hit very hard severely by the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020 & it is still ongoing. 

Last thing that everyone needs is the likelihood of Tube drivers & bus drivers being affected & London Underground & buses being out of business. 

So I thought I can provide another update. Especially that I am a train lover. 🚇🚉

New Beginnings for Barbados without the UK monarch

​Barbados, I salute you. 👏🇧🇧

By now, you would have already know the news before we entered this month December that Barbados (Caribbean country) have ditched the UK monarchy and became an republic. The World’s newest republic. 

History has been made indeed. 😀🙂🇧🇧

Congratulations to the nation and the Barbadian people. 🇧🇧

New era for Barbados as it is now officially a republic. 🇧🇧😀🙂👏 The country is no longer under the monarchy. The British monarchy. 55 years ago, they declare independence from the UK & now 55 years later, another historic on 30th November. This time, having their own head of state with the first ever female president.

Barbados is still an member of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is not leaving Commonwealth. Although I have to say so that everyone is clear on this. Barbados is an independent sovereign country. This is something that those who voted for Brexit (UK out of the EU) does not seem to understand in my opinion.

By the way, Who is chanting “sovereignty” now Brexiteers? Your support for the isolationist policy (Brexit) was supposed to be about the UK being closer to the Commonwealth nations like Canada, Australia & New Zealand. Well it had done the opposite for non white Commonwealth majority nations like Barbados. 😂

I don’t want to hear any nonsense about the word “sovereignty” from leavers while continuing to show their strong dislike of the European Union. No wonder Brexit was supposed to be about being closer to the Commonwealth except it is only closer to New Zealand, Australia & Canada. Even the United States (even it is not in the commonwealth) & the AUKUS defence pact with three countries while moving away from anything European. 

So who is next to follow Barbados’s lead to remove the British monarch as the head of state? Jamaica could be next to ditch the Queen as the head of state by having their own head of state of any Commonwealth realm countries. Only time will tell. 

For now, I want to say once more congratulations to the people of Barbados & best wishes for the future now that the country has their own head of state. 😀🙂🇧🇧

Update on TFL funding crisis

​Short blog post with a update

Since I first talked about TFL funding crisis due to the impact of covid, the grace period have been extended to Saturday 18th December. 

However the government really got to get a grip & just provide Transport For London a long term deal. No more of short term deals and no more of using public transport as a political football while behaving as if they do not want to strike a deal with Sadiq Khan (London Mayor) & TFL to help them financially. They (the govt) got to stop playing games.

I will repeat as I previously mentioned on my previous blog post that it is time that TFL gets more money for long term post pandemic without anymore expiry dates. Once it will affect the likelihood of tube train drivers & bus drivers. 

I hope and pray that there will be a deal between the government and Mayor of London with long term funding & keeping money a float so that it will not affect all of us (passengers, staff members & drivers alike) who do go on public transport in London for work, study, shopping, seeing family/friends and exploration for fun (& tourism). I say as a train lover knowing that I would hate to see TFL go out of business. 

So that is all I can say for this moment.

Omicron strikes the UK

​I hate to say this but I have told you so. 

If you have been reading my blog for last couple of months since Boris Johnson’s poor decision to lift lockdown measures, declaring “Freedom Day” as if Covid is really gone for good. Last few weeks ago before Omicron (latest Covid variant) appeared in the news headlines, I recall saying that Covid cases in Europe had gone up due to the high infections of Covid 

After I published my previous blog post, the variant from Southern Africa (mainly South Africa & Botswana) appears in the headlines & that I seen that world have been freaking out about the omicron variant that had happened in South Africa. As the result of it,  a lot of countries (particularly the West) issued travel bans on African countries (particularly Southern Africa countries & other African countries who were affected by Omicron covid variant). Even if doctors from South Africa have informed the world about Omicron. 

It was very unnecessary for countries to react out about it. It is the same virus. It is that Coronavirus (Covid 19) keeps on mutating and that there is why there are many variants out there who is present and yet to be seen. 

For that, I will talk more when I next published a blog post about vaccine inequality. 

The point is nobody is safe until everyone is safe whether you live in rich country or poor country. 

Now back home in the UK, recently the government have introduced Plan B with measures to combat Covid and that is making masks compulsory (this is why Boris Johnson should had never made mask wearing not compulsory in the first place. No wonder Freedom Day hysteria on 19th July 2021 had contributed to the rise of the covid cases. All because of his mismanagement of the covid pandemic) in all settings including public transport & shops. Also the introduction of covid pass (Covid passport/vaccine passport/Covid certificates. Whatever you call them) despite it does sound controversial & unethical (which I am not fan of it) but at the same time, we really got to suck it up & just protect ourselves from the Covid & pay less to anti vaxx & especially the government (since they are too busy being all caught up in the scandal. Downing Street Christmas Party scandal)

At least we are lucky that we are not in lockdown (yet which it all depends on the reported Covid cases in the UK regarding Delta & Omicron variants). 

So in the festive season & final weeks of 2021, please take care of yourself & please do wear a mask (even you do not like it wearing). That is all I can say about Omicron as it is currently striking here in the UK & the rest of the world. 

Boris Johnson is the worst PM ever

​This is a rant & today I am going to talk about Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Boris Johnson. 

In my personal opinion, Boris Johnson is the worst prime minister. The worst. Worse than Margaret Thatcher. 

I thought David Cameron was bad enough (although I still disliked his premiership strongly) given he was the PM who introduced austerity cuts and held the unnecessary Brexit referendum in 2016 (which we know how it did ended his tenure as the PM). For Boris Johnson, it is worse. 

Even Theresa May (previous PM) was also rubbish too (not so strong and stable). 

Now why I am ranting about Boris Johnson? Because he is not the proper prime minister. He is a clown & corrupt. No wonder some folks are misguided, believing that he is funny & proper gentleman. Well to me, he is no hilarious. He is corrupt & lying charlatan.  

Look at the current headlines at this moment. The Christmas Party scandal (which last Christmas where we are all in covid lockdown) & recent news headlines like Tory corruption sleaze (particularly the Owen Paterson row regarding second jobs & lobbying). How low can he go?

The same Prime Minister who illegally prorogued the Parliament in the in the name of “getting Brexit done” two years ago in September 2019. The same Prime Minister who mishandled the covid situation in the UK & still, many people voted Conservatives. 

I have seen enough of the nonsense from the Tories everything from Cameron to May. Johnson for me is the worst of the worst. Next thing, we may hear Boris’s successors is either Priti Patel, Michael Gove, Sajid Javid, Dominic Rabb, Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak (the favourite to succeed Boris Johnson as the PM if Boris does eventually step down) and the Tories to be in power for 5 more years, therefore turning the UK into one party state like China (which Labour really better get their act together if they want to win next general election in 2024 or sooner than 2024). 

My blogger friend Roger written a blog post last month on his blog the Barnet Eye that for first time in his life that he is not proud to be British. I couldn’t agree more. Especially I am not proud to be British when some things are not positive. Roger also published his blog post of how he followed the covid rules due to the passing of his cousin earlier this year. 

It is very unbelievably sad that the government created the guidance for us citizens to not have social gatherings of any kind & yet, they themselves do the opposition. That is why Boris Johnson is the worst prime minister ever. 

So that is my rant on PM Boris Johnson & I think it’s time that he steps down (especially that opinion polls showing the Tories are not in the lead. Even nowadays I don’t trust the polls given it does not last long with Labour being in the lead). 

Is it the end of the line for TFL?

​

Is it the end of the line for TFL? 

Before I talk about the TFL funding crisis, here is the infographic as you can see it above.

The comparison between London Underground and other city underground networks in 5 other cities. 

London being compared with New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, Paris, and Madrid on funding models. London is mostly funded in passenger fares while most of cities (5 included) are funded in other taxes/subsidies.

Now you may be wondering what is got to do with the Transport For London funding crisis? Well last year March 2020, the coronavirus pandemic had severely impacted all sectors of the global economy including the UK economy. That had severely impacted TFL network. From buses to Tube trains. 

From last year to early this year, the government had agreed the bailout package for TFL three times. Well now there are few days left until the recovery package on 11th December 2021. Time is really running out.

For me personally as a train lover, I am not really surprised. Look at how the central government in Westminster behaved with their refusal to save cross channel train rail operator Eurostar as an example (which eventually, received a rescue package from French rail operator SNCF) & that I talked about it earlier this year Now they (the govt) are doing it again. This time with metro subway train network (TFL = Transport For London). 

Scary forecast in case if the govt doesn’t get their act together & not messing around with Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London) given TFL does need more money to keep it afloat due to the effects of the covid pandemic & if the rescue funding package is indeed finished within the next few days, this will definitely affect the likelihood of tube drivers & bus drivers and that it could really mean the end of the entire Underground & bus networks & TFL. 

It is time that Transport For London gets more money for long term post pandemic without anymore expiry dates that would raise the alarm & potential headaches for London Mayor & TFL. 

I hope and pray that will not be the case so it won’t have to be the end of the line. 🚇

Amazon Fresh & the future of shopping

Have you heard of Amazon Fresh? 

hackneygazette.co.uk 

standard.co.uk 

Well I have heard of Amazon Fresh. For few years, it was all based in the United States. As of this year, they started having stores outside the US and the first store is in Europe. Here in the UK.

The first ever UK Amazon Fresh store was opened earlier this year in Ealing Broadway. ealingtimes.co.uk 

Now there are more of them in London. Amazon Fresh stores in Ealing (first UK Amazon fresh store), Wembley Park, Camden, White City, Canary Wharf, Dalston (Hackney), East Sheen, Richmond, Angel & Holborn. Around 10 stores (at the time of the writing). 

And so last week and half, while I was buying something, I come across the new store that has been there since September and that it is called Amazon Fresh store. 

The store which anyone can buy things there which has walk out technology. No tills, no self checkout machines & no retail assistants. My mind was like “WTF, that’s crazy”. I only bought chilled coffee (Starbucks). 

My initial thought was that this could be very common in the future. Retail assistants out of work with shops with no staff members, no tills & no self checkout machines. That is how I am very sceptical on the idea of cashless society. I previously talked about it in February this year and with Amazon Fresh, it is a prime example of it. 

Look I am all for competition and that is all good (nothing wrong with that) but why would we all need the cashless stores like Amazon Fresh with walk out technology where everyone can buy anything in the shop & just leave? As if shoplifting is not a crime. I would imagine the likes of Pret, Caffè Nero and Gregg’s will lose many customers all thanks to the multinational company that does not pay taxes & that the employees in Amazon not feeling valued & being exploited. No tea break. Being told not to go to toilet (bathroom). Urinating in plastic bottles with “work until you drop” mindset which is appallingly horrible.

At least I had received a receipt 🧾 knowing I used the Amazon app to enter and exit the shop. Personally, I wouldn’t want to go to any Amazon Fresh store again at anytime soon. 

So yeah, the future of shopping. This will potential affect & kill the High Street if there are going to be a lot of cashless stores without cashiers like Amazon Fresh and putting staff members in the retail sector out of work. That will be all I can say about Amazon Fresh.