No ghosts remembered
No permission sought for death
No pardon asked
No oaks will grow in grace here
Profit sang a louder song
The hedgerows have been uprooted. The avenue of stately oaks felled and carted away, mud-caked and unmourned by those whose hands did the deed. For the birds and small creatures to whom these trees were home, though, their demise would have meant something different. The fields around where the avenue once stood are now a morass of winter mud, unsheltered, barren of food or hiding places and full of vehicles.
They are building a high-speed rail link that seems to have become obsolete before it was ever begun. Adaptations to the way business and meetings now work remotely leave so many of us wondering if the money for the much-contested project would not be better spent on helping those people and services suffering through the current crisis caused by the virus.
Recent estimates suggest the new high-speed rail link could cost as much as a hundred billion pounds… and still not be operating a full passenger service for another twenty years. By 2040, are we really going to be worrying about shaving half an hour’s travelling time off a relatively short journey?
Meanwhile, a huge scar is being dredged across the countryside, irrevocably destroying natural habitats, ancient trees and so much beauty… and that is without the damage to any archaeology that gets in the way. What price ‘progress’?
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
Reblogged this on and commented:
I had to reblog this from Sue Vincent – A strong message in my opinion!
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https://jengoldie493473930.wordpress.com/2021/02/13/gone/
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That wonderful, all encompassing thing, progress! Your poem says it brilliantly, Sue. What a terrible shame.
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Like many such feats of ‘progress’, Jo, I wonder how often we lose more than we gain?
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Not sure how you got unfollowed, but I’m back with you, Sue!
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WP doessome weird things… 😉
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We all know that!!!
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😀
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💜
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Destruction in the name of progress, and usually on line the pockets. Yours is not the only country that is being ravaged by hungry politicians, it’s going on all over the world. Too sad.
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There will always be those who seek personal gain over the greater good.
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Indeed, very true, unfortunately
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Such a very sad Tanka, Sue.
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It is a sad state of affairs, I’m afraid.
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and they wonder why the country is in a miserable state. No one knows how to do anything that matters…
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Tell me about it… the scale of the damage being caused is phenomenal.
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Reblogged this on pensitivity101 and commented:
With Sue 100% on this. With so many people now working from home, is a hyper link needed? And it’s vital money being spent, with not so much as a single piece of track yet laid, which could be better utilised elsewhere.
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Great post Sue. This kind of progress is a violation.
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It just seems they have their priorites all wrong…
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SOP I think. Common sense has long gone out of the window.
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Reblogged this on Ed;s Site..
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Far too high a price, all the green around here is being devowed by roads and houses…. Not to mention HS2. There is always a precursor of an achealogical check.. but the speed at which it is done garners no faith from me . 💜
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The archaeologists have found wonderful things, but whether they will ever now see the light of day is debatable.
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Yes sadly that’s so true, money and business development below!
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Common sense has become a lost art, Sue! No wonder the earth becomes angry at mankind.
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Common sense went long ago, I fear…
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😉
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indeed, what price progress…
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🙁
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This is horrific just lost for words. xxx
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It is sadly being repeated up and down the country as work goes ahead…
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I do hope they are replanting as they destroy. xxx
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What price indeed. The environment doesn’t need to take another hit. They’ve proposed and shelved similar plans here. The $ cost alone is staggering, not to mention how disruptive to the environment.
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It issickening to see what is being dug up and discarded.
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😦
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In my world? this is yet another example of saying from my childhood, “Throwing the baby out with the bathwater” – and yet, in modern capitalism, industrialism, progress – over the tome of human history – it happens over and over and well…sigh – – we, as a species, rarely learn do we? And are sometimes ‘saved’ from our worst offenses by natural disasters that put the kabosh on our most grand ‘this will be GREAT!’ plans – – I read this and felt the need to ‘chime’ in though, I confess to not having much positive to say – – overall – – sigh – posting my comment anyhoo – ❤ to you for posting this!
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WE can only speak out… and hope that some day, some one might listen or act. Just not this time…
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A great loss. Irreplaceable. (K)
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And repeated across the landscape.
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Here as well. Even with beautiful old buildings. So they can build more glass towers…
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Well, some arsehole’s pocket is being nicely lined. 😦
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Several, I imagine…
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It’s very hard to “like” this, but I appreciate it. We live in one of the few remaining places where wild things can live something like a normal life. Meanwhile, our state — Massachusetts — is now the SLOWEST in the US to deliver vaccines. Of 50 states, we are the 50th. I’d find it embarrassing if I didn’t find it so infuriating and frustrating.
Don’t we all wonder now what will happen to all those miles of lovely woods and grasslands that became empty malls with miles of paved lots for the cars that won’t visit anymore. The world is turning out so awful and this “lockdown” is beginning to feel permanent as if we will never emerge and if we do, what will the world be like?
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We’ll stay in lockdown for just as long as they can maintain the fear levels… Unless the powers that be start mving on things soon, there will come a time when we say, ‘enough’.
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