A Necessary Extravagance

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

Just seen on the news that the Kew Gardens Greenhouse has been refurbished at a cost of £41,000,000 surely we have higher priorities for our hard earned taxes. Here in East Sussex our roads are disintegrating at an alarming rate, there are better transport infrastructures in third world countries. Our hospitals are clogged with patients who are fit for discharge into the community but need a degree of social care for which our system can’t fund, result a stagnating health system unable to function effectively. These and other circumstances need funds, how can we justify refurbishing a Victorian greenhouse ahead of other pressing social issues. This post is not meant to be political it is questioning the sanity of our spending plans.

Dave W

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Don't think your taxes paid for all of it

 

"In 2011 the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) awarded Kew a development fund of £890,000 towards the Temperate House restoration project, followed by a further £14.7m for the restoration of the historic Temperate House in March 2013. On top of this, Defra (the Government department that provides approximately half of Kew’s funding) has contributed £10.4m and Kew has raised an additional £7.7m for the project from private donors. The £41m restoration project will be completed in May 2018.."

Edited By JasonB on 03/05/2018 19:21:27

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

Apologies for any misrepresentation but still some of my hard earned taxes being committed to the project, still question the sanity of the way funding is determined.

Dave W

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

We've just given China £ 47,000,000 which is an even bigger waste.

Brian

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Hmmm. knowing plenty about what goes on at Kew, it's probably saved the UK many more millions and the world billions by its work supporting agricultural, plant disease and medical research…

Neil

It seems I'm undervaluing Kew:

http://www.kew.org/about-our-organisation/press-media/press-releases/kew%E2%80%99s-value-and-impact-revealed

2014/15 activities valued at £182m, just 90p cost per taxpayer

[nigel jones 5Participant @nigeljones5]

And I quote " £254 million to India for 2019, their latest rocket cost £250 million"…that would pay for a few patched up roads!

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

Bah! Humbug!

It is the weather, or are people suffering from holier-than-thou/miserable old sod syndrome over the last week or so?

I buy an occasional lottery ticket and pay the Revenuers their tithe. If Kew gets a cut of it, I'm happy for them.

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

£41M ? Won't buy a half decent football player.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Meanwhile, UK consumers spent 1.1 BILLION pounds last year on … toilet paper.

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

Hopper that could be considered a “Necessary Extravagance” Dave W

[BazParticipant @baz89810]

Rather than complain on here which is a Model Engineering forum, I suggest you would all be better complaining to your elected representatives in government.

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

This topic was raised under the banner of The Tea Room so that it left all the other topics open for proper engineering banter, I was under the impression that some of the subscribers just enjoyed social topics as well as pure engineering.

Dave W

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

This topic was raised under the banner of The Tea Room so that it left all the other topics open for proper engineering banter, I was under the impression that some of the subscribers just enjoyed social topics as well as pure engineering.

Dave W

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

Apologies double post.

Dave W

[Phil StevensonParticipant @philstevenson54758]

Posted by Samsaranda on 04/05/2018 19:51:57:

I was under the impression that some of the subscribers just enjoyed social topics as well as pure engineering.

Dave W

You're right, we do.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

On the 'other' forum I frequent, which is equally dedicated to its subject there is still a 'lounge' topic, and a current popular thread is just a succession of bad puns…

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

whereas here a popular thread is just B.A. rather than bad.

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

Groan.

 

That needs a thread all of its own…

Edited By Mark Rand on 04/05/2018 22:23:42

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Stuff model engineering I'm taking up dressmaking – at £100,000 a shot beats bashing steel for brass.

(in the news: royal wedding dress to cost more than a new Myford.)

[nigel jones 5Participant @nigeljones5]

Posted by Bazyle on 04/05/2018 22:42:55:

Stuff model engineering I'm taking up dressmaking – at £100,000 a shot beats bashing steel for brass.

(in the news: royal wedding dress to cost more than a new Myford.)

and it will still be on display somewhere long after the Myford has been melted down….probably

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

Well at least the Myford might get recycled and carry on being useful in some way.

Edited By V8Eng on 05/05/2018 21:45:17

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