Rule Britannia

‘GOD, Tiffin and Bono have all made good fists of saving the world.

”An asteroid is just another kind of rock?”

But we live in an age where technology is the panacea for all the planet’s ills, and no cup of tea, animal sacrifice or prayer to the patron saint of pop music can come close to its power.

And so we read the front page of the Times the headline: “Britain’s plan to save planet from quakes and asteroids.”

Having seen off Hitler, this island race now plans to save humanity from rocks hurling through space with frightening velocity and devastating earthquakes, such as that which trembled off the coast of Sumatra earlier in the week.

And, no, Britain will not just be taming nature – the new enemy! – with biscuits, hair cream and a stiff upper lip, but a global alarm network, overseen by satellites.

A panel headed by Professor David King, the chief scientific advisor, has produced a report outlining how a £100million initiative could alert people to natural catastrophes heading our way.

“We have to set up an early warning system which has no boundaries, covering all physical and natural hazards: earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and near-Earth objects [asteroids and comets].”

It all sounds so sensible. Letting us know of impending catastrophe can only save lives.

Just as it surely did when our Government told us we were all a mere 45-minutes from annihilation at the business end of weapons of mass destruction a matter of months ago…’

Posted: 30th, March 2005 | In: Uncategorized Comment | TrackBack | Permalink