Quote of the day 1st July 2018
Nick Herbert on his visit to flood hit areas of Cumbria
Please note that the post below was published more than ten year ago on 21st November 2009 Nick Herbert MP, shadow cabinet member for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, was in Cumbria this morning to see the areas affected by the flooding. He writes on Conservative Home about his visit. Here is an extract. I’ve been in Cumbria today to see the areas affected by the floods. I arrived early in Keswick where I met officials from the Environment Agency. Although the river levels had fallen considerably and homes were no longer flooded, the damage to homes had been done. And the water which had got into houses wasn’t just from the river – it was foul water which had risen from the drains. I talked to fire crews who were pumping flood water back into the river, and discovered that they were from Tyne & Wear and Lancashire. They had been called in at an hours’ notice and had been working on the scene ever since, staying at a local hotel. You cannot fail to be impressed by the
Comments
Yes it works if we consider bad things like the holocaust, someone who did nothing to help the victims, when he could have done a little is indeed a prime example.
But then look to the other side, a German officer might have had a way to make the zyclon B gas more effective, could have had a way to make the terrible killing machine of the camps even more effective, but held his tongue. He could have done a little, but done nothing.
I understand that you might think he done his little bit by staying quiet, but you must see my main point that doing nothing and doing something often depends on your reference frame.
a good example would be, lets say the Take off engine of the LM in apollo 11 failed. I as ground control can do a little, I can vent the LM and give the astronauts inside a clean and pretty painless death, but i dont, i give them a chance to figure out whats wrong and fire the engine, they find dust has blocked the oxygen supply, they clear it and the LM engine fires. sure the timing of the meet up is all wrong, but they have a chance they have a hope, they actually (between the 3 of them) manage to dock, do an extra lunar orbit, fire the CM burn and return.
Yes these are extreem situations, but sometimes doing nothing is the better option because you can only do a little.
Its quite a philosophical quote really, that initiates a lot of thinking, and that is why i think its a good one for a political blog. it makes discussion happen.
Look at the back ground.
I am stranded on an island with 300 people, I can build a raft that can carry 5, I don't as its too few. Next day a pile of logs washes up from a ship wreck, we can now build a boat for all but only because i did not cut down and kill the green trees in order to produce the only viable sail on the island for my raft