Bristol Port could become a 'free port'


Bristol Port could be one of six UK ports given 'free port' status if Boris Johnson becomes prime minister in a post-Brexit UK outside the EU's customs union rules. Six weeks ago the Bristol Port owners donated £25,000 to the Johnson leadership campaign.

In a show of even-handedness they also donated a similar sum to Jeremy Hunt's campaign.

In the early 90s, shortly after the Bristol Port Company took over the port from the city council on a 150-year lease, Jeremy Hunt worked on behalf of the port in securing Japanese business.
 
I doubt it at least not including Cardiff and south Wales as I can't see the WG working well with the UK government which I would've thought would be needed.
I agree. There are numerous obvious difficulties, not least because the 'Welsh' part of the 'Powerhouse' has its own government with powers that the South West England side doesn't have, including tax raising.

Even without that, how would the co-operation operate? If, for instance, a major company was looking to relocate its headquarters to Severnside from London, would Cardiff stand aside and say, "Let Bristol have it" or would Bristol stand aside and say, "Let Cardiff have it"? Of course they wouldn't, and quite rightly so. They would be fighting their own corner.
 
Disruption expected all this week with protesters cutting off various routes in Bristol city..The group protests are on climate change. Various main routes in the city and also a protest at the airport. All police leave and days off cancelled due to this protest.Avon and Somerset police has asked other police forces to help out with man power.
 
Disruption expected all this week with protesters cutting off various routes in Bristol city..The group protests are on climate change. Various main routes in the city and also a protest at the airport. All police leave and days off cancelled due to this protest.Avon and Somerset police has asked other police forces to help out with man power.
They have caused much traffic disruption already with Bristol Bridge and some neighbouring streets seemingly closed all week. Today they turned up on College Green to the dismay of some families attending a university degree ceremony. They also blocked the M32 motorway at times today.

The traffic, especially at rush hour, has been chaotic and Bristol is usually very bad every day. Buses are all over the place.

it's reported in the local press this evening that a frustrated driver has been arrested for the manner of driving in relation to the protest. I have a great deal of sympathy with that driver.

I know that policing is not the simple task that some people seem to believe it to be and the police comment today that they have a duty under Human Rights legislation to permit peaceful protests might well be true. But they also have a duty to ensure that roads, especially motorways, are not deliberately obstructed for lengthy periods as has been happening, and also to ensure that people can go about their lawful business without let or hindrance.

There is a feeling amongst some people that the police are not being even-handed in their enforcement of the various legislation.

The fact that these people are gathering in such numbers is, in my view, beginning to look like intimidation, perhaps bullying. I've spoken to two elderly ladies in the past two days who are frightened to go into the city for fear of being caught up in demonstrations. That their life is thus affected cannot be right.

The cynic in me wonders whether the protests have occurred this week because next week schools break up when some of the demonstrators and their families might be flying off on holiday.
 
Has Dame Emma Thompson jetted in yet ?

I agree that the police seem to favour the disruptive protesters as opposed to the vast majority of law abiding citizens who have their lives disrupted.
 
Has Dame Emma Thompson jetted in yet ?

I agree that the police seem to favour the disruptive protesters as opposed to the vast majority of law abiding citizens who have their lives disrupted.
Because that is what the demonstrators would like. The police going in to break it up will mean resistance which will be more newsworthy and give them more publicity than they are getting now and maybe even more sympathy from the public than they would otherwise get.
The cynic in me wonders whether the protests have occurred this week because next week schools break up when some of the demonstrators and their families might be flying off on holiday.
I wouldn't be surprised! The ironic thing is that many of them as well have turned up in less than environmentally friendly vehicles!
 
Now the Avon and Somerset Police appear to have given the demonstrators the green light to block roads at will including a motorway, what's to stop them regularly blocking the A38 near the airport with the police standing by letting them do it? Over e lengthy period this would make the airport's operations near untenable.
 
Now the Avon and Somerset Police appear to have given the demonstrators the green light to block roads at will including a motorway, what's to stop them regularly blocking the A38 near the airport with the police standing by letting them do it? Over e lengthy period this would make the airport's operations near untenable.

I suppose its just tough luck for anyone going on holiday that they may have saved up for all year to take the family away or maybe an important business meeting or even worse maybe taken seriously ill or been in an accident and need to get hospital or even going to say a family funeral.

These people are mostly well intentioned but not all by any means and there are consequences for other folk going about there daily lives.
 
I suppose its just tough luck for anyone going on holiday that they may have saved up for all year to take the family away or maybe an important business meeting or even worse maybe taken seriously ill or been in an accident and need to get hospital or even going to say a family funeral.

These people are mostly well intentioned but not all by any means and there are consequences for other folk going about there daily lives.
Many mainly genuine protest groups are often hijacked by activists with different agendas and they are the ones who usually cause the problems.

As far as I'm aware the Bristol protests have been peaceful in the sense that there has been no violence or criminal damage but the disruption is having a serious, adverse effect on the city's day-to-day life. I'm not sure that this sort of thing achieves anything in the end in terms of the group's goals. Perhaps it makes them feel better with themselves if they genuinely believe in the cause.

Even if the UK government acceded to their demands I really don't see how it would have much if any effect on the world in general with many other countries, some large and important in world terms, not bothering to try to reduce their emissions unless it happens to suit them to do so.
 
The local police commander has just been interviewed on video via the local news media and said that by blocking the M32 'permanently' (ie, their stated intention is to do so until the end of the protest on Friday) the protestors have 'crossed a line' and steps are now being taken to remove the blockage.

I'm surprised and disappointed that the chief constable of the Avon and Somerset Police has not taken obvious personal control of the situation and also informed the public of his policy. He seems content to leave it in the hands of a middle-ranking officer (a chief inspector) who is in operational command and also the force's media mouthpiece during the protests. The situation is now so serious in my view that the chief constable should be actively involving himself.

The A & S chief constable is not usually a chairborne warrior when a situation demands otherwise.
 
With roads shut here there and every where nothing is gained. The biggest gain is pollution with cars diverting every where to get round the problem.For sure the vehicles diverting are not all electric.
 

Interesting view of the composition of Extinction Rebellion. There might be some basis but I think the writer's view probably tends towards generalisation.
 

As if the police and other authorities didn't have so much on their plate with Extinction Rebellion, a huge fire at a Premier Inn at Cribbs Causeway has now been declared a major incident with more than 60 firefighters at the scene.
 

How quick new GWR train from Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington will be

I found this article a bit confusing in that it isn't comprehensive. It mentions a one hour-7 minute Parkway-Paddington journey and a one hour-19 minute journey Temple Meads-Paddington journey. It also mentions extra trains without going into much detail. The new timetable won't be published until September so it's probable that this article is based on a railway press release which merely speaks in headlines.

Nevertheless, it doesn't sound as if the sort of frequency promised when electrification was first mentioned is coming to pass. It was said then that there would be six trains an hour between Bristol and London for much of each day, spread between Parkway and Temple Meads, an increase of two on the current schedule which is two from Temple Meads via Bath and Box Tunnel, and two from Parkway via Sodbury Tunnel that begin their journey in South Wales.
 
Apparently Wales isn't a nation according to a member of staff at Bristol WH Smith! Queue Bristol live story about this!
What isn't said are the circumstances. I can't imagine what would prompt a WH Smith staff member even to raise the issue.

If it was the Border Agency I could understand that the subject might crop up because strictly we are British Citizens according to our passports, not Welsh or English or Scottish or Northern Irish citizens.

No doubt the Bristol Post will pick it up. Most of their articles seem to stem from their trawling social media sites and other websites.
 
No doubt the Bristol Post will pick it up. Most of their articles seem to stem from their trawling social media sites and other websites.
One of the replies is from someone claiming to be a journalist for the Bristol post essentially fishing for story.
 
Complete and utter chaos in and around Bristol city today with the half marathon on.I wonder how the airport flyer is doing as many roads shut and roads that are open are jammed solid with traffic.Least they have these marathons on a sunday,but sundays are getting like a week day now.
 

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9 trips in 9 days done 70 miles walked and over 23-00 photos taken with a large number taken at 20mph or above. Heavy rain on 1 day only
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