Learning from mistakes - Dodging the issues has failed us all

TODAY’S headline stories — public sector protests and floods — have a bit more in common than might be immediately apparent. Both are the consequences, though to varying degrees, of ignoring warnings that we were engaged in unsustainable practices.

We have, for well over a decade, been warned that our climate is changing and that we could expect severe floods. We were told that draining bogs, dredging rivers, building on flood plains and the paving of ever greater areas of land would all contribute to spectacular floods but we chose not to listen or prepare.

The deluge has arrived and, as tens of thousands of homeowners are told that they may have to wait over a week before their drinking water is restored, we will have plenty of time to try to understand why we behave like ostriches.