Home > Alex Massie

Wednesday 8 February 2012

The Politics of Snow

Friday, 8th January 2010

With admirable opportunism Sunder Katwala argues that the current frosty conditions make the case for more, not less government. As he says, ~~everyone~~ plenty of people like to rail against government in the absract only to find themselves asking the state to do more as soon as something - such as a heavy snowfall - makes life just that little bit more inconvenient.

And, to be fair, he has a point. Many people do think like this, which is one reason why there's not actually a very hefty constituency for libertarianism. This is unfortunate, but true.

Nonetheless, even libertarians are permitted to argue that since the public highways are publicly-funded it is indeed the state's responsibility to see that they remain open and clear of snow and ice. Alas, we don't have any privatised main roads, so we can't tell whether private toll roads would be swept and gritted* more efficiently than the state-sponsored routes.

However, when it comes to city pavements it seems to me that Sunder is on weaker ground. Once upon a time and not so very long ago the general public would have cleared the pavements themselves. Indeed, it used to be thought only good manners and a mark of proper, considerate neighbourliness to clear your own patch of pavement. Alas, no longer. It seems as though we now expect councils to do that for us too.

The result? Pavements are not being cleared. This is less a mark of government failure than a collective, unfortunate, decision to rely on government well past the point at which councils can actually deliver a service. Consequently, this dependency demonstrates both a triumph of statism and its failure.

They do things differently in America. When I lived in Washington it was expected that you'd clear your own** bit of sidewalk. Result? The pavements were in better condition than seems to be the case in much, perhaps most, of Britain.

*Not that I blame councils for not having enough supplies to cope with a once-in-a-generation cold snap.

**And not just because the DC council is famously inept.

Filed under: Britain (677 more articles) , Government (231 more articles) , Libertarians (142 more articles) , Weather (6 more articles)

Previous Back to Alex Massie Next

Blogs: Martin Bright | Susan Hill | Melanie Phillips | Coffee House | Faith Based

Actions: Print this article | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (7)

Post this entry to: del.icio.us | Digg | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit

Post comment

marksany

January 8th, 2010 5:14pm Report this comment

In Germany you are obliged to clear your path and the pavement in front if your house. It has to be clear from 7am to 9pm or you get fined. Many people pay into a company to provide the service. My Germsn colleague was amazed tidy when she heard that we do nit do the same, or that we are deterred from doing so by fear of law suit if someone falls on a cleared path.

Mr Eugenides

January 8th, 2010 5:19pm Report this comment

In Korea there are by-laws in many cities requiring citizens to shovel snow from in front of homes and businesses. These are routinely ignored, according to the Chosun Ilbo, and so the government is planning to introduce a maximum fine of £500 for failing to do so. Imagine if they tried that in dear old Blighty...

(That's *South* Korea, mind you. No word on how North Korea deals with snow, but I imagine the constituency for libertarianism is even less "hefty" there.)

daifromwales

January 8th, 2010 5:54pm Report this comment

The German example is not one I want to follow. Indeed it sums up what the Brits have always hated about the Continent.
The whole point (indeed the only point) in being British is that we do (did?) NOT have a government that bosses every detail of our lives and can even prosecute us when we are ill in bed!
A legal obligation allows us no winter holidays, no sickness, disabilty, birth, marriage or even death without fear of prosection (and they WOULD prosecute). It is no use talking of exemptions! Just imagine the paper work and beurocracy! As usual, the old and weak would suffer most, followed by those who are prosperous enough to leave this country's winter behind them and are thus not at home anyway.
And how do you define your pavement? Are the owners of Blenheim Palace to clear 20 miles of roads and verges?
Then we are told that most Germans employ contractors to do it. Must I pay for 20 days of work a year for the 9 out of 10 years when there is no snow at all? I would rather band together with my neighbours, elect a council, and pay them to do the job. But we already do that, don't we? Evidently we just do not pay enough.
I see no virtue in providing profits to companies who speculate on the risk of snow. How can I possible enforce a reasonable standard of service? And I will be prosecuted should they fail me.

All I want is someone to assure me that I shall NOT be prosecuted by no-win no-fee lawyers if I do clear the path outside my house. At present, I am too frightened to do so in case I am blamed if I do not do a good enough job! Everybody in the UK knows or believes that this is a real risk - I imagine it is not so anywhere else. If it were safe, I'm sure most pavements would be much clearer. After all - shovelling fresh snow is quite good exercise - and gives grown-ups the excuse to make snowmen!

Peter From Maidstone

January 8th, 2010 6:36pm Report this comment

Agreed about fear of law suits. What IS the situation? It is certainly the fact that most people I know think that it is the case.

Fergus Pickering

January 8th, 2010 7:04pm Report this comment

I grew up in Edinburgh in the 50s and 60s. I understood it was THE LAW that you clear the pavement outside your house. Or you would be hanged. Neighbourliness my arse. We hated our neighbours like the good Scots we were.

DavidDP

January 8th, 2010 7:11pm Report this comment

So what he's saying is, if he has a problem, it's should be somebody else's responsibility to sort out. Is he a child?

Snowman

January 9th, 2010 6:21pm Report this comment

Karwala’s argument couldn’t be more spurious than if he tried to suggest that we ought to surrender all our liberties to those pretending to run the country, and their outreach helpers. Why not getting washed, and spoon fed as soon as we open our eyes in the morning, ha? Anyone against?

True, the interference in our lives have turned many into robotic zombies incapable to function without help from the authorities. They've been conditioned to rely on help from the outside, denied a participation in the wealth creation. The result: alcoholism, drug abuse, crime. These people feel, subconsciously perhaps, to be outcasts, unwanted, excluded from the society. It hurts. We humans have an innate urge to be a part of a tribe. We are social animals.

Those crying for help in removing snow from pavements are merely mimicking the prevailing culture of dependancy.

Nothing ever lasts forever; the time of social engineering will come to an end, too. When it happens, it will be painful for the lot of us, I reckon.

Post comment