This is one story that is circulating Pete, but the main reason is that the Routemasters are now at the end of their life, in fact 20 years over the best before date!! People have always jumped on and off the buses but some of the newer double deckers that came on the scene in the 60s had automatic doors at the rear, single deck buses also have these fitted but I think the main reason is the EU in their infinite wisdom decided that all buses should be the same. It is this same beaurocratic regime that said that bananas could not be sold by the pound only by the Kilogramme, and some market traders were taken to court over this. Yet in the same breath they decreed that beer must be sold by the pint in pubs and not by the Litre!! Also that cucumbers could only have a certain curvature in them, and now they say that Britian will be stopped flying the famous red ensign on its ships, a tradition that has been going on since the 17th century, and has made Britiain proud of its merchant fleet, instead we will have to use the EU blue ensign with the gold stars!! Which everytime a new country joins will have to be replaced with a newer one with more stars on them!! It is a sad fact that this country and others have to give up their culture and way of life to please these people who do nothing else but sit in Brussels thinking up new ideas!! What next? All Internet browsers should be the same and measure certain measurements? All emails to be of a European standard size? What with this and the PC brigade, the whole world is going mad!! Bah Humbug Chris ----- Original Message ----- From: "Pete & Joy" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2005 10:14 AM Subject: [HantsLife] RE: Double Deckers > They tell us they are dangerous as people can jump on/off at any time > because there are no doors at the entrance. > Thought the replacements were going to be European bendy busses, thus > attracting EU subsidies whereas the double decker does not get any > subsidies. > > Pete > > > > ==== HAMPSHIRE-LIFE Mailing List ==== > Chris and Caroline Hayles, Eastleigh, Hampshire > List Administrators: [email protected] > Home of SOUTHERN LIFE(UK) > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~villages > EMAIL: [email protected] > > FAMILY WEBSITE: http://www.chayles.freeserve.co.uk > Over 1,600 villages in HAMPSHIRE, BERKSHIRE, DORSET > ISLE OF WIGHT, SURREY, WEST SUSSEX,and WILTSHIRE village history,parish > church history, village photographs, and other useful information for > genealogy. Lots of links to other useful sites > > ============================== > New! Family Tree Maker 2005. Build your tree and search for your ancestors > at the same time. Share your tree with family and friends. Learn more: > http://landing.ancestry.com/familytreemaker/2005/tour.aspx?sourceid=14599&targetid=5429 > >