Wrong priorities

Our green, green land was once envy of the world with beautiful parks covered with dazzling plants in rainbow colours.
Now we are at the bottom, as those who travel to Europe would readily acknowledge how beautiful are their parks, open spaces, roundabouts and Central Reservations in countries like Spain, Scandinavia and Northern Europe.
In Spain and Italy, dual carriageways have central reservations  six to ten feet wide, covered with evergreen plants, mainly Oleanders (Pink Rose) and Hibiscus.
These subtropical bushy plants are cleverly manipulated into standard mini trees that flower throughout the year giving sweet scent, watered by automatic sprinklers, as during hot summer months, they need watering twice a day. Moreover most roundabouts have fountains, work of art statues and colourful lights, presumably funded by EU, paid by us!
Most surprising were up to date exercise machines everywhere, in the open, working on just one Euro, without being vandalized.
In Finland we were surprised to see roadside trees of same height, size and planted equidistance. It would be difficult to find single pothole on these roads.
It is time we beautify our roads with similar plants, as oleanders and hibiscus are hardy plants capable of withstanding our winter that would minimise winter gloom and doom, mental illnesses we suffer during dark, damp winter months, money coming out of overseas aid budget of £15 billion that is being spent on undeserving projects, in countries better off than us.
Kumudini Valambia
By email