)
Pretty odd given his utterings.
Blimey Chopley, based on what you posted directly above me, one could surmise that you are still not
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When Labour inevitably get in, I wouldn't go around holding out hope for any improvements, if we're to be realistic.
I think we could have a mild stab in the dark as to how they'd deal with the immigration crisis: they'd simply return to Labour of old by allowing everyone in!
Doing so would ensure a short-term boost to the economy (adding more unskilled workers into the mix, not that Labour would care about that, or train them up) whilst also having a ready-made voting base for any future General Elections!
Labour will portray themselves as the heroic saviours of the underprivileged, whilst doing nothing useful in real terms to aid their plight. Because using these people for their political gain is quite simply what they do.
We'll see rampant borrowing and overspending initially and call that 'investing in the people', yet the eventual yields will result in nonsensical authoritarianism like with Sadiq Khan's London, or Councils run into the ground financially, a la Birmingham......to go with the litany of Labour- led boroughs that have become unworkable.
Handling of crime cannot possibly get any worse, so that's one area that ought to be improved. But is it already too late? Labour's wanting to add the likes of misgendering someone into Hate laws, I expect police being weighed down further by bloated and vague guidelines, instead of being able to effectively do their job. Expect 'feelings' to take top billing as stabbings, murders and other serious crimes are to be allocated even less resources
War-weary though the public may be from the Conservatives' lack of vision and resolve on anything, pretty much lost at sea at this point, I'd be careful what I wished for. Those not aware of previous Labour Governments may be all too unfamiliar with British politics, but those that have seen it in action know all too well where it'll lead the country.....and it often 'isn't great'......especially with Blair imposing himself upon the current Labour lot!
Because let's be honest, it'd take a massive leap of faith to entrust this country to a windowlicker like Starmer and actually believe he'll improve our fortunes ?
So happens I rewatched the original trilogy just the other day (everything post-OT isn't even remotely canon in my books) and yes, Aliens still takes it by a wide margin!
So happens I rewatched the original trilogy just the other day (everything post-OT isn't even remotely canon in my books) and yes, Aliens still takes it by a wide margin!
Notwithstanding they all have memorable set pieces, but the whole marines segment prior to Gorman's state of shock is stunning, and a valid example
Used to like Alien 3, but in retrospection it's really quite bad, bar Charles Dance and Charles Dutton.
Further to that, one could say the country's effectively cocooned and waiting for the inevitable, with just the faintest hope someone's going to prise them from the politician's crusty slime prism. Still, never say never
To this day I can cheerfully sit down and watch it, knowing every single line in the whole thing. It holds up really well too, because it was all done with practical effects, rather than shite CGI which sticks out like a sore thumb.
. They are shocking - you'd be better off with an oodie.
Yes, but not if it's going to cost 'me' then it swings into opposition.Here's some polling that was conducted before Sunak rowed back on the UK's current (fairly modest) Net Zero commitments. (So Sunak's move would have been unpopular with a majority of Tory voters, let alone the other parties.)
'Popular opinion' isn't the same as 'what mack thinks'
He's also really pissed off car manufacturers too, they work 7-10 years into the future when it comes to their factories/tooling/tech choices etc so they were already spending big on 2030. They are not happy about the switch to 2035.
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Here's some polling that was conducted before Sunak rowed back on the UK's current (fairly modest) Net Zero commitments. (So Sunak's move would have been unpopular with a majority of Tory voters, let alone the other parties.)
'Popular opinion' isn't the same as 'what mack thinks'
He's also really pissed off car manufacturers too, they work 7-10 years into the future when it comes to their factories/tooling/tech choices etc so they were already spending big on 2030. They are not happy about the switch to 2035.
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In reality a Toyota of course, but that's fine since Toyota make the most reliable cars in the world) - I'm loathed to consign it to the scrap heap. (It was my cheap 'Covid car' when I went to WFH, I was always intending to replace it when I went back to the office full time (which I have been for 18 months now), but I've grown rather fond of it so decided to keep it.)Have you driven an EV? If you're just a run of the mill car driver you'll find them grand, otherwise they're an abominationOn that I agree, telling people they're going to be poorer in the middle of a cost of living crisis, during a period of high inflation and interest rates, spiralling food prices etc - to fit in with a green agenda is a very tough sell and a stupid way of doing it, and is probably the best way to turn folks against it.
I also have my own misgivings about the way it's being done, whilst still being entirely supportive of a transition to Net Zero, and having no doubt that climate change is a real and present danger.
(Long winded personal anecdote follows.)
For example I drive an old ICE car, it'll be 19 years old next year but since it completely refuses to break in any way whatsoever - (it's a Lexus, the Japanese Mercedes as Alan Partridge would say
Anyway, point is, it's a an old car that paid its primary debt to the planet when it was built back in 2005, but because it's ICE with a biggish engine (3 litre petrol), I'm taxed to fuck on it, this year twelve months road tax cost me £467. Apparently this is supposed to encourage me to switch to an EV, but what it's actually making me do is resent the bollocks out of them.
There are loads of incredibly expensive brand new tank-like hybrid/electric SUVs over here, I saw a BMW one parked up on the prom the other day (in a specially designated space where us dirty ICE folks aren't allowed) and wondered how much it cost. I checked the reg on the IOMG website, and one Google search later found its base price (assuming no options) is...... £120,000. You could invade a bloody country with a few of these things, the cost of materials (and cost to the planet!) to build one will be eye-watering, a small modern EV this is not.
And the cost to tax this brand new £120K behemoth for a year? £65.
Now of course one doesn't need to spend £120K on an EV, some of the older Nissan Leafs are now down in the £5K-£6K range, but these were the lower range capacity ones to start with, and now with many years on them have degraded battery packs and a pitiful range, especially in inclement weather. And then of course you need somewhere to park and charge them, which not everyone has. (And nor does everyone have thousands of pounds knocking around to spend on a 'cheap' EV, when they might still have a dependable old ICE car that's still working fine.)
The point of this rambling is that even from this limited exposure to the 'green transition', it's irritated me (without causing any actual financial hardship, I can well imagine how it'll play with people who are already borderline when it comes their finances) because it's all stick and no carrot, and is being used as a tax dodge by those with loads of money, who'd be spending £100K+ on a new car anyway, but can now get a tax perk in the process - and I'm hit with a large car tax bill because apparently my old car is responsible for killing the planet. (And we already pay loads of tax on fuel, as opposed to EVs which apparently run on magically generated electricity, or in the case of hybrids, have a battery range of about 300 yards and still have a petrol engine anyway, but regardless get the tax dodge bonus.)
Short version is the transition to a greener future, whilst being essential IMO, has to be done in a way that doesn't clobber average folks who are already feeling the pinch, as that way lies resentment and ultimately, failure.
)
Electric cars are greenwash. Hideously expensive, short ranges and we are storing up a financial catastrophe for the future as well as an environmental one. I'll explain why:On that I agree, telling people they're going to be poorer in the middle of a cost of living crisis, during a period of high inflation and interest rates, spiralling food prices etc - to fit in with a green agenda is a very tough sell and a stupid way of doing it, and is probably the best way to turn folks against it.
I also have my own misgivings about the way it's being done, whilst still being entirely supportive of a transition to Net Zero, and having no doubt that climate change is a real and present danger.
(Long winded personal anecdote follows.)
For example I drive an old ICE car, it'll be 19 years old next year but since it completely refuses to break in any way whatsoever - (it's a Lexus, the Japanese Mercedes as Alan Partridge would say
Anyway, point is, it's a an old car that paid its primary debt to the planet when it was built back in 2005, but because it's ICE with a biggish engine (3 litre petrol), I'm taxed to fuck on it, this year twelve months road tax cost me £467. Apparently this is supposed to encourage me to switch to an EV, but what it's actually making me do is resent the bollocks out of them.
There are loads of incredibly expensive brand new tank-like hybrid/electric SUVs over here, I saw a BMW one parked up on the prom the other day (in a specially designated space where us dirty ICE folks aren't allowed) and wondered how much it cost. I checked the reg on the IOMG website, and one Google search later found its base price (assuming no options) is...... £120,000. You could invade a bloody country with a few of these things, the cost of materials (and cost to the planet!) to build one will be eye-watering, a small modern EV this is not.
And the cost to tax this brand new £120K behemoth for a year? £65.
Now of course one doesn't need to spend £120K on an EV, some of the older Nissan Leafs are now down in the £5K-£6K range, but these were the lower range capacity ones to start with, and now with many years on them have degraded battery packs and a pitiful range, especially in inclement weather. And then of course you need somewhere to park and charge them, which not everyone has. (And nor does everyone have thousands of pounds knocking around to spend on a 'cheap' EV, when they might still have a dependable old ICE car that's still working fine.)
The point of this rambling is that even from this limited exposure to the 'green transition', it's irritated me (without causing any actual financial hardship, I can well imagine how it'll play with people who are already borderline when it comes their finances) because it's all stick and no carrot, and is being used as a tax dodge by those with loads of money, who'd be spending £100K+ on a new car anyway, but can now get a tax perk in the process - and I'm hit with a large car tax bill because apparently my old car is responsible for killing the planet. (And we already pay loads of tax on fuel, as opposed to EVs which apparently run on magically generated electricity, or in the case of hybrids, have a battery range of about 300 yards and still have a petrol engine anyway, but regardless get the tax dodge bonus.)
Short version is the transition to a greener future, whilst being essential IMO, has to be done in a way that doesn't clobber average folks who are already feeling the pinch, as that way lies resentment and ultimately, failure.
Jack Sprat could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean....
Our work put them on for pooling and yeah, in the winter i think the heating alone takes a good 15-20% off the range which is a bit of a ball ache when you have to make the choice of: get to where i need to be or freeze my nuts off.
Had a Lexus years ago and like you, hardly had a penny spent on it (then again, Japanese cars tend to hardly cost you a penny in terms of maintenance). Went 8 passed MOT's on the trot (compared to a German brand that failed it's first recently
), it probably won't!Absolutely - i'm not sure if the German reliability/build was ever all that, or has taken a nosedive in recent years, but most of the issues i've had have been with them - 2 in a row that had a banjaxed air con system, amongst other things. I would not recommend a VW to anyone: they're money pits - i'd take a Renault over one.The only car I've ever owned that has left me stranded at the side of the road and ringing for assistance (admittedly not too traumatising on the IOM) is a BMW 528i, when its cooling system decided to give way because it was all made out of injection moulded plastic (they're notorious for it, as I found out later).
I also owned a Mercedes CLS320 (pic below) which was a fucking bag of spanners and spent more time off the road than on it, including for an autobox control unit thingy that (as I also found out later) was a known failure point on the car but Mercedes refused to do a recall on it to save a few quid. Fortunately I had a warranty so it was all covered (would have cost thousands otherwise) but the car was off the road for weeks waiting for the part to come from Germany. (Dealer gave me a courtesy car.)
Mate of mine at work has a Golf R, the clutch gave way on it, the clutch always gives way on the R 'cause VW cheaped out and used the same clutch in it as from the GTi, despite the R putting another 60hp through it. (He's said he wouldn't have another VW.)
German cars really are not all that, and haven't been for a long time now, the days of the likes of Mercedes building cars to the maxim of 'think of what we need to make it work and triple it' are long gone. (My in-laws own a cherished Mercedes 190 (pic below), which they have owned since nearly new, it was built in 1989 and is still like a showroom car, and it all works perfectly. Mercedes do not build cars like that anymore.)
There's nothing really stopping me going out and getting a new car tomorrow (well, apart from the absolute pisstake price of cars in the post-Covid world, that completely puts me off), but the Lexus is just so good, whilst also not really being worth anything, that I can't bring myself to ditch it. It's also recent enough to have all the modern gizmos and gadgets I value, whilst also not being overloaded with all the shite I don't want. If it lands me with a big repair bill for anything at any point I'll probably get rid, but being a Lexus (well, Toyota with a skirt on
GOOD MERCEDES (34 years old and still running perfectly!):
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BAD MERCEDES (this car put me off the marque forever):
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BOMBPROOF LEXUS (it's a lot of car for four grand!):
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), whether in my head or not, when i got in the build just felt cheaper as well (and i'm pretty sure the AC unit isn't as good as the older one)
