Standing ovation for proposed COVID fraud commission
Let's hope it looks into the contracts Labour were promoting too...
Without being too obvious, surely dodgy contracts have already been looked at? If not, why not? There has been enough sound and fury about it.
Its a lot of bluster. Contracts were let in a panic without the normal prcourment process and safeguards. All MPs and Lords were asked if they knew anybody who could provide the PPE and if they had enquiries to forward them onto a dedicated webpage.
Some took advantage of it, some were unable to procure what they thought they could in a panic, some got rich for delivering very little. It is likely because of how evertything was done that some people knowingly took money for something they couldn't deliver then folded the companies.
At no point did "tories give contracts to their mates and donors" because ministers dont give out contracts. They'll be a few show trials. That Marone woman for one I am sure will be hounded, rightly or wrongly, i dont know enough about it yet, but it sounds like she didnt declare she had an interest in a company bidding for a contract.
Michelle Mone, who was a Conservative peer.
I know. I assumed everyone knew. It doesnt mean she had access to contracts because of that. The contracts were not let by her colleagues. She is not a member of the government.
You halfwit she got it direct via gove. Give it up mone
If that was the case, both would be going to jail. No collect £200, no pick a card, but jail. If you have such evidence it is your moral duty to pass it onto the police.
Nice one. I find her free tickets to the Jingle Bell Ball, which Kemi attended with Sir Keir and Dr Rosena more salacious, personally. I wonder what the unlikely threesome got up to in the VIP room???
Ooh, reference to business rates though. If Labour try and reform that, it would be excellent.
Depends what they mean by "reform". Business rates are a terrible and moronic tax, but making it even more expensive to do business, particularly for small businesses would be dumb. So that's probably what they will do.
Standing ovation for proposed COVID fraud commission
Let's hope it looks into the contracts Labour were promoting too...
Without being too obvious, surely dodgy contracts have already been looked at? If not, why not? There has been enough sound and fury about it.
Its a lot of bluster. Contracts were let in a panic without the normal prcourment process and safeguards. All MPs and Lords were asked if they knew anybody who could provide the PPE and if they had enquiries to forward them onto a dedicated webpage.
Some took advantage of it, some were unable to procure what they thought they could in a panic, some got rich for delivering very little. It is likely because of how evertything was done that some people knowingly took money for something they couldn't deliver then folded the companies.
At no point did "tories give contracts to their mates and donors" because ministers dont give out contracts. They'll be a few show trials. That Marone woman for one I am sure will be hounded, rightly or wrongly, i dont know enough about it yet, but it sounds like she didnt declare she had an interest in a company bidding for a contract.
Michelle Mone, who was a Conservative peer.
I know. I assumed everyone knew. It doesnt mean she had access to contracts because of that. The contracts were not let by her colleagues. She is not a member of the government.
The issue with Michelle Mone being a peer is not just her Covid sales - it's also her husband's tax avoidance schemes...
She does seem a complete embarrassment. God knows why Cameron thought she was suitable.
PB Tories have reached the 0.000000000000000134th stage of grief I see.
Can someone find them a new site for group therapy so the rest of us can discuss politics?
The problem you are having is we are discussing politics but you do not like it
The site is now incredibly boring – a shame. It's the same five or six individuals droning on about declared donations that are made to politicians of all parties, day after day. I preferred @Leon 's AI spam to this. Even Guess Boris' Weight was more interesting.
I would just say the site is not all about you
That's for sure. It's "about" the half-dozen monomaniac bores who drone on about the same topic for days on end.
No - it's about Starmer and the cabinets freebies which if they had been conservatives you would have posted non stop
Unfortunately for you Labour are now in government and will be in a 24/7 spotlight from the media
I would just say that in this furore the conservative party spokespersons have remained out of it
Don't interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake
Did you come down in the last shower?
They have stayed out of it because they also receive £££££ in gifts.
Have you even bothered to look at the register of Badenoch and JENRICK's gifts?
I suggest you do so given you are so weirdly obsessed with this stuff...
Of course the conservatives were receiving £££££ but they were unceremoniously dumped out of office and Starmer arrived on a promise to clean up politics and restore integrity
You and a few others simply cannot handle the collapse in the reputation of Starmers Labour party evidenced by yougov today
Anyone who uses the word 'denial' in this context can really just be laughed at. It's an unsophisticated attempt to link their views to denying the Holocaust. It was until recently only ever a word used in the latter context.
You’re saying the word “denial” was only ever used in the context of Holocaust denial???
Taming of the Shrew: Here comes your father. Never make denial; I must and will have Katherine to my wife.
Twelfth Night: Madam, yond young fellow swears he will speak with you. I told him you were sick; he takes on him to understand so much, and therefore comes to speak with you. I told him you were asleep; he seems to have a foreknowledge of that too, and therefore comes to speak with you. What is to be said to him, lady? he's fortified against any denial.
All’s Well that Ends Well: Nay, 'tis most credible; we here received it A certainty, vouch'd from our cousin Austria, With caution that the Florentine will move us For speedy aid; wherein our dearest friend Prejudicates the business and would seem To have us make denial.
Psalm 132:1 Lord, remember David and all his self-denial.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyxxv0wdrn0o The Conservatives said Labour were in “complete denial” about the rise in the benefits bill and insisted that the savings they intend to use to fund tax cuts will come from new policies.
Ooh, reference to business rates though. If Labour try and reform that, it would be excellent.
Depends what they mean by "reform". Business rates are a terrible and moronic tax, but making it even more expensive to do business, particularly for small businesses would be dumb. So that's probably what they will do.
The only reference to business rates in the speech is the introduction of them to private schools.
Now they are already rated but are then exempted - so it's just a matter of sending out the bills.
Anyone who uses the word 'denial' in this context can really just be laughed at. It's an unsophisticated attempt to link their views to denying the Holocaust. It was until recently only ever a word used in the latter context.
Its a deliberately pejorative word, and does no favours in its use. Far better to make you case with science and data. I think the sheer weight of evidence means those who do think think climate change is happening (or driven by human activity) need their heads examining, or at least need to learn the scientific method.
There are valid debates to be held around climate science. Not all projections of the future are realistic, but typically the get seized on and used by activists. What steps we should take is also a valid discussion. Net Zero in the UK may cause harm to the UK economy for little gain. Or Net Zero in the UK may drive a 21st C revolution in clean energy.
But yes, calling people deniers isn't going to help.
I hope that any fraud around covid is duly punished and where possible money recovered. But I think Labour, at the time, was also playing the same games. Didn't Starmer trumpet a list of possible suppliers of PPE that turned out to be bunkum? The backdrop was a once in a century panic where our best friends across the channel were stealing PPE intended for Blighty.
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 3m BREAKING: As Reeves talks about honouring public sector pay body recommendations, the Royal College of Nurses have rejected the government's pay award of a 5.5% rise
I mean 5.5% is pretty a decent pay rise, but given the crazy pay rises they've given to doctors and train drivers I say good on the nurses!
I heard the pensioners got 10.1% followed by 8.5% in successive years but apparently those are fully deserved rather than crazy unlike those given to doctors and nurses.
The question is could you live on the state pension ?
That is one question. I could live on current state pension/pension credit if I really had to, but don't want to and am lucky enough that it is very unlikely.
There are lots of other questions.
Another question, "Will my generation and the ones that follow, get a universal non means tested state pension at all?"
I suspect not, because regardless of what politicians promise, the numbers don't really stack up for that happening.
I can understand the concern about the future state pension and why pension schemes are essential, but I do expect pension age to rise to 70 rather than means testing
The state pension is £221.20 per week depending on your qualifying years which relates to just £958 per month
Agreed – gradually increasing state pension age is by far the best answer. The basic problem is demographics. People are living longer. In principle, an average individual should pay in during his lifetime to cover his retirement. If he is now going to live until 85 rather than 75, working a few more years so he can pay in to cover that seems to me to be a win both for the individual – who gets more years alive – and for the state – which gets more contributions out of that individual. There will of course be dozens of variations on that and special cases. But that should be the average position.
I hope one of the "options" is the whole thing + northern powerhouse + a quadrupling of bus services + Dutch style cycle infrastructure + trams absolutely everywhere
Longleat has a red squirrel (caged of course). Its rather sad that they were once the only squirrels in the UK but are now vastly reduced by the grey plague.
PB Tories have reached the 0.000000000000000134th stage of grief I see.
Can someone find them a new site for group therapy so the rest of us can discuss politics?
The problem you are having is we are discussing politics but you do not like it
The site is now incredibly boring – a shame. It's the same five or six individuals droning on about declared donations that are made to politicians of all parties, day after day. I preferred @Leon 's AI spam to this. Even Guess Boris' Weight was more interesting.
Yes, we understand you don't like the story, and might even be embarrassed at the (at best) stupid stuff Labour politicians have done.
But... if the shoe was on the other foot, and it was Conservative politicians, you'd be loving it.
Nope. Donations to all politicians of all parties have been a thing for decades. The point is they declare them. I have now said this repeatedly. Did it come as news to you that this happened? Were you previously unaware of it?
Can you point me to the posts where I droned on about declared Tory gifts/donations prior to Frockgate? I mean the Hester Helicopter would have been a really easy target but can you show me a single, solitary post where I mentioned it during the campaign? Go ahead, just one... be my guest...
A good test is, what is on the front pages? Because if someone is complaining about a topic being droned on about when that topic is the lede in every single daily you have to ask what we're meant to talk about.
And the stages of grief thing while I am here. It's a reeelly clever and amusing meme but it's important to know what it is about. The answer is not death, it is terminal diagnoses: we biopsied the prime minister and I am afraid the lab report has come back malignant and terminal. The Tories had that conversation three years ago.
Denial - he is not shit Anger how dare people say he is shit Bargaining can we at least give it till after the budget before concluding he is shit Last 2 stages usually silent
Longleat has a red squirrel (caged of course). Its rather sad that they were once the only squirrels in the UK but are now vastly reduced by the grey plague.
This reminds me of the time that Mandleson was on his second or third resignation. The amount of squirrels that were popping up..... Needed a cull....
Didn't we have the squirrels moving the goalposts at one stage?
"Look! Look! Squirrels! They're moving the goalposts!" or somesuch.
Badgers. And Owen Paterson said it. Whatever became of him?
(Which is an example of "this is bad, and the government deserve the panning they are getting, but some perspective please". They aren't as good as they should be, but they are still better than the last lot.)
PB Tories have reached the 0.000000000000000134th stage of grief I see.
Can someone find them a new site for group therapy so the rest of us can discuss politics?
You keep reaching for this meme Bob but it's not Tory voters that are in denial. It's Labour voters that can't see what's happening. You're all in denial about what you've voted for. The only change is from blue branding to red branding and a worse economic outlook.
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 3m BREAKING: As Reeves talks about honouring public sector pay body recommendations, the Royal College of Nurses have rejected the government's pay award of a 5.5% rise
Well of course. This was always coming when they saw what others were getting.
I can see Uni strikes coming. 2.5% isn't cutting the mustard.
But uni pay awards aren’t negotiated with the government.
But Unis don't produce a product so they can go on strike, who will care ?
Do you really not have any idea of the contribution they make, purely in cash terms, to the UK's balance of payments ?
Anyone who uses the word 'denial' in this context can really just be laughed at. It's an unsophisticated attempt to link their views to denying the Holocaust. It was until recently only ever a word used in the latter context.
Its a deliberately pejorative word, and does no favours in its use. Far better to make you case with science and data. I think the sheer weight of evidence means those who do think think climate change is happening (or driven by human activity) need their heads examining, or at least need to learn the scientific method.
There are valid debates to be held around climate science. Not all projections of the future are realistic, but typically the get seized on and used by activists. What steps we should take is also a valid discussion. Net Zero in the UK may cause harm to the UK economy for little gain. Or Net Zero in the UK may drive a 21st C revolution in clean energy.
But yes, calling people deniers isn't going to help.
I get lots of letters from denialist minded peeps. They tend to CAPITALS and impossible Rhetorical Queries???! about SCIEnce and TaX rip off plots.
I hope one of the "options" is the whole thing + northern powerhouse + a quadrupling of bus services + Dutch style cycle infrastructure + trams absolutely everywhere
A man can dream
That's the bear minimum required to get the standard of living up north back to the level you find in other parts of western Europe.
We also need a few proper metro systems not just trams.
Longleat has a red squirrel (caged of course). Its rather sad that they were once the only squirrels in the UK but are now vastly reduced by the grey plague.
Longleat has a red squirrel (caged of course). Its rather sad that they were once the only squirrels in the UK but are now vastly reduced by the grey plague.
Lots on Tresco
I was once chatting to another walker in Aviemore, after having just seen my first red squirrel in the woods nearby. "Oh," he said. "We don't see anything else around here."
There are increasing numbers of black squirrels around my way. Blooming immigrants...
PB Tories have reached the 0.000000000000000134th stage of grief I see.
Can someone find them a new site for group therapy so the rest of us can discuss politics?
The problem you are having is we are discussing politics but you do not like it
The site is now incredibly boring – a shame. It's the same five or six individuals droning on about declared donations that are made to politicians of all parties, day after day. I preferred @Leon 's AI spam to this. Even Guess Boris' Weight was more interesting.
No, you just don’t like the fact this Labour government is deeply disappointing, already, and rife with craven greed and hypocrisy, and seriously inept. This dismays you - and you find it hard to accept - therefore you don’t like people talking about it. Is all
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 3m BREAKING: As Reeves talks about honouring public sector pay body recommendations, the Royal College of Nurses have rejected the government's pay award of a 5.5% rise
Well of course. This was always coming when they saw what others were getting.
I can see Uni strikes coming. 2.5% isn't cutting the mustard.
But uni pay awards aren’t negotiated with the government.
But Unis don't produce a product so they can go on strike, who will care ?
Do you really not have any idea of the contribution they make, purely in cash terms, to the UK's balance of payments ?
Attracting 500k overseas students to the UK has made a very significant difference to the balance of payments. The last government achieved it very quickly, from a policy document in 2019 and delivered within a parliament.
Almost a great success story, until the other side of the schizophrenic government remembered that overseas students = foreigners = bad.
Anyone who uses the word 'denial' in this context can really just be laughed at. It's an unsophisticated attempt to link their views to denying the Holocaust. It was until recently only ever a word used in the latter context.
You’re saying the word “denial” was only ever used in the context of Holocaust denial???
Taming of the Shrew: Here comes your father. Never make denial; I must and will have Katherine to my wife.
Twelfth Night: Madam, yond young fellow swears he will speak with you. I told him you were sick; he takes on him to understand so much, and therefore comes to speak with you. I told him you were asleep; he seems to have a foreknowledge of that too, and therefore comes to speak with you. What is to be said to him, lady? he's fortified against any denial.
All’s Well that Ends Well: Nay, 'tis most credible; we here received it A certainty, vouch'd from our cousin Austria, With caution that the Florentine will move us For speedy aid; wherein our dearest friend Prejudicates the business and would seem To have us make denial.
Psalm 132:1 Lord, remember David and all his self-denial.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyxxv0wdrn0o The Conservatives said Labour were in “complete denial” about the rise in the benefits bill and insisted that the savings they intend to use to fund tax cuts will come from new policies.
Longleat has a red squirrel (caged of course). Its rather sad that they were once the only squirrels in the UK but are now vastly reduced by the grey plague.
Lots on Tresco
I was once chatting to another walker in Aviemore, after having just seen my first red squirrel in the woods nearby. "Oh," he said. "We don't see anything else around here."
There are increasing numbers of black squirrels around my way. Blooming immigrants...
Black, immigrant squirrels you say? Any cats go missing?
PB Tories have reached the 0.000000000000000134th stage of grief I see.
Can someone find them a new site for group therapy so the rest of us can discuss politics?
You keep reaching for this meme Bob but it's not Tory voters that are in denial. It's Labour voters that can't see what's happening. You're all in denial about what you've voted for. The only change is from blue branding to red branding and a worse economic outlook.
Anyone who uses the word 'denial' in this context can really just be laughed at. It's an unsophisticated attempt to link their views to denying the Holocaust. It was until recently only ever a word used in the latter context.
You’re saying the word “denial” was only ever used in the context of Holocaust denial???
Taming of the Shrew: Here comes your father. Never make denial; I must and will have Katherine to my wife.
Twelfth Night: Madam, yond young fellow swears he will speak with you. I told him you were sick; he takes on him to understand so much, and therefore comes to speak with you. I told him you were asleep; he seems to have a foreknowledge of that too, and therefore comes to speak with you. What is to be said to him, lady? he's fortified against any denial.
All’s Well that Ends Well: Nay, 'tis most credible; we here received it A certainty, vouch'd from our cousin Austria, With caution that the Florentine will move us For speedy aid; wherein our dearest friend Prejudicates the business and would seem To have us make denial.
Psalm 132:1 Lord, remember David and all his self-denial.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyxxv0wdrn0o The Conservatives said Labour were in “complete denial” about the rise in the benefits bill and insisted that the savings they intend to use to fund tax cuts will come from new policies.
I hope nobody is taking the epistemology course too seriously... It's pretty clear that denial has the root meaning statement that x is not the case, and (at least) two derivative of which one is psychobabble, You are in denial about your pornography addiction (and your example) and one is a reference to holocaust denial. Climate denial is a pretty clear example of the third
I did predict this as the value of the gift felt massively undervalued.
Angela Rayner faces an investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner over the use of a $2.5million New York apartment lent by Lord Alli, the Labour peer.
The Telegraph can reveal that the Conservatives have written to Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, seeking an investigation.
The Tory letter claims that Ms Rayner’s “failure to properly register” the New York flat donation means the House of Commons code of conduct may have been breached.
It comes after it emerged that Sam Tarry, a former Labour MP, joined Ms Rayner for parts of her stay at the flat from Dec 29 to Jan 2 but was not named in the parliamentary declaration.
This reminds me of the time that Mandleson was on his second or third resignation. The amount of squirrels that were popping up..... Needed a cull....
Didn't we have the squirrels moving the goalposts at one stage?
"Look! Look! Squirrels! They're moving the goalposts!" or somesuch.
That was Badgers. They are also a bad lot.
Badgers are adored by people who haven't met them.
Badgers in real life are the bloke at the end of the bar. Shaven head, Love and Hate tattooed on his knuckles. Misspelt. Lots of other bad tattoos, including a spiders web on his neck. Noticeably, all the regulars in the pub give him 6 feet of personal space.
I am remain unclear as to what precise failing has been committed in "freebiegate" and what system or behaviours critics feel we should see instead. Here's my attempt to break it down.
# Political donations are wrong Then how does anyone, except the richest, afford to campaign? No democratic country has found an alternative to political donations. The US considers it a central part of free speech.
# Political donations are OK, but they should go to the party rather than to individual candidates What do we do about independent candidates? We often talk about party structures, e.g. whips, having too much power already. Wouldn't this just hand more power to party HQs? Don't we want to encourage independent-minded candidates?
# Political donations are OK, but they should be for campaigning, not personal benefit There is a grey area here. Looking well-dressed could be considered part of a good campaign. Even appearing at a Taylor Swift concert got Starmer plenty of press inches. But the bigger issue is that it seems odd to consider £1000 as concert tickets to be potentially corrupting, but that £100,000 in campaign donations isn't. And money is fungible!
# It was the late declaration that was the problem We already have a mechanism to review that and the Parliamentary body concerned were satisfied in this case that it was just a mistake and nothing untoward.
# It’s not the principle, it’s the sheer amount OK, so do you introduce caps on donations? But these can be gamed: I give the capped amount, my wife gives the capped amount, my son gives the capped amount, my son’s nanny gives the capped amount, my company gives the capped amount, my shell company gives the capped amount… Or you get the US system of political action committees. I donate an unlimited amount to a body that's trying to get you elected, but is arms length from your campaign. And any limits still favour the richest candidates who can fund themselves.
# It’s not the donation, it’s the quid pro quo That is why we have donations declared and the donations were declared. So, the question is did Lord Alli get much quo for his quid?
Anyone who uses the word 'denial' in this context can really just be laughed at. It's an unsophisticated attempt to link their views to denying the Holocaust. It was until recently only ever a word used in the latter context.
You’re saying the word “denial” was only ever used in the context of Holocaust denial???
Taming of the Shrew: Here comes your father. Never make denial; I must and will have Katherine to my wife.
Twelfth Night: Madam, yond young fellow swears he will speak with you. I told him you were sick; he takes on him to understand so much, and therefore comes to speak with you. I told him you were asleep; he seems to have a foreknowledge of that too, and therefore comes to speak with you. What is to be said to him, lady? he's fortified against any denial.
All’s Well that Ends Well: Nay, 'tis most credible; we here received it A certainty, vouch'd from our cousin Austria, With caution that the Florentine will move us For speedy aid; wherein our dearest friend Prejudicates the business and would seem To have us make denial.
Psalm 132:1 Lord, remember David and all his self-denial.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyxxv0wdrn0o The Conservatives said Labour were in “complete denial” about the rise in the benefits bill and insisted that the savings they intend to use to fund tax cuts will come from new policies.
I hope nobody is taking the epistemology course too seriously... It's pretty clear that denial has the root meaning statement that x is not the case, and (at least) two derivative of which one is psychobabble, You are in denial about your pornography addiction (and your example) and one is a reference to holocaust denial. Climate denial is a pretty clear example of the third
I thought you had decided to sick it to me and not engage me in debate?
This reminds me of the time that Mandleson was on his second or third resignation. The amount of squirrels that were popping up..... Needed a cull....
In this case, it's more "Look! Kettle!"
That was tried back when they were empty chairing The Mandelbrot. various Labour types seemed to think that "the last government..." arguments meant that they had nothing to say or do.
The defence of Labour's dodgy cash dealings with Lord Alli from people on here is reminiscent of when Tories on here were defending Dom's dodgy drive to check if his eyesight had been restored. Similar tone deafness and inability to face reality from both sets of supporters, I think that was the beginning of the end of the Tory government and it wasn't that long after the 2019 election.
It is a sad reality; the strong growth in the French economy seen in August evaporated by September. The Flash Composite HCOB PMI has dropped well below the critical 50 mark, now standing at 47.4. This confirms the suspicion that the service sector surge in August was an Olympics-related anomaly, which has now dissipated. The situation in manufacturing remains difficult, much like in the previous month. Our HCOB Nowcast predicts near stagnation in the French economy for the third quarter, compared to the previous one. With this, France joins the group of Eurozone economies struggling with significant growth challenges
The downturn in the manufacturing sector has deepened again, evaporating any hope for an early recovery. Output plunged at the fastest rate in a year, with new orders collapsing. In a sign of resignation, companies have shed staff at a rate not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This comes as several major automotive suppliers have announced significant job reductions. These troubling figures are likely to intensify the ongoing debate in Germany about the risk of deindustrialization and what the government should do about it.
“Like” isn’t the right reaction to that. Germany looks to be heading for a serious recession. The pressure on the EU to slow down the electric car mandates is going to be immense.
Who’d have thought that France’s August anomoly might have been Olympics-related? Large international sporting or cultural events almost always have a positive impact on the host nations.
How is that going to help, except perhaps in the very short term ?
Because governments are trying to force a change by regulation for which the technology isn’t yet ready, it’s killing the European car industry and threatens to hand a large chunk of it to China.
European car production was up 11% in 2023.
The EV momentum is unstoppable now and none of the OEMs wanted to be last manufacturer stranded with an ICE dominated product line. It's being driven by Chinese consumers as much as regulation. EV/PHEV sales are over 50% of the Chinese market and it's rising fast. They don't have the reactionary and emotional attachment to ICE vehicles that the US and Europe do. Any manufacturer that pulls back from EVs is kissing the Chinese market goodbye.
Outside of the true premium market - I don't think any none Chinese manufacturer has a chance in China anymore..
The other thing is that the point where EV is cheaper to own and run is somewhere between already here (see China) and a couple of years off.
In many countries, the cheaper vehicle that cuts down oil imports, will be absolutely unstoppable.
The European faff about EVs is like the American faff about high speed rail or contactless credit cards. Treating it as a headscratcher of a hypothetical idea that might never catch on, and ignoring the fact the rest of the world already has it.
I used to carshare with a Mechanical Engineering Prof. Ended the share with the pandemic and other reasons. He was very strongly of the opinion that EV would never work, never take off. His main beef was the lack of range and need to charge for extended periods.
And all the while the mechanical engineers in the automotive industry have been solving those challenges. Makes me want to share with him again to see what he is thinking now.
Leon is a colossal arse at times, but he is right on one thing - people often struggle to see the change around the corner - the normalcy bias. I worry if I am doing the same re the future of University education in the face of AI.
On the range point, BYD recently announced its LFP batteries - which have taken over because they're considerably cheaper to produce than other chemistries - are set to increase in energy capacity by around 50% over the next couple of years. They're already 'good enough' to capture nearly half the Chinese auto market. It won't be all that long before it will be impossible to sell ICE vehicles competitively, anywhere.
Absolutely agree about normalcy bias. Leon isn't immune himself.
And that's one of the bits that has changed- battery technology. The other is that electricity from solar has approached the "too cheap to meter" stage. And neither of those is likely to pass across the desk of a prof in mechanical engineering very often, but they're both important for vehicles.
It's the trouble with being a boffin these days. There's so much to know that the old ambition of knowing more than enough about everything that mattered just isn't attainable any more.
Here is an interesting view of the current state of the EV market:
In particular he cites the lack of resale value and worries about range. Improved batteries would seem to me to solve both those problems.
The resale value problem isn't driven by battery quality or capacity. The root issue is uncertainty; it's very difficult to tell the extent to which a BEV's battery pack is degraded. The car's onboard systems are useless for this purpose as projected range is something between a formulation based on WLTP and a random number. So, if people don't know if they are buying a clapped out piece of shit or not, that naturally depresses the price.
I can do it (for Porsche, BMW and Audi) but I am a Level 99 Car Wizard. Your average punter and plastic slip-on clad independent used dealer has no chance.
So who should I get to check the battery? I assume I can't trust a main dealer.
If you bought it from the main dealer and it is under warranty you should go to them. A colleague of my wife's had her BMW serviced by a non main dealer. Had a failure and the main dealer would not honour the warranty due to her servicing it elswhere.
Our hybrid had to go to a special battery centre Audi had in Farnborough to get sorted. It took 8 months from taking it in to getting it back.
We had an occasional fault saying it was a drive system failure error. Tyneside Audi were useless. Apparently the problem was with the battery and for some reason the car thought the gearbox oil pressure was low. It was only intermittent. Had to go to this center in Farnborough for investigation and replacement in the end.
I would not rush to buy one again.
Thanks for that, though I wasn't clear in my question. What I meant was: who should I ask to check a battery of a second hand car before buying it?
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
Health was 18.3% of government spending in 2022-3. Pensions were 12.2% That's a lot, but still less than a third. It's hardly "all our money". And government spending is less than half of the country's entire spending.
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s desperate. I see no hope for this country. Just endless decline and decay
All the rich will leave and Britain will look like the last scenes of “Threads”
Argentina on steroids is my guess, or if we're lucky an IMF bail out which requires a restructuring of internal debts that Parliament will ram through to cut spending by £70-90bn so that our external debt remains viable.
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s desperate. I see no hope for this country. Just endless decline and decay
All the rich will leave and Britain will look like the last scenes of “Threads”
Why do you hate the rest of humanity so much? Not just Britain contempt for which you have shown for years, but the human race? What makes you such a superior being? I’d really love to know how you became infested with such a sense of superiority and virulent misanthropy?
It is a sad reality; the strong growth in the French economy seen in August evaporated by September. The Flash Composite HCOB PMI has dropped well below the critical 50 mark, now standing at 47.4. This confirms the suspicion that the service sector surge in August was an Olympics-related anomaly, which has now dissipated. The situation in manufacturing remains difficult, much like in the previous month. Our HCOB Nowcast predicts near stagnation in the French economy for the third quarter, compared to the previous one. With this, France joins the group of Eurozone economies struggling with significant growth challenges
The downturn in the manufacturing sector has deepened again, evaporating any hope for an early recovery. Output plunged at the fastest rate in a year, with new orders collapsing. In a sign of resignation, companies have shed staff at a rate not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This comes as several major automotive suppliers have announced significant job reductions. These troubling figures are likely to intensify the ongoing debate in Germany about the risk of deindustrialization and what the government should do about it.
“Like” isn’t the right reaction to that. Germany looks to be heading for a serious recession. The pressure on the EU to slow down the electric car mandates is going to be immense.
Who’d have thought that France’s August anomoly might have been Olympics-related? Large international sporting or cultural events almost always have a positive impact on the host nations.
How is that going to help, except perhaps in the very short term ?
Because governments are trying to force a change by regulation for which the technology isn’t yet ready, it’s killing the European car industry and threatens to hand a large chunk of it to China.
European car production was up 11% in 2023.
The EV momentum is unstoppable now and none of the OEMs wanted to be last manufacturer stranded with an ICE dominated product line. It's being driven by Chinese consumers as much as regulation. EV/PHEV sales are over 50% of the Chinese market and it's rising fast. They don't have the reactionary and emotional attachment to ICE vehicles that the US and Europe do. Any manufacturer that pulls back from EVs is kissing the Chinese market goodbye.
Outside of the true premium market - I don't think any none Chinese manufacturer has a chance in China anymore..
The other thing is that the point where EV is cheaper to own and run is somewhere between already here (see China) and a couple of years off.
In many countries, the cheaper vehicle that cuts down oil imports, will be absolutely unstoppable.
The European faff about EVs is like the American faff about high speed rail or contactless credit cards. Treating it as a headscratcher of a hypothetical idea that might never catch on, and ignoring the fact the rest of the world already has it.
I used to carshare with a Mechanical Engineering Prof. Ended the share with the pandemic and other reasons. He was very strongly of the opinion that EV would never work, never take off. His main beef was the lack of range and need to charge for extended periods.
And all the while the mechanical engineers in the automotive industry have been solving those challenges. Makes me want to share with him again to see what he is thinking now.
Leon is a colossal arse at times, but he is right on one thing - people often struggle to see the change around the corner - the normalcy bias. I worry if I am doing the same re the future of University education in the face of AI.
On the range point, BYD recently announced its LFP batteries - which have taken over because they're considerably cheaper to produce than other chemistries - are set to increase in energy capacity by around 50% over the next couple of years. They're already 'good enough' to capture nearly half the Chinese auto market. It won't be all that long before it will be impossible to sell ICE vehicles competitively, anywhere.
Absolutely agree about normalcy bias. Leon isn't immune himself.
And that's one of the bits that has changed- battery technology. The other is that electricity from solar has approached the "too cheap to meter" stage. And neither of those is likely to pass across the desk of a prof in mechanical engineering very often, but they're both important for vehicles.
It's the trouble with being a boffin these days. There's so much to know that the old ambition of knowing more than enough about everything that mattered just isn't attainable any more.
Here is an interesting view of the current state of the EV market:
In particular he cites the lack of resale value and worries about range. Improved batteries would seem to me to solve both those problems.
The resale value problem isn't driven by battery quality or capacity. The root issue is uncertainty; it's very difficult to tell the extent to which a BEV's battery pack is degraded. The car's onboard systems are useless for this purpose as projected range is something between a formulation based on WLTP and a random number. So, if people don't know if they are buying a clapped out piece of shit or not, that naturally depresses the price.
I can do it (for Porsche, BMW and Audi) but I am a Level 99 Car Wizard. Your average punter and plastic slip-on clad independent used dealer has no chance.
So who should I get to check the battery? I assume I can't trust a main dealer.
If you bought it from the main dealer and it is under warranty you should go to them. A colleague of my wife's had her BMW serviced by a non main dealer. Had a failure and the main dealer would not honour the warranty due to her servicing it elswhere.
Our hybrid had to go to a special battery centre Audi had in Farnborough to get sorted. It took 8 months from taking it in to getting it back.
We had an occasional fault saying it was a drive system failure error. Tyneside Audi were useless. Apparently the problem was with the battery and for some reason the car thought the gearbox oil pressure was low. It was only intermittent. Had to go to this center in Farnborough for investigation and replacement in the end.
I would not rush to buy one again.
Thanks for that, though I wasn't clear in my question. What I meant was: who should I ask to check a battery of a second hand car before buying it?
I would suspect that the best way is through an authorised dealer. Warranties on the batteries are being included by an increasing number, I believe.
It is a sad reality; the strong growth in the French economy seen in August evaporated by September. The Flash Composite HCOB PMI has dropped well below the critical 50 mark, now standing at 47.4. This confirms the suspicion that the service sector surge in August was an Olympics-related anomaly, which has now dissipated. The situation in manufacturing remains difficult, much like in the previous month. Our HCOB Nowcast predicts near stagnation in the French economy for the third quarter, compared to the previous one. With this, France joins the group of Eurozone economies struggling with significant growth challenges
The downturn in the manufacturing sector has deepened again, evaporating any hope for an early recovery. Output plunged at the fastest rate in a year, with new orders collapsing. In a sign of resignation, companies have shed staff at a rate not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This comes as several major automotive suppliers have announced significant job reductions. These troubling figures are likely to intensify the ongoing debate in Germany about the risk of deindustrialization and what the government should do about it.
“Like” isn’t the right reaction to that. Germany looks to be heading for a serious recession. The pressure on the EU to slow down the electric car mandates is going to be immense.
Who’d have thought that France’s August anomoly might have been Olympics-related? Large international sporting or cultural events almost always have a positive impact on the host nations.
How is that going to help, except perhaps in the very short term ?
Because governments are trying to force a change by regulation for which the technology isn’t yet ready, it’s killing the European car industry and threatens to hand a large chunk of it to China.
European car production was up 11% in 2023.
The EV momentum is unstoppable now and none of the OEMs wanted to be last manufacturer stranded with an ICE dominated product line. It's being driven by Chinese consumers as much as regulation. EV/PHEV sales are over 50% of the Chinese market and it's rising fast. They don't have the reactionary and emotional attachment to ICE vehicles that the US and Europe do. Any manufacturer that pulls back from EVs is kissing the Chinese market goodbye.
Outside of the true premium market - I don't think any none Chinese manufacturer has a chance in China anymore..
The other thing is that the point where EV is cheaper to own and run is somewhere between already here (see China) and a couple of years off.
In many countries, the cheaper vehicle that cuts down oil imports, will be absolutely unstoppable.
The European faff about EVs is like the American faff about high speed rail or contactless credit cards. Treating it as a headscratcher of a hypothetical idea that might never catch on, and ignoring the fact the rest of the world already has it.
I used to carshare with a Mechanical Engineering Prof. Ended the share with the pandemic and other reasons. He was very strongly of the opinion that EV would never work, never take off. His main beef was the lack of range and need to charge for extended periods.
And all the while the mechanical engineers in the automotive industry have been solving those challenges. Makes me want to share with him again to see what he is thinking now.
Leon is a colossal arse at times, but he is right on one thing - people often struggle to see the change around the corner - the normalcy bias. I worry if I am doing the same re the future of University education in the face of AI.
On the range point, BYD recently announced its LFP batteries - which have taken over because they're considerably cheaper to produce than other chemistries - are set to increase in energy capacity by around 50% over the next couple of years. They're already 'good enough' to capture nearly half the Chinese auto market. It won't be all that long before it will be impossible to sell ICE vehicles competitively, anywhere.
Absolutely agree about normalcy bias. Leon isn't immune himself.
And that's one of the bits that has changed- battery technology. The other is that electricity from solar has approached the "too cheap to meter" stage. And neither of those is likely to pass across the desk of a prof in mechanical engineering very often, but they're both important for vehicles.
It's the trouble with being a boffin these days. There's so much to know that the old ambition of knowing more than enough about everything that mattered just isn't attainable any more.
Here is an interesting view of the current state of the EV market:
In particular he cites the lack of resale value and worries about range. Improved batteries would seem to me to solve both those problems.
The resale value problem isn't driven by battery quality or capacity. The root issue is uncertainty; it's very difficult to tell the extent to which a BEV's battery pack is degraded. The car's onboard systems are useless for this purpose as projected range is something between a formulation based on WLTP and a random number. So, if people don't know if they are buying a clapped out piece of shit or not, that naturally depresses the price.
I can do it (for Porsche, BMW and Audi) but I am a Level 99 Car Wizard. Your average punter and plastic slip-on clad independent used dealer has no chance.
So who should I get to check the battery? I assume I can't trust a main dealer.
If you bought it from the main dealer and it is under warranty you should go to them. A colleague of my wife's had her BMW serviced by a non main dealer. Had a failure and the main dealer would not honour the warranty due to her servicing it elswhere.
Our hybrid had to go to a special battery centre Audi had in Farnborough to get sorted. It took 8 months from taking it in to getting it back.
We had an occasional fault saying it was a drive system failure error. Tyneside Audi were useless. Apparently the problem was with the battery and for some reason the car thought the gearbox oil pressure was low. It was only intermittent. Had to go to this center in Farnborough for investigation and replacement in the end.
I would not rush to buy one again.
Thanks for that, though I wasn't clear in my question. What I meant was: who should I ask to check a battery of a second hand car before buying it?
I don't think you actually can - I had a quick look for advice and it seems that the battery reports 100% regardless of things.
The best advice I saw was ask for the battery to be fully charged and see where it claims to be...
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s desperate. I see no hope for this country. Just endless decline and decay
All the rich will leave and Britain will look like the last scenes of “Threads”
Why do you hate the rest of humanity so much? Not just Britain contempt for which you have shown for years, but the human race? What makes you such a superior being? I’d really love to know how you became infested with such a sense of superiority and virulent misanthropy?
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s embarrassing . It’s pointless if HS2 doesn’t go to Euston .
If we don't build HS2 what we really show is that we can't build projects nowadays..
The issue is that all data tells us that unless we get HS2 built by 2030 - the west midlands / North West is going to have continual problems due to lack of capacity on both road and rail..
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s desperate. I see no hope for this country. Just endless decline and decay
All the rich will leave and Britain will look like the last scenes of “Threads”
Why do you hate the rest of humanity so much? Not just Britain contempt for which you have shown for years, but the human race? What makes you such a superior being? I’d really love to know how you became infested with such a sense of superiority and virulent misanthropy?
Plus - any country where the traffic wardens are armed with God’s Own Rifle in the proper wooden furniture is awesome.
It is a sad reality; the strong growth in the French economy seen in August evaporated by September. The Flash Composite HCOB PMI has dropped well below the critical 50 mark, now standing at 47.4. This confirms the suspicion that the service sector surge in August was an Olympics-related anomaly, which has now dissipated. The situation in manufacturing remains difficult, much like in the previous month. Our HCOB Nowcast predicts near stagnation in the French economy for the third quarter, compared to the previous one. With this, France joins the group of Eurozone economies struggling with significant growth challenges
The downturn in the manufacturing sector has deepened again, evaporating any hope for an early recovery. Output plunged at the fastest rate in a year, with new orders collapsing. In a sign of resignation, companies have shed staff at a rate not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This comes as several major automotive suppliers have announced significant job reductions. These troubling figures are likely to intensify the ongoing debate in Germany about the risk of deindustrialization and what the government should do about it.
“Like” isn’t the right reaction to that. Germany looks to be heading for a serious recession. The pressure on the EU to slow down the electric car mandates is going to be immense.
Who’d have thought that France’s August anomoly might have been Olympics-related? Large international sporting or cultural events almost always have a positive impact on the host nations.
How is that going to help, except perhaps in the very short term ?
Because governments are trying to force a change by regulation for which the technology isn’t yet ready, it’s killing the European car industry and threatens to hand a large chunk of it to China.
European car production was up 11% in 2023.
The EV momentum is unstoppable now and none of the OEMs wanted to be last manufacturer stranded with an ICE dominated product line. It's being driven by Chinese consumers as much as regulation. EV/PHEV sales are over 50% of the Chinese market and it's rising fast. They don't have the reactionary and emotional attachment to ICE vehicles that the US and Europe do. Any manufacturer that pulls back from EVs is kissing the Chinese market goodbye.
Outside of the true premium market - I don't think any none Chinese manufacturer has a chance in China anymore..
The other thing is that the point where EV is cheaper to own and run is somewhere between already here (see China) and a couple of years off.
In many countries, the cheaper vehicle that cuts down oil imports, will be absolutely unstoppable.
The European faff about EVs is like the American faff about high speed rail or contactless credit cards. Treating it as a headscratcher of a hypothetical idea that might never catch on, and ignoring the fact the rest of the world already has it.
I used to carshare with a Mechanical Engineering Prof. Ended the share with the pandemic and other reasons. He was very strongly of the opinion that EV would never work, never take off. His main beef was the lack of range and need to charge for extended periods.
And all the while the mechanical engineers in the automotive industry have been solving those challenges. Makes me want to share with him again to see what he is thinking now.
Leon is a colossal arse at times, but he is right on one thing - people often struggle to see the change around the corner - the normalcy bias. I worry if I am doing the same re the future of University education in the face of AI.
On the range point, BYD recently announced its LFP batteries - which have taken over because they're considerably cheaper to produce than other chemistries - are set to increase in energy capacity by around 50% over the next couple of years. They're already 'good enough' to capture nearly half the Chinese auto market. It won't be all that long before it will be impossible to sell ICE vehicles competitively, anywhere.
Absolutely agree about normalcy bias. Leon isn't immune himself.
And that's one of the bits that has changed- battery technology. The other is that electricity from solar has approached the "too cheap to meter" stage. And neither of those is likely to pass across the desk of a prof in mechanical engineering very often, but they're both important for vehicles.
It's the trouble with being a boffin these days. There's so much to know that the old ambition of knowing more than enough about everything that mattered just isn't attainable any more.
Here is an interesting view of the current state of the EV market:
In particular he cites the lack of resale value and worries about range. Improved batteries would seem to me to solve both those problems.
The resale value problem isn't driven by battery quality or capacity. The root issue is uncertainty; it's very difficult to tell the extent to which a BEV's battery pack is degraded. The car's onboard systems are useless for this purpose as projected range is something between a formulation based on WLTP and a random number. So, if people don't know if they are buying a clapped out piece of shit or not, that naturally depresses the price.
I can do it (for Porsche, BMW and Audi) but I am a Level 99 Car Wizard. Your average punter and plastic slip-on clad independent used dealer has no chance.
So who should I get to check the battery? I assume I can't trust a main dealer.
If you bought it from the main dealer and it is under warranty you should go to them. A colleague of my wife's had her BMW serviced by a non main dealer. Had a failure and the main dealer would not honour the warranty due to her servicing it elswhere.
Our hybrid had to go to a special battery centre Audi had in Farnborough to get sorted. It took 8 months from taking it in to getting it back.
We had an occasional fault saying it was a drive system failure error. Tyneside Audi were useless. Apparently the problem was with the battery and for some reason the car thought the gearbox oil pressure was low. It was only intermittent. Had to go to this center in Farnborough for investigation and replacement in the end.
I would not rush to buy one again.
Thanks for that, though I wasn't clear in my question. What I meant was: who should I ask to check a battery of a second hand car before buying it?
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s embarrassing . It’s pointless if HS2 doesn’t go to Euston .
If we don't build HS2 what we really show is that we can't build projects nowadays..
It’s stupefying. It’s particularly stupefying for me as, for the last decade or so, I’ve watched them build and prep the HS2 infra out of Euston. With all the attendant disruption. Visible from my living room
The idea it might now be for… nothing??
😶🫣
It would be interesting to get Starmer’s take given that this is literally his constituency
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s embarrassing . It’s pointless if HS2 doesn’t go to Euston .
If we don't build HS2 what we really show is that we can't build projects nowadays..
It’s stupefying. It’s particularly stupefying for me as, for the last decade or so, I’ve watched them build and prep the HS2 infra out of Euston. With all the attendant disruption. Visible from my living room
The idea it might now be for… nothing??
😶🫣
It would be interesting to get Starmer’s take given that this is literally his constituency
You have to ask does he really want it to remain a building site throughout his premiership...
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s embarrassing . It’s pointless if HS2 doesn’t go to Euston .
If we don't build HS2 what we really show is that we can't build projects nowadays..
It’s stupefying. It’s particularly stupefying for me as, for the last decade or so, I’ve watched them build and prep the HS2 infra out of Euston. With all the attendant disruption. Visible from my living room
The idea it might now be for… nothing??
😶🫣
It would be interesting to get Starmer’s take given that this is literally his constituency
This is sunk cost fallacy. I'm in agreement with you but you need to remove this part out of the decision and not let emotions get in the way.
(Difficult when you consider the number of trees/ancient woodlands that have been lopped down)
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s desperate. I see no hope for this country. Just endless decline and decay
All the rich will leave and Britain will look like the last scenes of “Threads”
And you live in London which is relatively rich. My view is this if you are going to live in a chaotic corrupt declining country why not live in Spain or even South America. At least the parties are good and you can enjoy the decline. Why stay in the uk wasting your time analyzing this useless govt.
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s embarrassing . It’s pointless if HS2 doesn’t go to Euston .
If we don't build HS2 what we really show is that we can't build projects nowadays..
It’s stupefying. It’s particularly stupefying for me as, for the last decade or so, I’ve watched them build and prep the HS2 infra out of Euston. With all the attendant disruption. Visible from my living room
The idea it might now be for… nothing??
How can you be sure they didn't just do it to annoy you ?
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s embarrassing . It’s pointless if HS2 doesn’t go to Euston .
If we don't build HS2 what we really show is that we can't build projects nowadays..
It’s stupefying. It’s particularly stupefying for me as, for the last decade or so, I’ve watched them build and prep the HS2 infra out of Euston. With all the attendant disruption. Visible from my living room
The idea it might now be for… nothing??
😶🫣
It would be interesting to get Starmer’s take given that this is literally his constituency
This is sunk cost fallacy. I'm in agreement with you but you need to remove this part out of the decision and not let emotions get in the way.
(Difficult when you consider the number of trees/ancient woodlands that have been lopped down)
We need the whole thing, including the eastern arm. But not having Euston is madness.
AIUI they're boring the tunnels to Euston anyway, as it's pretty much cheaper to do that than to not dig them, given the money spent.
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s embarrassing . It’s pointless if HS2 doesn’t go to Euston .
We'd need to ask the nitwit who took the decision to cancel/postpone/make conditional the bit of HS2 that reached Euston. If we can find him.
And yes, it's an obvious candidate for a bad decision to reverse, but I can see why Reeves didn't announce that today.
(And yes, I will happily condemn her if her decision is to make Old Oak Common the end of the line, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.)
I think we are back to the problem where we've rolled multiple projects (rebuild Euston, HS2 tunnelling, HS2 platforms, TfL underground improvements) into a single HS2 project..
Were the projects separated out and being delivered bit by bit it wouldn't be so bad or look so blooming expensive..
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s embarrassing . It’s pointless if HS2 doesn’t go to Euston .
If we don't build HS2 what we really show is that we can't build projects nowadays..
It’s stupefying. It’s particularly stupefying for me as, for the last decade or so, I’ve watched them build and prep the HS2 infra out of Euston. With all the attendant disruption. Visible from my living room
The idea it might now be for… nothing??
😶🫣
It would be interesting to get Starmer’s take given that this is literally his constituency
Maybe he will still be against it like in 2015 when he was trying to get elected, so happy.
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s embarrassing . It’s pointless if HS2 doesn’t go to Euston .
If we don't build HS2 what we really show is that we can't build projects nowadays..
It’s stupefying. It’s particularly stupefying for me as, for the last decade or so, I’ve watched them build and prep the HS2 infra out of Euston. With all the attendant disruption. Visible from my living room
The idea it might now be for… nothing??
😶🫣
It would be interesting to get Starmer’s take given that this is literally his constituency
This is sunk cost fallacy. I'm in agreement with you but you need to remove this part out of the decision and not let emotions get in the way.
(Difficult when you consider the number of trees/ancient woodlands that have been lopped down)
I never wanted it in the first place. Britain is compact. That’s an ADVANTAGE. We don’t need 250mph trains
My belief was always this: build a normal line, 100mph, but call it “high speed” to please the geeks and engineers and make the trains sleek
But now we’ve come this far we really do need to finish it if only to show we are capable. Sunk cost doesn’t apply here
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s desperate. I see no hope for this country. Just endless decline and decay
All the rich will leave and Britain will look like the last scenes of “Threads”
Why do you hate the rest of humanity so much? Not just Britain contempt for which you have shown for years, but the human race? What makes you such a superior being? I’d really love to know how you became infested with such a sense of superiority and virulent misanthropy?
My innate superiority?
Also: lol
Yes. You’ve stated on here many times how much better you are than us. You described be specifically as “subhuman” and “scum” on at least one occasion. Why?
I did predict this as the value of the gift felt massively undervalued.
Angela Rayner faces an investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner over the use of a $2.5million New York apartment lent by Lord Alli, the Labour peer.
The Telegraph can reveal that the Conservatives have written to Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, seeking an investigation.
The Tory letter claims that Ms Rayner’s “failure to properly register” the New York flat donation means the House of Commons code of conduct may have been breached.
It comes after it emerged that Sam Tarry, a former Labour MP, joined Ms Rayner for parts of her stay at the flat from Dec 29 to Jan 2 but was not named in the parliamentary declaration.
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s embarrassing . It’s pointless if HS2 doesn’t go to Euston .
If we don't build HS2 what we really show is that we can't build projects nowadays..
It’s stupefying. It’s particularly stupefying for me as, for the last decade or so, I’ve watched them build and prep the HS2 infra out of Euston. With all the attendant disruption. Visible from my living room
The idea it might now be for… nothing??
😶🫣
It would be interesting to get Starmer’s take given that this is literally his constituency
This is sunk cost fallacy. I'm in agreement with you but you need to remove this part out of the decision and not let emotions get in the way.
(Difficult when you consider the number of trees/ancient woodlands that have been lopped down)
We need the whole thing, including the eastern arm. But not having Euston is madness.
AIUI they're boring the tunnels to Euston anyway, as it's pretty much cheaper to do that than to not dig them, given the money spent.
There's a gap, even more massive than the one between Old Oak Common and Euston, between "hasn't announced the uncancellation" and "is leaving the cancellation in place", and I imagine that we're in that gap from now until Budget day. For now, I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s desperate. I see no hope for this country. Just endless decline and decay
All the rich will leave and Britain will look like the last scenes of “Threads”
Why do you hate the rest of humanity so much? Not just Britain contempt for which you have shown for years, but the human race? What makes you such a superior being? I’d really love to know how you became infested with such a sense of superiority and virulent misanthropy?
My innate superiority?
Also: lol
Yes. You’ve stated on here many times how much better you are than us. You described be specifically as “subhuman” and “scum” on at least one occasion. Why?
Are you… alright? Serious question
Sounds like you’re having a bit of a meltdown. Likewise @Anabobazina
It is a sad reality; the strong growth in the French economy seen in August evaporated by September. The Flash Composite HCOB PMI has dropped well below the critical 50 mark, now standing at 47.4. This confirms the suspicion that the service sector surge in August was an Olympics-related anomaly, which has now dissipated. The situation in manufacturing remains difficult, much like in the previous month. Our HCOB Nowcast predicts near stagnation in the French economy for the third quarter, compared to the previous one. With this, France joins the group of Eurozone economies struggling with significant growth challenges
The downturn in the manufacturing sector has deepened again, evaporating any hope for an early recovery. Output plunged at the fastest rate in a year, with new orders collapsing. In a sign of resignation, companies have shed staff at a rate not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This comes as several major automotive suppliers have announced significant job reductions. These troubling figures are likely to intensify the ongoing debate in Germany about the risk of deindustrialization and what the government should do about it.
“Like” isn’t the right reaction to that. Germany looks to be heading for a serious recession. The pressure on the EU to slow down the electric car mandates is going to be immense.
Who’d have thought that France’s August anomoly might have been Olympics-related? Large international sporting or cultural events almost always have a positive impact on the host nations.
How is that going to help, except perhaps in the very short term ?
Because governments are trying to force a change by regulation for which the technology isn’t yet ready, it’s killing the European car industry and threatens to hand a large chunk of it to China.
European car production was up 11% in 2023.
The EV momentum is unstoppable now and none of the OEMs wanted to be last manufacturer stranded with an ICE dominated product line. It's being driven by Chinese consumers as much as regulation. EV/PHEV sales are over 50% of the Chinese market and it's rising fast. They don't have the reactionary and emotional attachment to ICE vehicles that the US and Europe do. Any manufacturer that pulls back from EVs is kissing the Chinese market goodbye.
Outside of the true premium market - I don't think any none Chinese manufacturer has a chance in China anymore..
The other thing is that the point where EV is cheaper to own and run is somewhere between already here (see China) and a couple of years off.
In many countries, the cheaper vehicle that cuts down oil imports, will be absolutely unstoppable.
The European faff about EVs is like the American faff about high speed rail or contactless credit cards. Treating it as a headscratcher of a hypothetical idea that might never catch on, and ignoring the fact the rest of the world already has it.
I used to carshare with a Mechanical Engineering Prof. Ended the share with the pandemic and other reasons. He was very strongly of the opinion that EV would never work, never take off. His main beef was the lack of range and need to charge for extended periods.
And all the while the mechanical engineers in the automotive industry have been solving those challenges. Makes me want to share with him again to see what he is thinking now.
Leon is a colossal arse at times, but he is right on one thing - people often struggle to see the change around the corner - the normalcy bias. I worry if I am doing the same re the future of University education in the face of AI.
On the range point, BYD recently announced its LFP batteries - which have taken over because they're considerably cheaper to produce than other chemistries - are set to increase in energy capacity by around 50% over the next couple of years. They're already 'good enough' to capture nearly half the Chinese auto market. It won't be all that long before it will be impossible to sell ICE vehicles competitively, anywhere.
Absolutely agree about normalcy bias. Leon isn't immune himself.
And that's one of the bits that has changed- battery technology. The other is that electricity from solar has approached the "too cheap to meter" stage. And neither of those is likely to pass across the desk of a prof in mechanical engineering very often, but they're both important for vehicles.
It's the trouble with being a boffin these days. There's so much to know that the old ambition of knowing more than enough about everything that mattered just isn't attainable any more.
Here is an interesting view of the current state of the EV market:
In particular he cites the lack of resale value and worries about range. Improved batteries would seem to me to solve both those problems.
The resale value problem isn't driven by battery quality or capacity. The root issue is uncertainty; it's very difficult to tell the extent to which a BEV's battery pack is degraded. The car's onboard systems are useless for this purpose as projected range is something between a formulation based on WLTP and a random number. So, if people don't know if they are buying a clapped out piece of shit or not, that naturally depresses the price.
I can do it (for Porsche, BMW and Audi) but I am a Level 99 Car Wizard. Your average punter and plastic slip-on clad independent used dealer has no chance.
So who should I get to check the battery? I assume I can't trust a main dealer.
If you bought it from the main dealer and it is under warranty you should go to them. A colleague of my wife's had her BMW serviced by a non main dealer. Had a failure and the main dealer would not honour the warranty due to her servicing it elswhere.
Our hybrid had to go to a special battery centre Audi had in Farnborough to get sorted. It took 8 months from taking it in to getting it back.
We had an occasional fault saying it was a drive system failure error. Tyneside Audi were useless. Apparently the problem was with the battery and for some reason the car thought the gearbox oil pressure was low. It was only intermittent. Had to go to this center in Farnborough for investigation and replacement in the end.
I would not rush to buy one again.
Thanks for that, though I wasn't clear in my question. What I meant was: who should I ask to check a battery of a second hand car before buying it?
There is no good answer to that question, hence the bloodbath in BEV residual values. The tools required are very brand dependent and there is no guarantee that a Main Stealer will have the right software or be capable of correctly interpreting the results if they do. In fact, they are highly motivated to tell you a pack of lies about the condition of the battery pack.
Test driving a few different cars of the same model would probably be useful, if time-consuming, as you'll learn to tell a good one from a bad one.
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s embarrassing . It’s pointless if HS2 doesn’t go to Euston .
If we don't build HS2 what we really show is that we can't build projects nowadays..
It’s stupefying. It’s particularly stupefying for me as, for the last decade or so, I’ve watched them build and prep the HS2 infra out of Euston. With all the attendant disruption. Visible from my living room
The idea it might now be for… nothing??
😶🫣
It would be interesting to get Starmer’s take given that this is literally his constituency
This is sunk cost fallacy. I'm in agreement with you but you need to remove this part out of the decision and not let emotions get in the way.
(Difficult when you consider the number of trees/ancient woodlands that have been lopped down)
I never wanted it in the first place. Britain is compact. That’s an ADVANTAGE. We don’t need 250mph trains
My belief was always this: build a normal line, 100mph, but call it “high speed” to please the geeks and engineers and make the trains sleek
But now we’ve come this far we really do need to finish it if only to show we are capable. Sunk cost doesn’t apply here
It all comes down to the way the project was sold in the first place - the story should never have been about speed the story should have been
1) direct non stop trains between our main cities centered on Birmingham 2) extra capacity 3) more local trains using the old tracks now the direct trains are rerouted.
Instead we talked about speed as if it was the only benefit and not a side-effect...
Edit - I jokingly said elsewhere last week that HS2 should be renamed the WCML bypass - perhaps it should have been given that name in the first place..
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 3m BREAKING: As Reeves talks about honouring public sector pay body recommendations, the Royal College of Nurses have rejected the government's pay award of a 5.5% rise
No surprise given the huge pay rise they announced for nurses
I am remain unclear as to what precise failing has been committed in "freebiegate" and what system or behaviours critics feel we should see instead. Here's my attempt to break it down.
# Political donations are wrong Then how does anyone, except the richest, afford to campaign? No democratic country has found an alternative to political donations. The US considers it a central part of free speech.
Just looking at your first point, the US is a really bad example. The eyewatering sums needed (a single senate seat race can involve spending similar to that of an entire UK General election) to fund political advertising during elections drives elected representatives to spend a huge part of their time fund-raising, and gives lobbyists an influence over law makers which is almost entirely related to how much money they can spend. I think limiting the maximum any one person or organisation can donate and encouraging parties to get small amounts from lots of people (some sort of membership perhaps) is much healthier.
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s desperate. I see no hope for this country. Just endless decline and decay
All the rich will leave and Britain will look like the last scenes of “Threads”
Why do you hate the rest of humanity so much? Not just Britain contempt for which you have shown for years, but the human race? What makes you such a superior being? I’d really love to know how you became infested with such a sense of superiority and virulent misanthropy?
My innate superiority?
Also: lol
Yes. You’ve stated on here many times how much better you are than us. You described be specifically as “subhuman” and “scum” on at least one occasion. Why?
Are you… alright? Serious question
Sounds like you’re having a bit of a meltdown. Likewise @Anabobazina
Hooray. I’m also mentally ill. Thanks for the diagnosis.
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s desperate. I see no hope for this country. Just endless decline and decay
All the rich will leave and Britain will look like the last scenes of “Threads”
Why do you hate the rest of humanity so much? Not just Britain contempt for which you have shown for years, but the human race? What makes you such a superior being? I’d really love to know how you became infested with such a sense of superiority and virulent misanthropy?
My innate superiority?
Also: lol
Yes. You’ve stated on here many times how much better you are than us. You described be specifically as “subhuman” and “scum” on at least one occasion. Why?
I thought you were a seal? Maybe he has the effect of Tideway water confused with the animal?
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 3m BREAKING: As Reeves talks about honouring public sector pay body recommendations, the Royal College of Nurses have rejected the government's pay award of a 5.5% rise
Well of course. This was always coming when they saw what others were getting.
I can see Uni strikes coming. 2.5% isn't cutting the mustard.
But uni pay awards aren’t negotiated with the government.
I know, but the optics for hard working academics (I know, I know) etc.
40% of unis are in deficit iirc.
Mainly due to government tying their hands with the fees they can charge. The two things are linked. Raise the fee levels, allow unis to educate home students again without preferentially targetting overseas fee and pay a fair wage.
Raise the fee levels for degrees with high graduate earning premiums eg law, engineering, Medicine, economics and IT and freeze the rest.
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s desperate. I see no hope for this country. Just endless decline and decay
All the rich will leave and Britain will look like the last scenes of “Threads”
Why do you hate the rest of humanity so much? Not just Britain contempt for which you have shown for years, but the human race? What makes you such a superior being? I’d really love to know how you became infested with such a sense of superiority and virulent misanthropy?
My innate superiority?
Also: lol
Yes. You’ve stated on here many times how much better you are than us. You described be specifically as “subhuman” and “scum” on at least one occasion. Why?
Are you… alright? Serious question
Sounds like you’re having a bit of a meltdown. Likewise @Anabobazina
Hooray. I’m also mentally ill. Thanks for the diagnosis.
I've been insane for years. It makes everything make more sense, really.
Sanity involves things like Trump having been President of the United States. Or Truss fighting to the death with a lettuce.
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s desperate. I see no hope for this country. Just endless decline and decay
All the rich will leave and Britain will look like the last scenes of “Threads”
Why do you hate the rest of humanity so much? Not just Britain contempt for which you have shown for years, but the human race? What makes you such a superior being? I’d really love to know how you became infested with such a sense of superiority and virulent misanthropy?
My innate superiority?
Also: lol
Yes. You’ve stated on here many times how much better you are than us. You described be specifically as “subhuman” and “scum” on at least one occasion. Why?
I am remain unclear as to what precise failing has been committed in "freebiegate" and what system or behaviours critics feel we should see instead. Here's my attempt to break it down.
# Political donations are wrong Then how does anyone, except the richest, afford to campaign? No democratic country has found an alternative to political donations. The US considers it a central part of free speech.
Just looking at your first point, the US is a really bad example. The eyewatering sums needed (a single senate seat race can involve spending similar to that of an entire UK General election) to fund political advertising during elections drives elected representatives to spend a huge part of their time fund-raising, and gives lobbyists an influence over law makers which is almost entirely related to how much money they can spend. I think limiting the maximum any one person or organisation can donate and encouraging parties to get small amounts from lots of people (some sort of membership perhaps) is much healthier.
Thanks for a concrete response. I think the UK does well by capping campaigning spend, definitely let's keep that. Capping donations has been suggested, but has been hard to introduce, as the Conservatives like the idea of capping donations by organisations (the trades unions), while Labour like the idea of capping donations by individuals (the big Tory donors).
I think there may be some merit in the system. I did note there are challenges in implementation, in gaming the system to give more through multiple routes. The big question is where to set the cap. Taylor Swift and Arsenal tickets aren't going to be affected, so I also am unclear whether a cap would assuage some people's anger over the current situation.
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s desperate. I see no hope for this country. Just endless decline and decay
All the rich will leave and Britain will look like the last scenes of “Threads”
Why do you hate the rest of humanity so much? Not just Britain contempt for which you have shown for years, but the human race? What makes you such a superior being? I’d really love to know how you became infested with such a sense of superiority and virulent misanthropy?
My innate superiority?
Also: lol
Yes. You’ve stated on here many times how much better you are than us. You described be specifically as “subhuman” and “scum” on at least one occasion. Why?
Are you… alright? Serious question
Sounds like you’re having a bit of a meltdown. Likewise @Anabobazina
Hooray. I’m also mentally ill. Thanks for the diagnosis.
I was being serious - and kind. Couple of weird outbursts from you. Not your normal style
New polling from The NY Times/Siena is not good for Harris in the sun belt .
Showing large drops especially in Arizona where Trump leads by 5 points compared to their last poll.
It’s just one poll but perhaps a wake up call to those of us who want a Harris win .
Trump comfortably ahead in Arizona, narrowly ahead in Georgia and NC near tied and actually tied with registered voters only.
Some evidence of split ticket voting in Arizona with Latino, less college-educated and lower-income voters often voting Trump for President but for Democratic candidate Gallego for Senate.
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s embarrassing . It’s pointless if HS2 doesn’t go to Euston .
If we don't build HS2 what we really show is that we can't build projects nowadays..
It’s stupefying. It’s particularly stupefying for me as, for the last decade or so, I’ve watched them build and prep the HS2 infra out of Euston. With all the attendant disruption. Visible from my living room
The idea it might now be for… nothing??
😶🫣
It would be interesting to get Starmer’s take given that this is literally his constituency
This is sunk cost fallacy. I'm in agreement with you but you need to remove this part out of the decision and not let emotions get in the way.
(Difficult when you consider the number of trees/ancient woodlands that have been lopped down)
I never wanted it in the first place. Britain is compact. That’s an ADVANTAGE. We don’t need 250mph trains
My belief was always this: build a normal line, 100mph, but call it “high speed” to please the geeks and engineers and make the trains sleek
But now we’ve come this far we really do need to finish it if only to show we are capable. Sunk cost doesn’t apply here
It all comes down to the way the project was sold in the first place - the story should never have been about speed the story should have been
1) direct non stop trains between our main cities centered on Birmingham 2) extra capacity 3) more local trains using the old tracks now the direct trains are rerouted.
Instead we talked about speed as if it was the only benefit and not a side-effect...
Edit - I jokingly said elsewhere last week that HS2 should be renamed the WCML bypass - perhaps it should have been given that name in the first place..
They should have called it “Capacity 2030”, as that’s the main reason for doing the whole project in the first place.
Its primary purpose is to get millions more containers off the roads from Southampton and Felixstowe into the Midlands every year.
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s embarrassing . It’s pointless if HS2 doesn’t go to Euston .
If we don't build HS2 what we really show is that we can't build projects nowadays..
It’s stupefying. It’s particularly stupefying for me as, for the last decade or so, I’ve watched them build and prep the HS2 infra out of Euston. With all the attendant disruption. Visible from my living room
The idea it might now be for… nothing??
😶🫣
It would be interesting to get Starmer’s take given that this is literally his constituency
This is sunk cost fallacy. I'm in agreement with you but you need to remove this part out of the decision and not let emotions get in the way.
(Difficult when you consider the number of trees/ancient woodlands that have been lopped down)
I never wanted it in the first place. Britain is compact. That’s an ADVANTAGE. We don’t need 250mph trains
My belief was always this: build a normal line, 100mph, but call it “high speed” to please the geeks and engineers and make the trains sleek
But now we’ve come this far we really do need to finish it if only to show we are capable. Sunk cost doesn’t apply here
It all comes down to the way the project was sold in the first place - the story should never have been about speed the story should have been
1) direct non stop trains between our main cities centered on Birmingham 2) extra capacity 3) more local trains using the old tracks now the direct trains are rerouted.
Instead we talked about speed as if it was the only benefit and not a side-effect...
Edit - I jokingly said elsewhere last week that HS2 should be renamed the WCML bypass - perhaps it should have been given that name in the first place..
It is a sad reality; the strong growth in the French economy seen in August evaporated by September. The Flash Composite HCOB PMI has dropped well below the critical 50 mark, now standing at 47.4. This confirms the suspicion that the service sector surge in August was an Olympics-related anomaly, which has now dissipated. The situation in manufacturing remains difficult, much like in the previous month. Our HCOB Nowcast predicts near stagnation in the French economy for the third quarter, compared to the previous one. With this, France joins the group of Eurozone economies struggling with significant growth challenges
The downturn in the manufacturing sector has deepened again, evaporating any hope for an early recovery. Output plunged at the fastest rate in a year, with new orders collapsing. In a sign of resignation, companies have shed staff at a rate not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This comes as several major automotive suppliers have announced significant job reductions. These troubling figures are likely to intensify the ongoing debate in Germany about the risk of deindustrialization and what the government should do about it.
“Like” isn’t the right reaction to that. Germany looks to be heading for a serious recession. The pressure on the EU to slow down the electric car mandates is going to be immense.
Who’d have thought that France’s August anomoly might have been Olympics-related? Large international sporting or cultural events almost always have a positive impact on the host nations.
How is that going to help, except perhaps in the very short term ?
Because governments are trying to force a change by regulation for which the technology isn’t yet ready, it’s killing the European car industry and threatens to hand a large chunk of it to China.
European car production was up 11% in 2023.
The EV momentum is unstoppable now and none of the OEMs wanted to be last manufacturer stranded with an ICE dominated product line. It's being driven by Chinese consumers as much as regulation. EV/PHEV sales are over 50% of the Chinese market and it's rising fast. They don't have the reactionary and emotional attachment to ICE vehicles that the US and Europe do. Any manufacturer that pulls back from EVs is kissing the Chinese market goodbye.
Outside of the true premium market - I don't think any none Chinese manufacturer has a chance in China anymore..
The other thing is that the point where EV is cheaper to own and run is somewhere between already here (see China) and a couple of years off.
In many countries, the cheaper vehicle that cuts down oil imports, will be absolutely unstoppable.
The European faff about EVs is like the American faff about high speed rail or contactless credit cards. Treating it as a headscratcher of a hypothetical idea that might never catch on, and ignoring the fact the rest of the world already has it.
I used to carshare with a Mechanical Engineering Prof. Ended the share with the pandemic and other reasons. He was very strongly of the opinion that EV would never work, never take off. His main beef was the lack of range and need to charge for extended periods.
And all the while the mechanical engineers in the automotive industry have been solving those challenges. Makes me want to share with him again to see what he is thinking now.
Leon is a colossal arse at times, but he is right on one thing - people often struggle to see the change around the corner - the normalcy bias. I worry if I am doing the same re the future of University education in the face of AI.
On the range point, BYD recently announced its LFP batteries - which have taken over because they're considerably cheaper to produce than other chemistries - are set to increase in energy capacity by around 50% over the next couple of years. They're already 'good enough' to capture nearly half the Chinese auto market. It won't be all that long before it will be impossible to sell ICE vehicles competitively, anywhere.
Absolutely agree about normalcy bias. Leon isn't immune himself.
And that's one of the bits that has changed- battery technology. The other is that electricity from solar has approached the "too cheap to meter" stage. And neither of those is likely to pass across the desk of a prof in mechanical engineering very often, but they're both important for vehicles.
It's the trouble with being a boffin these days. There's so much to know that the old ambition of knowing more than enough about everything that mattered just isn't attainable any more.
Here is an interesting view of the current state of the EV market:
In particular he cites the lack of resale value and worries about range. Improved batteries would seem to me to solve both those problems.
The resale value problem isn't driven by battery quality or capacity. The root issue is uncertainty; it's very difficult to tell the extent to which a BEV's battery pack is degraded. The car's onboard systems are useless for this purpose as projected range is something between a formulation based on WLTP and a random number. So, if people don't know if they are buying a clapped out piece of shit or not, that naturally depresses the price.
I can do it (for Porsche, BMW and Audi) but I am a Level 99 Car Wizard. Your average punter and plastic slip-on clad independent used dealer has no chance.
So who should I get to check the battery? I assume I can't trust a main dealer.
If you bought it from the main dealer and it is under warranty you should go to them. A colleague of my wife's had her BMW serviced by a non main dealer. Had a failure and the main dealer would not honour the warranty due to her servicing it elswhere.
Our hybrid had to go to a special battery centre Audi had in Farnborough to get sorted. It took 8 months from taking it in to getting it back.
We had an occasional fault saying it was a drive system failure error. Tyneside Audi were useless. Apparently the problem was with the battery and for some reason the car thought the gearbox oil pressure was low. It was only intermittent. Had to go to this center in Farnborough for investigation and replacement in the end.
I would not rush to buy one again.
Thanks for that, though I wasn't clear in my question. What I meant was: who should I ask to check a battery of a second hand car before buying it?
There is no good answer to that question, hence the bloodbath in BEV residual values. The tools required are very brand dependent and there is no guarantee that a Main Stealer will have the right software or be capable of correctly interpreting the results if they do. In fact, they are highly motivated to tell you a pack of lies about the condition of the battery pack.
Test driving a few different cars of the same model would probably be useful, if time-consuming, as you'll learn to tell a good one from a bad one.
So perhaps I should just wait until the market matures enough that second hand EVs are a known quantity then. My old car is still going strong, and at the moment I'm filling it up about once a term.
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s embarrassing . It’s pointless if HS2 doesn’t go to Euston .
If we don't build HS2 what we really show is that we can't build projects nowadays..
It’s stupefying. It’s particularly stupefying for me as, for the last decade or so, I’ve watched them build and prep the HS2 infra out of Euston. With all the attendant disruption. Visible from my living room
The idea it might now be for… nothing??
😶🫣
It would be interesting to get Starmer’s take given that this is literally his constituency
It’s rubbish, but I place far more blame on the chronic and appalling mismanagement of HS2 since its inception. It is a national disgrace that it has been allowed to develop (or not) as it has.
Tory MPs and members appear to be ignoring that people in every other political party are praying for a Jenrick win.
Perhaps the Tories should ask themselves why the rest of us are so excited by the idea of a Jenrick win before they vote again...
In a way, the government's current problems make the arrogance situation a bit worse. One of the attractions of Conservatives at their best is confidence and swagger, but it can go too far.
Look at the comments here over the weekend. A lot of Conservatives seem convinced that 2029 is in the bag, in which case they can choose the leader they want rather than one chosen to please the wider electorate.
I wonder if '79 to '83 is the temple?
Michael Foot had a poll lead by the end of 1980, before the Falklands and SDP helped save Thatcher
Indeed. Unless the Cons deal with Reform (surrender? merge? destroy? how?) they will be in the wilderness for ten years, just like SDP did to Labour
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 3m BREAKING: As Reeves talks about honouring public sector pay body recommendations, the Royal College of Nurses have rejected the government's pay award of a 5.5% rise
Well of course. This was always coming when they saw what others were getting.
I can see Uni strikes coming. 2.5% isn't cutting the mustard.
But uni pay awards aren’t negotiated with the government.
I know, but the optics for hard working academics (I know, I know) etc.
40% of unis are in deficit iirc.
Mainly due to government tying their hands with the fees they can charge. The two things are linked. Raise the fee levels, allow unis to educate home students again without preferentially targetting overseas fee and pay a fair wage.
Raise the fee levels for degrees with high graduate earning premiums eg law, engineering, Medicine, economics and IT and freeze the rest.
I'd do it the other way round: charge less for degrees that are useful. Most of the funding is going to come from the government anyway.
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s embarrassing . It’s pointless if HS2 doesn’t go to Euston .
If we don't build HS2 what we really show is that we can't build projects nowadays..
It’s stupefying. It’s particularly stupefying for me as, for the last decade or so, I’ve watched them build and prep the HS2 infra out of Euston. With all the attendant disruption. Visible from my living room
The idea it might now be for… nothing??
😶🫣
It would be interesting to get Starmer’s take given that this is literally his constituency
Maybe he will still be against it like in 2015 when he was trying to get elected, so happy.
"I firmly believe that the best chance of protecting residents and traders in Holborn and St Pancras from the destruction of HS2 is if I can persuade the incoming Government, particularly if it is Labour led, either that HS2 should not proceed at all or that Old Oak Common should be the London terminus."
GOP Congressman (and long time prize idiot) comes out in favour of gun registries.
Comer: "I don't think anyone believes that Kamala Harris is a gun owner, but if she is she needs to tell the American people what type of gun she has." https://x.com/atrupar/status/1837865206862459367
Beth Rigby @BethRigby · 3m BREAKING: As Reeves talks about honouring public sector pay body recommendations, the Royal College of Nurses have rejected the government's pay award of a 5.5% rise
Well of course. This was always coming when they saw what others were getting.
I can see Uni strikes coming. 2.5% isn't cutting the mustard.
But uni pay awards aren’t negotiated with the government.
I know, but the optics for hard working academics (I know, I know) etc.
40% of unis are in deficit iirc.
Mainly due to government tying their hands with the fees they can charge. The two things are linked. Raise the fee levels, allow unis to educate home students again without preferentially targetting overseas fee and pay a fair wage.
Raise the fee levels for degrees with high graduate earning premiums eg law, engineering, Medicine, economics and IT and freeze the rest.
I'd do it the other way round: charge less for degrees that are useful. Most of the funding is going to come from the government anyway.
I think we should be careful with conflating "high graduate earning premiums" and "useful".
We have decided as a country to spend all our money on the NHS and pensions. And so any spare bits of cash must go to these two sacrosanct projects.
It’s desperate. I see no hope for this country. Just endless decline and decay
All the rich will leave and Britain will look like the last scenes of “Threads”
Why do you hate the rest of humanity so much? Not just Britain contempt for which you have shown for years, but the human race? What makes you such a superior being? I’d really love to know how you became infested with such a sense of superiority and virulent misanthropy?
My innate superiority?
Also: lol
Yes. You’ve stated on here many times how much better you are than us. You described be specifically as “subhuman” and “scum” on at least one occasion. Why?
He's a rude narcissist. It's to be expected.
Who, Dougseal, he certainly has been to me in the past, and Isam, among others.
Comments
WE NEED ANSWERS.
You and a few others simply cannot handle the collapse in the reputation of Starmers Labour party evidenced by yougov today
Trust 8%
Likeability 7%
Taming of the Shrew:
Here comes your father. Never make denial;
I must and will have Katherine to my wife.
Twelfth Night:
Madam, yond young fellow swears he will speak with
you. I told him you were sick; he takes on him to
understand so much, and therefore comes to speak
with you. I told him you were asleep; he seems to
have a foreknowledge of that too, and therefore
comes to speak with you. What is to be said to him,
lady? he's fortified against any denial.
All’s Well that Ends Well:
Nay, 'tis most credible; we here received it
A certainty, vouch'd from our cousin Austria,
With caution that the Florentine will move us
For speedy aid; wherein our dearest friend
Prejudicates the business and would seem
To have us make denial.
Psalm 132:1
Lord, remember David and all his self-denial.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyxxv0wdrn0o
The Conservatives said Labour were in “complete denial” about the rise in the benefits bill and insisted that the savings they intend to use to fund tax cuts will come from new policies.
Now they are already rated but are then exempted - so it's just a matter of sending out the bills.
Link to the speech btw is https://labour.org.uk/updates/press-releases/rachel-reeves-speech-at-labour-conference/
There are valid debates to be held around climate science. Not all projections of the future are realistic, but typically the get seized on and used by activists. What steps we should take is also a valid discussion. Net Zero in the UK may cause harm to the UK economy for little gain. Or Net Zero in the UK may drive a 21st C revolution in clean energy.
But yes, calling people deniers isn't going to help.
NEW: no guarantee HS2 will go all the way to Euston. reeves says looking at all options.
https://x.com/mrharrycole/status/1838111655244243053?s=46&t=bulOICNH15U6kB0MwE6Lfw
The basic problem is demographics. People are living longer. In principle, an average individual should pay in during his lifetime to cover his retirement. If he is now going to live until 85 rather than 75, working a few more years so he can pay in to cover that seems to me to be a win both for the individual – who gets more years alive – and for the state – which gets more contributions out of that individual.
There will of course be dozens of variations on that and special cases. But that should be the average position.
Pretty squirrel
"Look! Look! Squirrels! They're moving the goalposts!" or somesuch.
I hope one of the "options" is the whole thing + northern powerhouse + a quadrupling of bus services + Dutch style cycle infrastructure + trams absolutely everywhere
A man can dream
And the stages of grief thing while I am here. It's a reeelly clever and amusing meme but it's important to know what it is about. The answer is not death, it is terminal diagnoses: we biopsied the prime minister and I am afraid the lab report has come back malignant and terminal. The Tories had that conversation three years ago.
Denial - he is not shit
Anger how dare people say he is shit
Bargaining can we at least give it till after the budget before concluding he is shit
Last 2 stages usually silent
(Which is an example of "this is bad, and the government deserve the panning they are getting, but some perspective please". They aren't as good as they should be, but they are still better than the last lot.)
It’s not a healthy mindset.
We also need a few proper metro systems not just trams.
There are increasing numbers of black squirrels around my way. Blooming immigrants...
Almost a great success story, until the other side of the schizophrenic government remembered that overseas students = foreigners = bad.
Angela Rayner faces an investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner over the use of a $2.5million New York apartment lent by Lord Alli, the Labour peer.
The Telegraph can reveal that the Conservatives have written to Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, seeking an investigation.
The Tory letter claims that Ms Rayner’s “failure to properly register” the New York flat donation means the House of Commons code of conduct may have been breached.
It comes after it emerged that Sam Tarry, a former Labour MP, joined Ms Rayner for parts of her stay at the flat from Dec 29 to Jan 2 but was not named in the parliamentary declaration.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/09/22/angela-rayner-parliamentary-standard-commissioner-lord-alli/
Badgers in real life are the bloke at the end of the bar. Shaven head, Love and Hate tattooed on his knuckles. Misspelt. Lots of other bad tattoos, including a spiders web on his neck. Noticeably, all the regulars in the pub give him 6 feet of personal space.
If they’re out by as much as 2020 then Trump easily wins the EC.
If they’re out by as much as 2022 then Harris easily wins the EC.
# Political donations are wrong
Then how does anyone, except the richest, afford to campaign? No democratic country has found an alternative to political donations. The US considers it a central part of free speech.
# Political donations are OK, but they should go to the party rather than to individual candidates
What do we do about independent candidates? We often talk about party structures, e.g. whips, having too much power already. Wouldn't this just hand more power to party HQs? Don't we want to encourage independent-minded candidates?
# Political donations are OK, but they should be for campaigning, not personal benefit
There is a grey area here. Looking well-dressed could be considered part of a good campaign. Even appearing at a Taylor Swift concert got Starmer plenty of press inches. But the bigger issue is that it seems odd to consider £1000 as concert tickets to be potentially corrupting, but that £100,000 in campaign donations isn't. And money is fungible!
# It was the late declaration that was the problem
We already have a mechanism to review that and the Parliamentary body concerned were satisfied in this case that it was just a mistake and nothing untoward.
# It’s not the principle, it’s the sheer amount
OK, so do you introduce caps on donations? But these can be gamed: I give the capped amount, my wife gives the capped amount, my son gives the capped amount, my son’s nanny gives the capped amount, my company gives the capped amount, my shell company gives the capped amount… Or you get the US system of political action committees. I donate an unlimited amount to a body that's trying to get you elected, but is arms length from your campaign. And any limits still favour the richest candidates who can fund themselves.
# It’s not the donation, it’s the quid pro quo
That is why we have donations declared and the donations were declared. So, the question is did Lord Alli get much quo for his quid?
All the rich will leave and Britain will look like the last scenes of “Threads”
And yes, it's an obvious candidate for a bad decision to reverse, but I can see why Reeves didn't announce that today.
(And yes, I will happily condemn her if her decision is to make Old Oak Common the end of the line, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.)
The best advice I saw was ask for the battery to be fully charged and see where it claims to be...
Also: lol
The issue is that all data tells us that unless we get HS2 built by 2030 - the west midlands / North West is going to have continual problems due to lack of capacity on both road and rail..
https://www.kia.com/uk/about/news/buying-a-used-electric-car/
OTOH, they depreciate much more slowly than (eg) Teslas.
I think Hyundai/Kia have some sort of arrangement with these folk.
https://aviloo.com/home-en.html
The idea it might now be for… nothing??
😶🫣
It would be interesting to get Starmer’s take given that this is literally his constituency
(Difficult when you consider the number of trees/ancient woodlands that have been lopped down)
I guess it must be painful tho. 14 years of hope and waiting and all that patiently invested faith, and then… THIS
AIUI they're boring the tunnels to Euston anyway, as it's pretty much cheaper to do that than to not dig them, given the money spent.
Were the projects separated out and being delivered bit by bit it wouldn't be so bad or look so blooming expensive..
https://www.camdennewjournal.co.uk/article/hs2vote?sp=19&sq=HS2
My belief was always this: build a normal line, 100mph, but call it “high speed” to please the geeks and engineers and make the trains sleek
But now we’ve come this far we really do need to finish it if only to show we are capable. Sunk cost doesn’t apply here
Sounds like you’re having a bit of a meltdown. Likewise @Anabobazina
"You're just
As shit
As the Tories...."
Test driving a few different cars of the same model would probably be useful, if time-consuming, as you'll learn to tell a good one from a bad one.
1) direct non stop trains between our main cities centered on Birmingham
2) extra capacity
3) more local trains using the old tracks now the direct trains are rerouted.
Instead we talked about speed as if it was the only benefit and not a side-effect...
Edit - I jokingly said elsewhere last week that HS2 should be renamed the WCML bypass - perhaps it should have been given that name in the first place..
Sanity involves things like Trump having been President of the United States. Or Truss fighting to the death with a lettuce.
It's to be expected.
I think there may be some merit in the system. I did note there are challenges in implementation, in gaming the system to give more through multiple routes. The big question is where to set the cap. Taylor Swift and Arsenal tickets aren't going to be affected, so I also am unclear whether a cap would assuage some people's anger over the current situation.
Some evidence of split ticket voting in Arizona with Latino, less college-educated and lower-income voters often voting Trump for President but for Democratic candidate Gallego for Senate.
Last week the same pollster had Harris 4% ahead in Pennsylvania
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/23/us/politics/times-siena-polls-arizona-georgia-north-carolina.html
Its primary purpose is to get millions more containers off the roads from Southampton and Felixstowe into the Midlands every year.
Comer: "I don't think anyone believes that Kamala Harris is a gun owner, but if she is she needs to tell the American people what type of gun she has."
https://x.com/atrupar/status/1837865206862459367
Don't know what he gets from it.