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  • YBarddCwscYBarddCwsc Posts: 7,172

    Those concerned about their environmental impact might start by having fewer children.

    We can blame Londoners for that.

    They have the highest birth rate per population in the UK.

    London. Destructive, damnable, deceitful London.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 59,936
    malcolmg said:

    eek said:

    RobD said:

    John Bercow’s peerage hopes sunk by third bullying complaint

    A dossier of allegations submitted by his private secretary puts an end to the former Speaker’s hopes of becoming a lord

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/john-bercows-peerage-hopes-sunk-by-third-bullying-complaint-8w7t0q5jz

    I'm looking forward to the moment Hoyle gets a peerage the moment he steps down. :D
    What is annoying is that people seem to believe Bercow hasn't got a peerage because of Brexit rather than because he's been found to be a bully who played the system to avoid being caught.
    Done purely out of spite from Tories who would give a peerage to any despot.
    Purely out of spite? The allegations sound serious.
  • eekeek Posts: 28,405
    RobD said:

    eek said:

    RobD said:

    John Bercow’s peerage hopes sunk by third bullying complaint

    A dossier of allegations submitted by his private secretary puts an end to the former Speaker’s hopes of becoming a lord

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/john-bercows-peerage-hopes-sunk-by-third-bullying-complaint-8w7t0q5jz

    I'm looking forward to the moment Hoyle gets a peerage the moment he steps down. :D
    What is annoying is that people seem to believe Bercow hasn't got a peerage because of Brexit rather than because he's been found to be a bully who played the system to avoid being caught.
    Can't you be happy that it's because of both? :)
    One is political, the other is standards. Politics shouldn't be a part of things here as it allows the (lack of) standards to be ignored.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,609
    RobD said:

    RobD said:

    MaxPB said:

    Those concerned about their environmental impact might start by having fewer children.

    Why?
    The environmental impact of each additional human dwarfs all other savings that most of us can make.
    You could sterilise the entire UK population and it would have a negligible impact on global emissions, even in the long term.
    By the same logic you could spend the rest of your life airborne.
    Yes, both have a negligible effect. Effort should be spent helping developing countries avoid the need to use fossil fuels by investing in alternatives. Having one less child here and there is nothing.
    You really think China's one child policy was "nothing"? Without that there'd be between 100m (some experts) and 400m (China) more Chinese. The population of the EU is now only 445m......
  • MattW said:

    Balrog said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Guilt-tripping can only every get you so far - and it is not far enough.

    I currently drive a petrol fuelled car. I would like to go fully electric but the two things which are holding me back are (1) the poor range - I use my car for long journeys; and (2) the relative lack of fast charging points. Plus the purchase cost is still too high.

    Car companies are, I hope, working on the first. Governments should be investing in the latter. That is one bit of infrastructure spending which is surely needed and should be started pdq, if we want to be serious about caring for the environment.

    Ditto with gas boilers: the government should be making it cost effective for householders to change over. They’re doing nothing. So yes we can turn our heating down, put on vests etc but a financial incentive would really help - much as it did for solar panels on houses.

    It's getting better. I have an electric car with between 200 and 300 miles range depending on temperature and charging on long journeys doesnt take much longer than the time to buy and drink a coffee.

    And the renewable heat initiative gives you payments over up to 20 years. I'm converting to a ground source heat pump and there is a positive return over time without considering the environmental benefits. The problem is the up front cost for which some form of loan scheme would help to get lots of people doing it.
    My UK made hybrid Toyota has a range of 575 miles and I get range anxiety when it drops below 200. Also there's the cost of charging away from home which is not that much less than with a car that does 60 mpg.
    I'm currently on a big 60mpg diesel estate, which I expect to be my last non-electric car. I need to wait for them to be able to tow 2 tons.

    On charging points, I had mine put in with all the neighbours when they were doing them free 3-4 years ago.

    Now you get a 75% grant if you have an eligible electric car.
    Yet there are no subsidies for electric bikes which is my main form of transport.
  • Looks like we will find out this week if Boris Bridge is going get beyond simply pie in the sky idea....

    Boris Johnson revives £20billion plan for bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland that would mirror the link between Sweden and Denmark

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7982525/Boris-Johnson-revives-20billion-plan-bridge-Scotland-Northern-Ireland.html

    Compared with HS2, it's a bargain :lol:
    I am led to believe that this idea is even more complex than the Oresund Link, but that particular infrastructure project is quite incredible and radically altered transportation between Sweden and Denmark.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 23,253
    edited February 2020


    SNIP

    I can't yet justify the cost of an electric car, so I'm making my existing car last longer,

    Even if there's enough lithium in the world to make all the batteries needed to replace all petrol engines, which might become a problem in the longer term, the likelihood of the required charging technology and especially infrastructure being developed looks remote: simply replacing the present network of petrol stations with charging stations would require batteries that could be fully recharged in two or three minutes: you can imagine the queues if everyone had to wait for 15 minutes or half-an-hour.

    Failing that, people mostly recharging at home would necessitate the installation of electric vehicle charging points on every street and outside every home in the country. And then, unless you nationalise electricity generation and pay for it through the tax system (i.e. cut electricity bills to nil) then you've also got the almighty problem of making sure that everybody who uses a charging point pays for that energy. So what do you do, stick a chip and pin slot in every single one and then hope that they don't break down every five minutes like so many railway station ticket machines? Good luck with that one.

    Electric vehicles are a minority pursuit for people who have their own garages or driveways, or are willing to run a cable out of their window and across the pavement with a bit of old carpet draped across it (and willing to take the risk of a parking space outside their home always being available, and of not being sued for personal injuries by some clumsy clot tripping over it.) They're utterly useless for everyone else, not least the many millions of people who live in flats. Wouldn't we be better off looking at hydrogen as an alternative fuel instead?
    A couple of responses to an interesting comment.

    If you check the English Housing survey you will see that nearly 70% of parking is offstreet or garages ie not a minority pursuit. The "what about street parking" is a smaller impediment than perceived, and is imo in large part an example of the old London Tail wagging the Uk Dog problem. And less than half of people in London even have a car.

    I wonder how metro-trams and pro-cycling policies affect car use eg in Nottingham, or what will happen once Boris delivers on transport.

    I think there will be plenty of lithium. "Reserves" is economically recoverable, and that equation rebalances as needed.

    I don't see why paying at a charging point is a problem; we manage to pay for parking at the parking point.

    On costs of charge points at home, currently you get a 75% grant when you have an electric car. I had mine installed when they were doing them free a few years ago.

    On charging infrastructure, standardisation and controllability to balance demand are the current impedidements aiui.

    Cheers


  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,609
    RobD said:

    MaxPB said:

    Those concerned about their environmental impact might start by having fewer children.

    Why?
    The environmental impact of each additional human dwarfs all other savings that most of us can make.
    You could sterilise the entire UK population and it would have a negligible impact on global emissions, even in the long term.
    Although imagine the discussion on here about demographic change and its affect on politics......
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,230

    A mixed approach to clothes drying is the sensible way forward. Dry outside if and when you can. Use a dryer when you can't. It isn't good to have wet clothes hanging up indoors waiting to dry. Plus not everyone has room to do that.

    We tried, in our new place, to cope without a dryer but decided that having towels drying for 36 hours in the living room was not the way forward.

    So I bought a energy efficient dryer. It is effective and is used once a week. During the summer it will be used less. But the option is there during wet periods. Using it every day won't be happening.

    Personally I prefer having a dryer for infrequent use and not using a dishwasher.

    +1
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,359

    When you think we have heard from the biggest numpty in the Labour party, another one pops up and you think Christ they are even worse. Dawn Butler is a poundshop Diane Abbott.
    Could there be a bigger insult than that.
  • YBarddCwscYBarddCwsc Posts: 7,172

    "whether charities, pension funds, or Oxbridge colleges"

    Unless there are a few exceptions I haven't encountered, Oxford and Cambridge colleges are charities. I was surprised to learn that St John's College, Oxford, isn't a registered one though, unlike its namesake at Cambridge.

    Who are the beneficiaries of Oxford and Cambridge colleges supposed to be? Is the answer "the public"? Is it that their investment activities and sale of educational services are supposed to raise money so that they can carry out charitable activities unrelated to these two income-bringing sets of activities, in the way that Oxfam sells secondhand clothes to raise money to assist victims of famine? (Presumably selling services to their own members isn't construed as a public good - that wouldn't make sense.) A friend tells me "the furtherance of religion" is usally written into the mission statements charters.

    I think the Colleges have a lot of freedom to interpret their statutes, written a long time ago.

    The Fellows can agree to give themselves 30,000 pounds each. In fact, they sometimes have done.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1519360/Windfall-for-dons-after-55m-land-sale.html

    The Bursar at New College described it -- in an inspired phrase -- as "the jam on the college scone".
  • eekeek Posts: 28,405
    edited February 2020

    Looks like we will find out this week if Boris Bridge is going get beyond simply pie in the sky idea....

    Boris Johnson revives £20billion plan for bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland that would mirror the link between Sweden and Denmark

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7982525/Boris-Johnson-revives-20billion-plan-bridge-Scotland-Northern-Ireland.html

    Compared with HS2, it's a bargain :lol:
    I am led to believe that this idea is even more complex than the Oresund Link, but that particular infrastructure project is quite incredible and radically altered transportation between Sweden and Denmark.
    At Copenhagen airport it is as easy (and as frequent) to get to Malmo as to get into Copenhagen itself. Journey time was also very similar from memory.
  • malcolmg said:

    When you think we have heard from the biggest numpty in the Labour party, another one pops up and you think Christ they are even worse. Dawn Butler is a poundshop Diane Abbott.
    Could there be a bigger insult than that.
    Poundshop Jeremy Corbyn?
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 28,484
    edited February 2020
    Dura_Ace said:

    Type 31 Frigate delayed by four years. Defence spending is definitely going on the back burner so the government can plant palm trees on roundabouts in Spennymoor.

    Blame HS2
  • BalrogBalrog Posts: 207
    MattW said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Dura_Ace said:



    If the Jaguar iPace was £40k (rather than £65k) and there were charging stations at every petrol station in the country I could tank up in 15 mins or less, then it'd be my next family car.

    The I-Pace makes sense (apart from the comedy build quality but that's just a given with JLR) if you charge it at home then your dependency on charging infrastructure is greatly reduced. I've just had a Chargestorm (Swedish so Greta Approved) installed in the garage so Mrs DA will probably never have to visit a petrol station.
    A garage. Lucky old you.

    ** Looks out at street of terraced houses where you’re lucky to to park anywhere near your house let alone in front to enable charging when you need it. **

    This is why having reliable public charging infrastructure is so necessary. Norway is doing it. Why aren’t we?
    Similar problem in a local community. Large proportion of homes in the town centre were built at a time when there were neither cars nor indeed the need to leave the town.
    I think the range thing will be fixed surprisingly quickly - couple of years.

    We quite happily have petrol cars with ranges of 250-300 miles, all it needs is that plus not very much infrastructure. We have less than 10000 petrol stations. Arguably we need say 25-30k to allow for slower charging times.

    I think we will do it, but at the needed rate, which is fine.

    Perhaps what we need is a setup that allow all those petrol stations with Costa Coffees to invest and know they will get a return.
    My experience is that I charge at home 90% of the time or more, I have probably had to charge away from home about 10 times in the last 6 months.

    Home chargers are very simple and cheap. I dont see why low power chargers wouldn't be fitted as standard in work car parks, at supermarkets, railway stations, etc to the point where you just charge where you park. The tricky bit would be the payment infrastructure, but it's not that difficult a problem.

    I dont think petrol station equivalents will be the solution except for very high power chargers on the motorway network and there wont need to be that many of them.
  • South Africa are playing like a right Richard Burgon in the ODI....
  • MattWMattW Posts: 23,253

    "whether charities, pension funds, or Oxbridge colleges"

    Unless there are a few exceptions I haven't encountered, Oxford and Cambridge colleges are charities. I was surprised to learn that St John's College, Oxford, isn't a registered one though, unlike its namesake at Cambridge.

    Who are the beneficiaries of Oxford and Cambridge colleges supposed to be? Is the answer "the public"? Is it that their investment activities and sale of educational services are supposed to raise money so that they can carry out charitable activities unrelated to these two income-bringing sets of activities, in the way that Oxfam sells secondhand clothes to raise money to assist victims of famine? (Presumably selling services to their own members isn't construed as a public good - that wouldn't make sense.) A friend tells me "the furtherance of religion" is usally written into the mission statements charters.

    I think the Colleges have a lot of freedom to interpret their statutes, written a long time ago.

    The Fellows can agree to give themselves 30,000 pounds each. In fact, they sometimes have done.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1519360/Windfall-for-dons-after-55m-land-sale.html

    The Bursar at New College described it -- in an inspired phrase -- as "the jam on the college scone".
    I think it is quite fun that the ultimate arbiter at St Johns College seems to be the Bishop of Winchester !
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,623

    ydoethur said:

    This must surely be the finest excuse for late running of trains in the history of railways:

    Meanwhile, Southeastern train services have been disrupted by a trampoline blowing onto the line.

    Link (with photo):

    Storm Ciara: Travel disruption as UK hit by severe gales https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51425482

    Not as good as this excuse as used by Northern in December.


    That indicator board reminds me of an acquaintance who got on the first train thinking it went to London, although now I am intrigued by Blackpool North Pole.
    Ha! Got a shock presumably when he got off and instead of people speaking investment banking they were speaking scouse!
    Years ago when I worked in Leeds, and before satnavs were a thing my friend had to go to South Shields, she asked me for how to get there, I said jump on the A1 and drive for about 2 hours and you'll be there.

    About three hours later, I get a phone call, see says 'I've been driving for three hours, and I'm not there' and I said 'Where are you now?' and she replied 'I've just passed Biggleswade'

    She had assumed South Shields was in the South.
    Hope she never has to go to a meeting at Leeds Castle.

    (Colleague of mine once made that mistake. From London).
  • Looks like the Cult know RBL is losing.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,623
    Jonathan said:

    The departure board reminds be of a time at Stansted train station

    Two trains on adjacent platforms

    Platform 1: London Liverpool Street
    Platform 2: Liverpool Lime Street

    A poor Japanese tourist was most confused. I still wonder if he got to his destination.

    And they only recently added the “London” to Liverpool St. station. It used to be even more confusing!
  • MattWMattW Posts: 23,253
    kinabalu said:

    A mixed approach to clothes drying is the sensible way forward. Dry outside if and when you can. Use a dryer when you can't. It isn't good to have wet clothes hanging up indoors waiting to dry. Plus not everyone has room to do that.

    We tried, in our new place, to cope without a dryer but decided that having towels drying for 36 hours in the living room was not the way forward.

    So I bought a energy efficient dryer. It is effective and is used once a week. During the summer it will be used less. But the option is there during wet periods. Using it every day won't be happening.

    Personally I prefer having a dryer for infrequent use and not using a dishwasher.

    +1
    These days quite a few newbuilds put in a drying area or even the drying spinner outside under a rain shelter.. and if your house is a modern one if fitted with an MVHR things will dry pronto anyway.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 28,484
    Sandpit said:

    ydoethur said:

    This must surely be the finest excuse for late running of trains in the history of railways:

    Meanwhile, Southeastern train services have been disrupted by a trampoline blowing onto the line.

    Link (with photo):

    Storm Ciara: Travel disruption as UK hit by severe gales https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51425482

    Not as good as this excuse as used by Northern in December.


    That indicator board reminds me of an acquaintance who got on the first train thinking it went to London, although now I am intrigued by Blackpool North Pole.
    Ha! Got a shock presumably when he got off and instead of people speaking investment banking they were speaking scouse!
    Years ago when I worked in Leeds, and before satnavs were a thing my friend had to go to South Shields, she asked me for how to get there, I said jump on the A1 and drive for about 2 hours and you'll be there.

    About three hours later, I get a phone call, see says 'I've been driving for three hours, and I'm not there' and I said 'Where are you now?' and she replied 'I've just passed Biggleswade'

    She had assumed South Shields was in the South.
    Hope she never has to go to a meeting at Leeds Castle.

    (Colleague of mine once made that mistake. From London).
    We had Swiss friends who wanted to go to Stratford (the Shakespeare one) and ended up in Stafford. :neutral:
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,230

    Looks like the Cult know RBL is losing.

    Demonstrating that it's not a cult.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,609
    MattW said:

    Balrog said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Guilt-tripping can only every get you so far - and it is not far enough.

    I currently drive a petrol fuelled car. I would like to go fully electric but the two things which are holding me back are (1) the poor range - I use my car for long journeys; and (2) the relative lack of fast charging points. Plus the purchase cost is still too high.

    Car companies are, I hope, working on the first. Governments should be investing in the latter. That is one bit of infrastructure spending which is surely needed and should be started pdq, if we want to be serious about caring for the environment.

    Ditto with gas boilers: the government should be making it cost effective for householders to change over. They’re doing nothing. So yes we can turn our heating down, put on vests etc but a financial incentive would really help - much as it did for solar panels on houses.

    It's getting better. I have an electric car with between 200 and 300 miles range depending on temperature and charging on long journeys doesnt take much longer than the time to buy and drink a coffee.

    And the renewable heat initiative gives you payments over up to 20 years. I'm converting to a ground source heat pump and there is a positive return over time without considering the environmental benefits. The problem is the up front cost for which some form of loan scheme would help to get lots of people doing it.
    My UK made hybrid Toyota has a range of 575 miles and I get range anxiety when it drops below 200. Also there's the cost of charging away from home which is not that much less than with a car that does 60 mpg.
    I'm currently on a big 60mpg diesel estate, which I expect to be my last non-electric car. I need to wait for them to be able to tow 2 tons.

    On charging points, I had mine put in with all the neighbours when they were doing them free 3-4 years ago.

    Now you get a 75% grant if you have an eligible electric car.
    I understand there are still significant torque issues for towing with electric cars.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,120
    edited February 2020
    A fourth patient has tested positive for coronavirus in the UK after being infected in France by a fellow Briton. They are being treated at the Royal Free Hospital in Camden, north London, marking the first case of the killer infection in the capital.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 22,037
    I see that Momentum and their fellow travellers have now turned to throwing mud at the Starmer campaign.

    Sore losers before they've even lost.

    RLB should be playing nicely if she wants to be shadow Home Sec or similar.

    Which triggers the thought 'Who will be Starmer's Shadow Chancellor?'
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,609

    Sandpit said:

    ydoethur said:

    This must surely be the finest excuse for late running of trains in the history of railways:

    Meanwhile, Southeastern train services have been disrupted by a trampoline blowing onto the line.

    Link (with photo):

    Storm Ciara: Travel disruption as UK hit by severe gales https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51425482

    Not as good as this excuse as used by Northern in December.


    That indicator board reminds me of an acquaintance who got on the first train thinking it went to London, although now I am intrigued by Blackpool North Pole.
    Ha! Got a shock presumably when he got off and instead of people speaking investment banking they were speaking scouse!
    Years ago when I worked in Leeds, and before satnavs were a thing my friend had to go to South Shields, she asked me for how to get there, I said jump on the A1 and drive for about 2 hours and you'll be there.

    About three hours later, I get a phone call, see says 'I've been driving for three hours, and I'm not there' and I said 'Where are you now?' and she replied 'I've just passed Biggleswade'

    She had assumed South Shields was in the South.
    Hope she never has to go to a meeting at Leeds Castle.

    (Colleague of mine once made that mistake. From London).
    We had Swiss friends who wanted to go to Stratford (the Shakespeare one) and ended up in Stafford. :neutral:
    The record is still held by a twitcher who overheard there was a very rare bird in Aberdeen.

    Those watching it in Aberdare didn't half laugh......
  • I see that Momentum and their fellow travellers have now turned to throwing mud at the Starmer campaign.

    Sore losers before they've even lost.

    RLB should be playing nicely if she wants to be shadow Home Sec or similar.

    Which triggers the thought 'Who will be Starmer's Shadow Chancellor?'

    If Starmer has any sense he'll pick Richard Burgon as Shadow Chancellor.
  • SandraMcSandraMc Posts: 694

    Sandpit said:

    ydoethur said:

    This must surely be the finest excuse for late running of trains in the history of railways:

    Meanwhile, Southeastern train services have been disrupted by a trampoline blowing onto the line.

    Link (with photo):

    Storm Ciara: Travel disruption as UK hit by severe gales https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51425482

    Not as good as this excuse as used by Northern in December.


    That indicator board reminds me of an acquaintance who got on the first train thinking it went to London, although now I am intrigued by Blackpool North Pole.
    Ha! Got a shock presumably when he got off and instead of people speaking investment banking they were speaking scouse!
    Years ago when I worked in Leeds, and before satnavs were a thing my friend had to go to South Shields, she asked me for how to get there, I said jump on the A1 and drive for about 2 hours and you'll be there.

    About three hours later, I get a phone call, see says 'I've been driving for three hours, and I'm not there' and I said 'Where are you now?' and she replied 'I've just passed Biggleswade'

    She had assumed South Shields was in the South.
    Hope she never has to go to a meeting at Leeds Castle.

    (Colleague of mine once made that mistake. From London).
    We had Swiss friends who wanted to go to Stratford (the Shakespeare one) and ended up in Stafford. :neutral:
    I used to live near Alton, Hants. A friend who was a teacher used to organise foreign exchanges for pupils. She said she had to deal with a large number of foreign pupils who were excited at the prospect of a visit to the Alton Towers Theme Park and she had to explain to them it was nowhere near.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,468

    Sandpit said:

    ydoethur said:

    This must surely be the finest excuse for late running of trains in the history of railways:

    Meanwhile, Southeastern train services have been disrupted by a trampoline blowing onto the line.

    Link (with photo):

    Storm Ciara: Travel disruption as UK hit by severe gales https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51425482

    Not as good as this excuse as used by Northern in December.


    That indicator board reminds me of an acquaintance who got on the first train thinking it went to London, although now I am intrigued by Blackpool North Pole.
    Ha! Got a shock presumably when he got off and instead of people speaking investment banking they were speaking scouse!
    Years ago when I worked in Leeds, and before satnavs were a thing my friend had to go to South Shields, she asked me for how to get there, I said jump on the A1 and drive for about 2 hours and you'll be there.

    About three hours later, I get a phone call, see says 'I've been driving for three hours, and I'm not there' and I said 'Where are you now?' and she replied 'I've just passed Biggleswade'

    She had assumed South Shields was in the South.
    Hope she never has to go to a meeting at Leeds Castle.

    (Colleague of mine once made that mistake. From London).
    We had Swiss friends who wanted to go to Stratford (the Shakespeare one) and ended up in Stafford. :neutral:
    There's a probably apocryphal tale about a tourist who wanted to go to Stamford Bridge and ended up near York.
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118
    Sandpit said:

    Jonathan said:

    The departure board reminds be of a time at Stansted train station

    Two trains on adjacent platforms

    Platform 1: London Liverpool Street
    Platform 2: Liverpool Lime Street

    A poor Japanese tourist was most confused. I still wonder if he got to his destination.

    And they only recently added the “London” to Liverpool St. station. It used to be even more confusing!
    My bugbear! Why, when Fenchurch St became 'London Fenchurch St', and Liverpool St became 'London Liverpool St' did London Bridge not become 'London London Bridge'?

    Someone might think that it was previously called "Bridge" and the 'London' prefix was added at the same time as to the other main London stations
  • malcolmg said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Type 31 Frigate delayed by four years. Defence spending is definitely going on the back burner so the government can plant palm trees on roundabouts in Spennymoor.

    All those numpties in Glasgow shipyards that voted NO to save their jobs will be cheering today. Their unions gave them great advice.
    On the contrary, the contract with BAES means they all get to be paid and retained whether they are doing any work or not, to keep the business alive. A slower pace of work sounds like heaven to me.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,228
    eek said:

    RobD said:

    John Bercow’s peerage hopes sunk by third bullying complaint

    A dossier of allegations submitted by his private secretary puts an end to the former Speaker’s hopes of becoming a lord

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/john-bercows-peerage-hopes-sunk-by-third-bullying-complaint-8w7t0q5jz

    I'm looking forward to the moment Hoyle gets a peerage the moment he steps down. :D
    What is annoying is that people seem to believe Bercow hasn't got a peerage because of Brexit rather than because he's been found to be a bully who played the system to avoid being caught.
    To be fair, Bercow deserves having the peerage denied because of bullying, but it will happen because of Brexit.
    So 8n some measure, everyone is right.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 28,484
    SandraMc said:

    Sandpit said:

    ydoethur said:

    This must surely be the finest excuse for late running of trains in the history of railways:

    Meanwhile, Southeastern train services have been disrupted by a trampoline blowing onto the line.

    Link (with photo):

    Storm Ciara: Travel disruption as UK hit by severe gales https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51425482

    Not as good as this excuse as used by Northern in December.


    That indicator board reminds me of an acquaintance who got on the first train thinking it went to London, although now I am intrigued by Blackpool North Pole.
    Ha! Got a shock presumably when he got off and instead of people speaking investment banking they were speaking scouse!
    Years ago when I worked in Leeds, and before satnavs were a thing my friend had to go to South Shields, she asked me for how to get there, I said jump on the A1 and drive for about 2 hours and you'll be there.

    About three hours later, I get a phone call, see says 'I've been driving for three hours, and I'm not there' and I said 'Where are you now?' and she replied 'I've just passed Biggleswade'

    She had assumed South Shields was in the South.
    Hope she never has to go to a meeting at Leeds Castle.

    (Colleague of mine once made that mistake. From London).
    We had Swiss friends who wanted to go to Stratford (the Shakespeare one) and ended up in Stafford. :neutral:
    I used to live near Alton, Hants. A friend who was a teacher used to organise foreign exchanges for pupils. She said she had to deal with a large number of foreign pupils who were excited at the prospect of a visit to the Alton Towers Theme Park and she had to explain to them it was nowhere near.
    I suppose Paulton's isn't really the same...
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,468

    Sandpit said:

    ydoethur said:

    This must surely be the finest excuse for late running of trains in the history of railways:

    Meanwhile, Southeastern train services have been disrupted by a trampoline blowing onto the line.

    Link (with photo):

    Storm Ciara: Travel disruption as UK hit by severe gales https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51425482

    Not as good as this excuse as used by Northern in December.


    That indicator board reminds me of an acquaintance who got on the first train thinking it went to London, although now I am intrigued by Blackpool North Pole.
    Ha! Got a shock presumably when he got off and instead of people speaking investment banking they were speaking scouse!
    Years ago when I worked in Leeds, and before satnavs were a thing my friend had to go to South Shields, she asked me for how to get there, I said jump on the A1 and drive for about 2 hours and you'll be there.

    About three hours later, I get a phone call, see says 'I've been driving for three hours, and I'm not there' and I said 'Where are you now?' and she replied 'I've just passed Biggleswade'

    She had assumed South Shields was in the South.
    Hope she never has to go to a meeting at Leeds Castle.

    (Colleague of mine once made that mistake. From London).
    We had Swiss friends who wanted to go to Stratford (the Shakespeare one) and ended up in Stafford. :neutral:
    The record is still held by a twitcher who overheard there was a very rare bird in Aberdeen.

    Those watching it in Aberdare didn't half laugh......
    At the time of the Mau Mau emergency (my memory's still good) there were problems in part of Glamorgan because some of the fighting was in what were then at least called the Aberdare Mountains.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,359
    RobD said:

    malcolmg said:

    eek said:

    RobD said:

    John Bercow’s peerage hopes sunk by third bullying complaint

    A dossier of allegations submitted by his private secretary puts an end to the former Speaker’s hopes of becoming a lord

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/john-bercows-peerage-hopes-sunk-by-third-bullying-complaint-8w7t0q5jz

    I'm looking forward to the moment Hoyle gets a peerage the moment he steps down. :D
    What is annoying is that people seem to believe Bercow hasn't got a peerage because of Brexit rather than because he's been found to be a bully who played the system to avoid being caught.
    Done purely out of spite from Tories who would give a peerage to any despot.
    Purely out of spite? The allegations sound serious.
    Serious or not Rob the lack of peerage is just done out of spite, far far worse have been given them. The place is full of ne'er do wells
  • MattWMattW Posts: 23,253
    Balrog said:

    MattW said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Dura_Ace said:



    If the Jaguar iPace was £40k (rather than £65k) and there were charging stations at every petrol station in the country I could tank up in 15 mins or less, then it'd be my next family car.

    The I-Pace makes sense (apart from the comedy build quality but that's just a given with JLR) if you charge it at home then your dependency on charging infrastructure is greatly reduced. I've just had a Chargestorm (Swedish so Greta Approved) installed in the garage so Mrs DA will probably never have to visit a petrol station.
    A garage. Lucky old you.

    ** Looks out at street of terraced houses where you’re lucky to to park anywhere near your house let alone in front to enable charging when you need it. **

    This is why having reliable public charging infrastructure is so necessary. Norway is doing it. Why aren’t we?
    Similar problem in a local community. Large proportion of homes in the town centre were built at a time when there were neither cars nor indeed the need to leave the town.
    I think the range thing will be fixed surprisingly quickly - couple of years.

    We quite happily have petrol cars with ranges of 250-300 miles, all it needs is that plus not very much infrastructure. We have less than 10000 petrol stations. Arguably we need say 25-30k to allow for slower charging times.

    I think we will do it, but at the needed rate, which is fine.

    Perhaps what we need is a setup that allow all those petrol stations with Costa Coffees to invest and know they will get a return.
    My experience is that I charge at home 90% of the time or more, I have probably had to charge away from home about 10 times in the last 6 months.

    Home chargers are very simple and cheap. I dont see why low power chargers wouldn't be fitted as standard in work car parks, at supermarkets, railway stations, etc to the point where you just charge where you park. The tricky bit would be the payment infrastructure, but it's not that difficult a problem.

    I dont think petrol station equivalents will be the solution except for very high power chargers on the motorway network and there wont need to be that many of them.
    I think that for supermarkets it needs to be a substantially complete charge in the time it takes to shop ... say 1 hr.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 59,936

    RobD said:

    RobD said:

    MaxPB said:

    Those concerned about their environmental impact might start by having fewer children.

    Why?
    The environmental impact of each additional human dwarfs all other savings that most of us can make.
    You could sterilise the entire UK population and it would have a negligible impact on global emissions, even in the long term.
    By the same logic you could spend the rest of your life airborne.
    Yes, both have a negligible effect. Effort should be spent helping developing countries avoid the need to use fossil fuels by investing in alternatives. Having one less child here and there is nothing.
    You really think China's one child policy was "nothing"? Without that there'd be between 100m (some experts) and 400m (China) more Chinese. The population of the EU is now only 445m......
    If Meeks was directing his message to the Chinese, fair enough. :p
  • MattWMattW Posts: 23,253
    edited February 2020
    On public transport vs car usage.

    In London car ownership per pop fell across the board by 3% to 10% between 2001 and 2011.
    https://www.racfoundation.org/assets/rac_foundation/content/downloadables/car ownership rates by local authority - december 2012.pdf

    (Bottom 20 lines)
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,868

    IanB2 said:

    tlg86 said:

    Andy Street is a very good politician in terms of not answering questions.

    He does tend to go around the houses.
    He's detached from reality.
    bit like Boris really...
    But we two were trying to do street puns...
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,318
    kinabalu said:

    Cyclefree said:

    My bugbear is the use of dryers rather than old-fashioned washing lines outside in a garden or strung between balconies.A marvellous way of drying, free, impeccably green and your clothes smell nicer too.

    And yet some people seem to think it frightfully vulgar and downmarket. If it were down to me we’d all have our pants out on a line. I simply don’t understand how a family can do all their washing and dry it indoors without the house being permanently damp or without having enormous electricity bills.

    I used to help my mother do this when I was small. She would hang the clothes out on a line and I would pass her the pegs. Nice little ritual. The problem with it is the obvious one - the sudden onset of rain.
    My children, despite being grown up, still do the same with me. It’s one of my favourite household tasks.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,359

    Looks like we will find out this week if Boris Bridge is going get beyond simply pie in the sky idea....

    Boris Johnson revives £20billion plan for bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland that would mirror the link between Sweden and Denmark

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7982525/Boris-Johnson-revives-20billion-plan-bridge-Scotland-Northern-Ireland.html

    Compared with HS2, it's a bargain :lol:
    I am led to believe that this idea is even more complex than the Oresund Link, but that particular infrastructure project is quite incredible and radically altered transportation between Sweden and Denmark.
    Just usual hot air bollox as they are crapping themselves over Indyref2 polls. It will never ever happen, just as HS2will never ever reach or benefit Scotland
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,806
    edited February 2020
    Just heard a message* rumble of thunder. Plus more water flowing outside the house than I've seen for a long while.

    Suspect persuading the hound to go for an afternoon wander may be a challenge.


    Edited extra bit: *massive. That's quite the homophonic typo.
  • SandraMcSandraMc Posts: 694

    SandraMc said:

    Sandpit said:

    ydoethur said:

    This must surely be the finest excuse for late running of trains in the history of railways:

    Meanwhile, Southeastern train services have been disrupted by a trampoline blowing onto the line.

    Link (with photo):

    Storm Ciara: Travel disruption as UK hit by severe gales https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51425482

    Not as good as this excuse as used by Northern in December.


    That indicator board reminds me of an acquaintance who got on the first train thinking it went to London, although now I am intrigued by Blackpool North Pole.
    Ha! Got a shock presumably when he got off and instead of people speaking investment banking they were speaking scouse!
    Years ago when I worked in Leeds, and before satnavs were a thing my friend had to go to South Shields, she asked me for how to get there, I said jump on the A1 and drive for about 2 hours and you'll be there.

    About three hours later, I get a phone call, see says 'I've been driving for three hours, and I'm not there' and I said 'Where are you now?' and she replied 'I've just passed Biggleswade'

    She had assumed South Shields was in the South.
    Hope she never has to go to a meeting at Leeds Castle.

    (Colleague of mine once made that mistake. From London).
    We had Swiss friends who wanted to go to Stratford (the Shakespeare one) and ended up in Stafford. :neutral:
    I used to live near Alton, Hants. A friend who was a teacher used to organise foreign exchanges for pupils. She said she had to deal with a large number of foreign pupils who were excited at the prospect of a visit to the Alton Towers Theme Park and she had to explain to them it was nowhere near.
    I suppose Paulton's isn't really the same...
    I haven't been to Paulton for ages but last time I went it wasn't bad but aimed at the younger child.

  • BalrogBalrog Posts: 207
    MattW said:

    Balrog said:

    MattW said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Dura_Ace said:



    If the Jaguar iPace was £40k (rather than £65k) and there were charging stations at every petrol station in the country I could tank up in 15 mins or less, then it'd be my next family car.

    The I-Pace makes sense (apart from the comedy build quality but that's just a given with JLR) if you charge it at home then your dependency on charging infrastructure is greatly reduced. I've just had a Chargestorm (Swedish so Greta Approved) installed in the garage so Mrs DA will probably never have to visit a petrol station.
    A garage. Lucky old you.

    ** Looks out at street of terraced houses where you’re lucky to to park anywhere near your house let alone in front to enable charging when you need it. **

    This is why having reliable public charging infrastructure is so necessary. Norway is doing it. Why aren’t we?
    Similar problem in a local community. Large proportion of homes in the town centre were built at a time when there were neither cars nor indeed the need to leave the town.
    I think the range thing will be fixed surprisingly quickly - couple of years.

    We quite happily have petrol cars with ranges of 250-300 miles, all it needs is that plus not very much infrastructure. We have less than 10000 petrol stations. Arguably we need say 25-30k to allow for slower charging times.

    I think we will do it, but at the needed rate, which is fine.

    Perhaps what we need is a setup that allow all those petrol stations with Costa Coffees to invest and know they will get a return.
    My experience is that I charge at home 90% of the time or more, I have probably had to charge away from home about 10 times in the last 6 months.

    Home chargers are very simple and cheap. I dont see why low power chargers wouldn't be fitted as standard in work car parks, at supermarkets, railway stations, etc to the point where you just charge where you park. The tricky bit would be the payment infrastructure, but it's not that difficult a problem.

    I dont think petrol station equivalents will be the solution except for very high power chargers on the motorway network and there wont need to be that many of them.
    I think that for supermarkets it needs to be a substantially complete charge in the time it takes to shop ... say 1 hr.
    I guess that would need a 50kW charger. And for a large supermarket with say 100 charge points that's 5MW if all in use. But I think work based chargers would be ok at 8kW as people park for long periods.
  • Black_RookBlack_Rook Posts: 8,905
    edited February 2020

    Those concerned about their environmental impact might start by having fewer children.

    Fertility rates are already below replacement level throughout the developed world and in the majority of other countries; the problem of runaway population growth is confined principally to Africa and parts of the Middle East, i.e. where levels of education, healthcare, income and female emancipation are lowest, and where the grip of religion is most vice-like. Good luck solving that in a hurry.

    The UK TFR, by contrast, is at around 1.8 which already implies long-term population decline, unless the losses are made good by ongoing net immigration. People here having even fewer babies than they do already is not going to make a meaningful difference.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,228

    Just heard a message* rumble of thunder...

    By Jove, you’re right.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,468
    MattW said:

    Balrog said:

    MattW said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Dura_Ace said:



    If the Jaguar iPace was £40k (rather than £65k) and there were charging stations at every petrol station in the country I could tank up in 15 mins or less, then it'd be my next family car.

    The I-Pace makes sense (apart from the comedy build quality but that's just a given with JLR) if you charge it at home then your dependency on charging infrastructure is greatly reduced. I've just had a Chargestorm (Swedish so Greta Approved) installed in the garage so Mrs DA will probably never have to visit a petrol station.
    A garage. Lucky old you.

    ** Looks out at street of terraced houses where you’re lucky to to park anywhere near your house let alone in front to enable charging when you need it. **

    This is why having reliable public charging infrastructure is so necessary. Norway is doing it. Why aren’t we?
    Similar problem in a local community. Large proportion of homes in the town centre were built at a time when there were neither cars nor indeed the need to leave the town.

    I think we will do it, but at the needed rate, which is fine.

    Perhaps what we need is a setup that allow all those petrol stations with Costa Coffees to invest and know they will get a return.
    My experience is that I charge at home 90% of the time or more, I have probably had to charge away from home about 10 times in the last 6 months.

    Home chargers are very simple and cheap. I dont see why low power chargers wouldn't be fitted as standard in work car parks, at supermarkets, railway stations, etc to the point where you just charge where you park. The tricky bit would be the payment infrastructure, but it's not that difficult a problem.

    I dont think petrol station equivalents will be the solution except for very high power chargers on the motorway network and there wont need to be that many of them.
    I think that for supermarkets it needs to be a substantially complete charge in the time it takes to shop ... say 1 hr.
    Supermarket shopping. In and out in 5-10 minutes me. Know what I want, get it. The Park and Ride in N Chelmsford has three (I think) charging points. Don't know how that works; leave your car there, get the bus to Chelmsford (or the hospital), but how do you move the car when it's charged, you are still an hour away and someone else wants to use the charging point?
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,359

    malcolmg said:

    When you think we have heard from the biggest numpty in the Labour party, another one pops up and you think Christ they are even worse. Dawn Butler is a poundshop Diane Abbott.
    Could there be a bigger insult than that.
    Poundshop Jeremy Corbyn?
    touche
  • MattWMattW Posts: 23,253
    Balrog said:

    MattW said:

    Balrog said:

    MattW said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Dura_Ace said:



    If the Jaguar iPace was £40k (rather than £65k) and there were charging stations at every petrol station in the country I could tank up in 15 mins or less, then it'd be my next family car.

    The I-Pace makes sense (apart from the comedy build quality but that's just a given with JLR) if you charge it at home then your dependency on charging infrastructure is greatly reduced. I've just had a Chargestorm (Swedish so Greta Approved) installed in the garage so Mrs DA will probably never have to visit a petrol station.
    A garage. Lucky old you.

    ** Looks out at street of terraced houses where you’re lucky to to park anywhere near your house let alone in front to enable charging when you need it. **

    This is why having reliable public charging infrastructure is so necessary. Norway is doing it. Why aren’t we?
    Similar problem in a local community. Large proportion of homes in the town centre were built at a time when there were neither cars nor indeed the need to leave the town.
    I think the range thing will be fixed surprisingly quickly - couple of years.

    We quite happily have petrol cars with ranges of 250-300 miles, all it needs is that plus not very much infrastructure. We have less than 10000 petrol stations. Arguably we need say 25-30k to allow for slower charging times.

    I think we will do it, but at the needed rate, which is fine.

    Perhaps what we need is a setup that allow all those petrol stations with Costa Coffees to invest and know they will get a return.
    My experience is that I charge at home 90% of the time or more, I have probably had to charge away from home about 10 times in the last 6 months.

    Home chargers are very simple and cheap. I dont see why low power chargers wouldn't be fitted as standard in work car parks, at supermarkets, railway stations, etc to the point where you just charge where you park. The tricky bit would be the payment infrastructure, but it's not that difficult a problem.

    I dont think petrol station equivalents will be the solution except for very high power chargers on the motorway network and there wont need to be that many of them.
    I think that for supermarkets it needs to be a substantially complete charge in the time it takes to shop ... say 1 hr.
    I guess that would need a 50kW charger. And for a large supermarket with say 100 charge points that's 5MW if all in use. But I think work based chargers would be ok at 8kW as people park for long periods.
    Probably agree. Mine in the garage waiting for an e-car which tows is 7kW.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 28,484
    malcolmg said:

    Looks like we will find out this week if Boris Bridge is going get beyond simply pie in the sky idea....

    Boris Johnson revives £20billion plan for bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland that would mirror the link between Sweden and Denmark

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7982525/Boris-Johnson-revives-20billion-plan-bridge-Scotland-Northern-Ireland.html

    Compared with HS2, it's a bargain :lol:
    I am led to believe that this idea is even more complex than the Oresund Link, but that particular infrastructure project is quite incredible and radically altered transportation between Sweden and Denmark.
    Just usual hot air bollox as they are crapping themselves over Indyref2 polls. It will never ever happen, just as HS2will never ever reach or benefit Scotland
    The feasibility study has been going on for some time Malc.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,230
    isam said:

    My bugbear! Why, when Fenchurch St became 'London Fenchurch St', and Liverpool St became 'London Liverpool St' did London Bridge not become 'London London Bridge'?

    Someone might think that it was previously called "Bridge" and the 'London' prefix was added at the same time as to the other main London stations

    It's a good point. "London Bridge London" would IMO work better, but I realize that does not resolve the exact flaw you raise.
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,318

    kinabalu said:

    Cyclefree said:

    My bugbear is the use of dryers rather than old-fashioned washing lines outside in a garden or strung between balconies.A marvellous way of drying, free, impeccably green and your clothes smell nicer too.

    And yet some people seem to think it frightfully vulgar and downmarket. If it were down to me we’d all have our pants out on a line. I simply don’t understand how a family can do all their washing and dry it indoors without the house being permanently damp or without having enormous electricity bills.

    I used to help my mother do this when I was small. She would hang the clothes out on a line and I would pass her the pegs. Nice little ritual. The problem with it is the obvious one - the sudden onset of rain.
    My wife's always been in favour of washing lines. As Ms Cyclefree says, clothes smell much better.
    Fortunately we have a small garden where this can be done, but not everywhere locally has such a space.
    I give you Naples, balconies and washing lines strung across the streets.

    https://images.app.goo.gl/VQTxNvkv2uWeckxH9
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,359

    malcolmg said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Type 31 Frigate delayed by four years. Defence spending is definitely going on the back burner so the government can plant palm trees on roundabouts in Spennymoor.

    All those numpties in Glasgow shipyards that voted NO to save their jobs will be cheering today. Their unions gave them great advice.
    On the contrary, the contract with BAES means they all get to be paid and retained whether they are doing any work or not, to keep the business alive. A slower pace of work sounds like heaven to me.
    I find that hard to believe , thousands have been laid off over the years
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,468
    MattW said:

    On public transport vs car usage.

    In London car ownership per pop fell across the board by 3% to 10% between 2001 and 2011.
    https://www.racfoundation.org/assets/rac_foundation/content/downloadables/car ownership rates by local authority - december 2012.pdf

    (Bottom 20 lines)

    Is that per adult population unit, or does it allow for children?
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    RobD said:

    RobD said:

    MaxPB said:

    Those concerned about their environmental impact might start by having fewer children.

    Why?
    The environmental impact of each additional human dwarfs all other savings that most of us can make.
    You could sterilise the entire UK population and it would have a negligible impact on global emissions, even in the long term.
    By the same logic you could spend the rest of your life airborne.
    Yes, both have a negligible effect. Effort should be spent helping developing countries avoid the need to use fossil fuels by investing in alternatives. Having one less child here and there is nothing.
    Everything is nothing, until you aggregate it, and then it becomes a lot. Why do you think any one person's "Effort ... spent helping developing countries" is more effective than effort put into anything else?
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,623
    Cyclefree said:

    Cyclefree said:

    You can see the numbers in David MacKay's book (which is free to download, because the man was so nice).

    He estimates per individual the savings from things we could each do.

    https://www.withouthotair.com/c29/page_229.shtml

    Put on a woolly jumper and turn down your heating’s thermostat (to 15 or 17 °C, say). Put individual thermostats on all radiators. Make sure the heating’s off when no-one’s at home. Do the same at work ... 20 kWh/d

    Stop flying .... 35 kWh/d

    Eat vegetarian, six days out of seven .... 10 kWh/d

    Replace fossil-fuel heating by ground-source or air-source heat pumps .... 10 kWh/d

    Drive less, drive more slowly, drive more gently, car-pool, use an electric car, join a car club, cycle, walk, use trains and buses ... 20 kWh/d

    Notice the small actions by individual (stopping flying & turning your thermostat down) are more effective than big actions like installing a new heating system, or using an electric car.

    David MacKay FRS was an extremely gifted physicist (who died sadly young) & was energy advisor to the Labour/Coalition Governments.
    Thank you. I will look out for his book.

    The first three I have been doing for years. The single most effective heating thing I have done was to install really good insulation. Once the droughts were eliminated it became very much easier to turn the heating right down. I walk and cycle and certainly use my car much less (hardly at all in London. Cumbria is a different matter.). And I eat little meat. Plus I’ve planted trees and my garden is a wildlife habitat.

    I’m sure all these individual steps help but it is frustrating that other steps which governments could be doing - like charging infrastructure - are not (at least as far as I can see) being done.
    Electric car charging infrastructure is an utter nightmare (unless you have a Tesla, their Supercharger network is really good).

    There’s dozen different companies, operating under a variety of different business models (pay as you go, monthly subscription, fast chargers, slow chargers) most of which require pre-registration and mobile apps rather than cash or card payment. The motorway service stations have mostly signed up exclusive deals all with the same provider which charges £40 for an hour’s charging, pretty much the same price as using a petrol car.

    Someone at the Department of Transport needs to be in charge of banging heads together to make a system that works, if people are to see EVs as viable for more than a small percentage of people.

    A couple of recent videos explaining the issues:

    ttps://youtube.com/watch?v=CEyfCcAbtKU

    ttps://youtube.com/watch?v=l-XX4bHNZFI


  • 3% in two hours, better than ths Bank.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 23,253

    MattW said:

    On public transport vs car usage.

    In London car ownership per pop fell across the board by 3% to 10% between 2001 and 2011.
    https://www.racfoundation.org/assets/rac_foundation/content/downloadables/car ownership rates by local authority - december 2012.pdf

    (Bottom 20 lines)

    Is that per adult population unit, or does it allow for children?
    One of them :-)
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,359

    malcolmg said:

    Looks like we will find out this week if Boris Bridge is going get beyond simply pie in the sky idea....

    Boris Johnson revives £20billion plan for bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland that would mirror the link between Sweden and Denmark

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7982525/Boris-Johnson-revives-20billion-plan-bridge-Scotland-Northern-Ireland.html

    Compared with HS2, it's a bargain :lol:
    I am led to believe that this idea is even more complex than the Oresund Link, but that particular infrastructure project is quite incredible and radically altered transportation between Sweden and Denmark.
    Just usual hot air bollox as they are crapping themselves over Indyref2 polls. It will never ever happen, just as HS2will never ever reach or benefit Scotland
    The feasibility study has been going on for some time Malc.
    I could have told them for a fiver it will be too difficult and they will never do it anyway. We don't even have a motorway between or two biggest cities, WTF use is a bridge to NI when only a handful of people want to go there. Only benefits Ireland as they will be able to flood our inadequate road system with juggernauts.
    Spend the money on real infrastructure that Scotland needs rather than vanity shit.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,230
    edited February 2020
    Nigelb said:

    To be fair, Bercow deserves having the peerage denied because of bullying, but it will happen because of Brexit.
    So 8n some measure, everyone is right.

    The right result for the wrong reason, it happens quite a lot. For example, Paul Newman's oscar for Color of Money. As does the opposite, the wrong result for the right reason. An example of this would be taking a shower instead of a bath to save water but then slipping in it.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 13,833

    Just heard a message* rumble of thunder. Plus more water flowing outside the house than I've seen for a long while.

    Suspect persuading the hound to go for an afternoon wander may be a challenge.


    Edited extra bit: *massive. That's quite the homophonic typo.

    Roof just started leaking. Suspect there will be a steady drip for the next 12-24 hours. Bucket in place.
    Builders who did the job last summer liquidated soon after and are now uncontactable. Bastards.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,230
    malcolmg said:

    I could have told them for a fiver it will be too difficult and they will never do it anyway. We don't even have a motorway between or two biggest cities, WTF use is a bridge to NI when only a handful of people want to go there. Only benefits Ireland as they will be able to flood our inadequate road system with juggernauts.
    Spend the money on real infrastructure that Scotland needs rather than vanity shit.

    In the unlikely event that it were built would you be prepared to call it the "Boris Bridge"?
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,623
    edited February 2020
    MattW said:

    Balrog said:

    MattW said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Dura_Ace said:



    If the Jaguar iPace was £40k (rather than £65k) and there were charging stations at every petrol station in the country I could tank up in 15 mins or less, then it'd be my next family car.

    The I-Pace makes sense (apart from the comedy build quality but that's just a given with JLR) if you charge it at home then your dependency on charging infrastructure is greatly reduced. I've just had a Chargestorm (Swedish so Greta Approved) installed in the garage so Mrs DA will probably never have to visit a petrol station.
    A garage. Lucky old you.

    ** Looks out at street of terraced houses where you’re lucky to to park anywhere near your house let alone in front to enable charging when you need it. **

    This is why having reliable public charging infrastructure is so necessary. Norway is doing it. Why aren’t we?
    Similar problem in a local community. Large proportion of homes in the town centre were built at a time when there were neither cars nor indeed the need to leave the town.
    I think the range thing will be fixed surprisingly quickly - couple of years.

    We quite happily have petrol cars with ranges of 250-300 miles, all it needs is that plus not very much infrastructure. We have less than 10000 petrol stations. Arguably we need say 25-30k to allow for slower charging times.

    I think we will do it, but at the needed rate, which is fine.

    Perhaps what we need is a setup that allow all those petrol stations with Costa Coffees to invest and know they will get a return.
    My experience is that I charge at home 90% of the time or more, I have probably had to charge away from home about 10 times in the last 6 months.

    Home chargers are very simple and cheap. I dont see why low power chargers wouldn't be fitted as standard in work car parks, at supermarkets, railway stations, etc to the point where you just charge where you park. The tricky bit would be the payment infrastructure, but it's not that difficult a problem.

    I dont think petrol station equivalents will be the solution except for very high power chargers on the motorway network and there wont need to be that many of them.
    I think that for supermarkets it needs to be a substantially complete charge in the time it takes to shop ... say 1 hr.
    There’s definitely a business model somewhere for pubs to do this, in conjunction with the ‘scooter-man’ service. Drive to the local pub, have a couple of swift ones watching the match while your car charges, man with a scooter drives you home in your car then scoots back to the pub to collect the next customer.
  • RobD said:

    MaxPB said:

    Those concerned about their environmental impact might start by having fewer children.

    Why?
    The environmental impact of each additional human dwarfs all other savings that most of us can make.
    You could sterilise the entire UK population and it would have a negligible impact on global emissions, even in the long term.
    By the same logic you could spend the rest of your life airborne.
    Indeed and it would have a negligible impact. The solution to this crisis is clean science and technology, not abstinence.
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,806
    edited February 2020
    Mr. Cookie, my sympathies.

    Luckily there's a bit of a slope from the road up the driveway so the house should be ok from flooding, but I'll be glad when the rain stops.

    Edited extra bit: and I hope you get some dry weather for the repairs.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 13,833
    isam said:

    Sandpit said:

    Jonathan said:

    The departure board reminds be of a time at Stansted train station

    Two trains on adjacent platforms

    Platform 1: London Liverpool Street
    Platform 2: Liverpool Lime Street

    A poor Japanese tourist was most confused. I still wonder if he got to his destination.

    And they only recently added the “London” to Liverpool St. station. It used to be even more confusing!
    My bugbear! Why, when Fenchurch St became 'London Fenchurch St', and Liverpool St became 'London Liverpool St' did London Bridge not become 'London London Bridge'?

    Someone might think that it was previously called "Bridge" and the 'London' prefix was added at the same time as to the other main London stations
    I always insist on calling it London London Bridge. Take your fun where yoy can..
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,228

    MattW said:

    Balrog said:

    MattW said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Dura_Ace said:



    If the Jaguar iPace was £40k (rather than £65k) and there were charging stations at every petrol station in the country I could tank up in 15 mins or less, then it'd be my next family car.

    The I-Pace makes sense (apart from the comedy build quality but that's just a given with JLR) if you charge it at home then your dependency on charging infrastructure is greatly reduced. I've just had a Chargestorm (Swedish so Greta Approved) installed in the garage so Mrs DA will probably never have to visit a petrol station.
    A garage. Lucky old you.

    ** Looks out at street of terraced houses where you’re lucky to to park anywhere near your house let alone in front to enable charging when you need it. **

    This is why having reliable public charging infrastructure is so necessary. Norway is doing it. Why aren’t we?
    Similar problem in a local community. Large proportion of homes in the town centre were built at a time when there were neither cars nor indeed the need to leave the town.

    I think we will do it, but at the needed rate, which is fine.

    Perhaps what we need is a setup that allow all those petrol stations with Costa Coffees to invest and know they will get a return.
    My experience is that I charge at home 90% of the time or more, I have probably had to charge away from home about 10 times in the last 6 months.

    Home chargers are very simple and cheap. I dont see why low power chargers wouldn't be fitted as standard in work car parks, at supermarkets, railway stations, etc to the point where you just charge where you park. The tricky bit would be the payment infrastructure, but it's not that difficult a problem.

    I dont think petrol station equivalents will be the solution except for very high power chargers on the motorway network and there wont need to be that many of them.
    I think that for supermarkets it needs to be a substantially complete charge in the time it takes to shop ... say 1 hr.
    Supermarket shopping. In and out in 5-10 minutes me. Know what I want, get it. The Park and Ride in N Chelmsford has three (I think) charging points. Don't know how that works; leave your car there, get the bus to Chelmsford (or the hospital), but how do you move the car when it's charged, you are still an hour away and someone else wants to use the charging point?
    50kW equates to somewhere around 200miles of range.
    Most of those topping up at the supermarket would require a fraction of that - and I don’t think you do the weekly shop in five minutes.
  • A fourth patient has tested positive for coronavirus in the UK after being infected in France by a fellow Briton. They are being treated at the Royal Free Hospital in Camden, north London, marking the first case of the killer infection in the capital.

    That is only a mile or two from pb's greatest novelist hypochondriac.
  • Cookie said:

    Just heard a message* rumble of thunder. Plus more water flowing outside the house than I've seen for a long while.

    Suspect persuading the hound to go for an afternoon wander may be a challenge.


    Edited extra bit: *massive. That's quite the homophonic typo.

    Roof just started leaking. Suspect there will be a steady drip for the next 12-24 hours. Bucket in place.
    Builders who did the job last summer liquidated soon after and are now uncontactable. Bastards.
    Do you have building and contents insurance/home emergency cover?

    If so give them a call.
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,533
    Interesting article. The position of trustees is as I understand it different for workplace pensions (where people of all kinds of opinion are required to invest) and pension funds which you can choose (in many workplaces, including mine, there is indeed a choice, and of course privately we can do what we like). If a fund is announced as excluding fossil fuels or whatever, there should be (and I believe is) no problem whatever in that fund following that policy, even if the investment foregone would have benefited the pensioners financially. There are lots of advisors who will guide you to a fund that meets your requirements - mine sends a questionnaire, enabling me to say I don't want to fund experiments on animals but I'm not bothered if the fund invests in gambling.

    The challenge of allowing for indirect effects is a huge and largely neglected area of public policy, because it's difficult. Say you invest £X in fighting disease Y, and reduce death due to the disease by Z as a direct result. Does that mean the cost-benefit ratio is £X/Z? No, because the people will eventually die from something else. You have to look at the difference in lifespan and quality of life.

    Other indirect effects are simply hard to transfer. Norway has recidivism rates less than a third of Britain, apparently because they put a lot more money into probation and supervision - as a criminal in a Norwegian jail, you are visited constantly by advisors wanting to discuss how to make your life better when you get out, something which is frankly rare in Britain. That's clearly a Good Thing. But how do you tax the people not being burgled/assaulted/murdered to fund the prison services?

    Similar issues arise with climate change - high meat consumption leads to intensive production which leads to mass grain production which leads to forest clearances which lead to accelerating climate change. At which point to you try to intervene? I'm absolutely not saying you shouldn't try (e.g. with a meat tax - and I'm not a vegetarian so I'd pay it too), but it's difficult, both in planning terms and politically as the links are not that obvious.
  • stodgestodge Posts: 13,898
    isam said:



    My bugbear! Why, when Fenchurch St became 'London Fenchurch St', and Liverpool St became 'London Liverpool St' did London Bridge not become 'London London Bridge'?

    Someone might think that it was previously called "Bridge" and the 'London' prefix was added at the same time as to the other main London stations

    I suppose if you didn't call it Manchester Victoria or Manchester Piccadilly some tourists might think they were in London.
  • Those concerned about their environmental impact might start by having fewer children.

    Fertility rates are already below replacement level throughout the developed world and in the majority of other countries; the problem of runaway population growth is confined principally to Africa and parts of the Middle East, i.e. where levels of education, healthcare, income and female emancipation are lowest, and where the grip of religion is most vice-like. Good luck solving that in a hurry.

    The UK TFR, by contrast, is at around 1.8 which already implies long-term population decline, unless the losses are made good by ongoing net immigration. People here having even fewer babies than they do already is not going to make a meaningful difference.
    England’s population was under 8 million in 1801. It is over 55 million now. It just had its population explosion earlier.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,623

    A fourth patient has tested positive for coronavirus in the UK after being infected in France by a fellow Briton. They are being treated at the Royal Free Hospital in Camden, north London, marking the first case of the killer infection in the capital.

    That is only a mile or two from pb's greatest novelist hypochondriac.
    PB’s three greatest hypochondriacs!
  • Time_to_LeaveTime_to_Leave Posts: 2,547
    edited February 2020
    malcolmg said:

    malcolmg said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Type 31 Frigate delayed by four years. Defence spending is definitely going on the back burner so the government can plant palm trees on roundabouts in Spennymoor.

    All those numpties in Glasgow shipyards that voted NO to save their jobs will be cheering today. Their unions gave them great advice.
    On the contrary, the contract with BAES means they all get to be paid and retained whether they are doing any work or not, to keep the business alive. A slower pace of work sounds like heaven to me.
    I find that hard to believe , thousands have been laid off over the years
    https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmselect/cmpubacc/687/687we05.htm

    “The TOBA, signed in July 2009, provides MOD guarantees to BAE Systems of a minimum level of ship build and support activity of around £230 million/year. This level of work was independently verified as the minimum level of work possible to sustain a credible warship building industry in the UK”.

    Basically it’s designed such that not building ships costs much the same as building them. It was written on the basis that no sane Gvt would therefore slow production....
  • CookieCookie Posts: 13,833

    Cookie said:

    Just heard a message* rumble of thunder. Plus more water flowing outside the house than I've seen for a long while.

    Suspect persuading the hound to go for an afternoon wander may be a challenge.


    Edited extra bit: *massive. That's quite the homophonic typo.

    Roof just started leaking. Suspect there will be a steady drip for the next 12-24 hours. Bucket in place.
    Builders who did the job last summer liquidated soon after and are now uncontactable. Bastards.
    Do you have building and contents insurance/home emergency cover?

    If so give them a call.
    Thanks - but apparently it doesn't cover poor workmanship.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,380

    Those concerned about their environmental impact might start by having fewer children.

    Fertility rates are already below replacement level throughout the developed world and in the majority of other countries; the problem of runaway population growth is confined principally to Africa and parts of the Middle East, i.e. where levels of education, healthcare, income and female emancipation are lowest, and where the grip of religion is most vice-like. Good luck solving that in a hurry.

    The UK TFR, by contrast, is at around 1.8 which already implies long-term population decline, unless the losses are made good by ongoing net immigration. People here having even fewer babies than they do already is not going to make a meaningful difference.
    England’s population was under 8 million in 1801. It is over 55 million now. It just had its population explosion earlier.
    The problem with the facts is that they are racist.

    1) Fertility rates in developed countries are all below replacement. Sometimes massively.
    2) Fertility rates in undeveloped countries are generally massively about replacement.
    3) Any policy which impacts non-white people more than white people is racist
    4) Any meaningful attempt to reduce future population is racist, since it would have to be concentrated in places such as Africa.

    This is why environmentalists wibble about reducing the number of children but get very upset when you ask where.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,153
    malcolmg said:

    eek said:

    RobD said:

    John Bercow’s peerage hopes sunk by third bullying complaint

    A dossier of allegations submitted by his private secretary puts an end to the former Speaker’s hopes of becoming a lord

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/john-bercows-peerage-hopes-sunk-by-third-bullying-complaint-8w7t0q5jz

    I'm looking forward to the moment Hoyle gets a peerage the moment he steps down. :D
    What is annoying is that people seem to believe Bercow hasn't got a peerage because of Brexit rather than because he's been found to be a bully who played the system to avoid being caught.
    Done purely out of spite from Tories who would give a peerage to any despot.
    Multiple things can be true at once. Spite is why the Tories want to deny Bercow a peerage, but if he is found to be a nasty bully he has given them a sound reason to justify it in a way which won't prevent future speakers getting one.
  • kjhkjh Posts: 11,805
    Cookie said:

    Just heard a message* rumble of thunder. Plus more water flowing outside the house than I've seen for a long while.

    Suspect persuading the hound to go for an afternoon wander may be a challenge.


    Edited extra bit: *massive. That's quite the homophonic typo.

    Roof just started leaking. Suspect there will be a steady drip for the next 12-24 hours. Bucket in place.
    Builders who did the job last summer liquidated soon after and are now uncontactable. Bastards.
    An hour or so ago a branch fell off the enormous Austrian pine (and when I say branch we are talking logs here!) in our front garden. There was one hell of a bang. It has hit the ground floor roof extension which I can see from my daughters upstairs bedroom. I count at least 50 slates smashed and at one point it is clean through the roof with beams etc exposed and into the garage below. Bugger.

    In the storm of a few weeks ago I lost 5 panes of glass from my greenhouse. One came out almost complete.

    Not having a lot of luck at present with weather.
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,533
    edited February 2020
    I was curious about the Suffolk NH poll, which appeared to show Buttigieg ahead until now but now shows Sanders slightly ahead. The details are here:

    https://www.suffolk.edu/-/media/suffolk/documents/academics/research-at-suffolk/suprc/polls/new-hampshire/2020/2-8-20_final_nh_tracking_marginals.pdf?la=en&hash=3CA7E48FD91E05169F46419567102D731E091F28

    The sample of Democrats is TINY - 298 people (though oddly some of the responses add up to slightly more). FWIW they sjhow Buttigieg and Sanders both equally transfer-friendly and half the voters not yet sure. But the MOE must be at least 5 points, so the changes from day to day need to be taken with a big chunk of salt.

    EDIT: I see the poll asks for people who are likely to vote in the Democratic primary, which I believe is possible in NH as an independent, and 461 say yes to that, so the sample is not quite so puny, though still very small.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,380
    On topic : The obvious thing to have done would have been to reduce the setting for thermostats across the college to 15 degrees. This would have had a massive impact on the spend on energy.

    I notice that the point about "short notice" was ignored. First you would have to get a quorum of the trustees together. Then there would need to be expert advice as to the options. Then a policy going forward would have had to be set out. I'm surprised that a lawyer didn't mention this - such trusts are not run by someone shouting "Sell" into a telephone.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,228
    This is a very good article which is more or less applicable to our politics, too.

    https://newrepublic.com/article/156000/educated-fools-democrats-misunderstand-politics-social-class
    In past years, I used to despair: Does anyone in the Democratic Party get it? Of late, I think a few in the leadership do. But does most of the party still not get it? This is a high school nation. Even now, after all the years of pumping up college education as the only way to survive, there’s still close to 70 percent of U.S. adults from age 25 and older—yes, living right now—who are without four-year college degrees. If a college education is the only way to survive in a global economy, then the party’s effective answer to anyone over 30 is: It’s too late for you. And of course, that message gets across. 


    If FDR is not rolling over in his grave, Harry Truman is. We liberals talk about the historical obsolescence of the working class as if the working class were not in the room. If we knew any of them personally, we might shut up. Who in the GOP would go to a NASCAR rally and talk about there being no hope for anyone without a four-year degree?
...
  • I was curious about the Suffolk NH poll, which appeared to show Buttigieg ahead until now but now shows Sanders slightly ahead. The details are here:

    https://www.suffolk.edu/-/media/suffolk/documents/academics/research-at-suffolk/suprc/polls/new-hampshire/2020/2-8-20_final_nh_tracking_marginals.pdf?la=en&hash=3CA7E48FD91E05169F46419567102D731E091F28

    The sample of Democrats is TINY - 298 people (though oddly some of the responses add up to slightly more). FWIW they sjhow Buttigieg and Sanders both equally transfer-friendly and half the voters not yet sure. But the MOE must be at least 5 points, so the changes from day to day need to be taken with a big chunk of salt.

    EDIT: I see the poll asks for people who are likely to vote in the Democratic primary, which I believe is possible in NH as an independent, and 461 say yes to that, so the sample is not quite so puny, though still very small.

    Thanks. My money is on Pete, but I am not as confident as I was for Iowa.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,468
    Nigelb said:

    MattW said:

    Balrog said:

    MattW said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Dura_Ace said:



    If the Jaguar iPace was £40k (rather than £65k) and there were charging stations at every petrol station in the country I could tank up in 15 mins or less, then it'd be my next family car.

    .
    A garage. Lucky old you.

    ** Looks out at street of terraced houses where you’re lucky to to park anywhere near your house let alone in front to enable charging when you need it. **

    This is why having reliable public charging infrastructure is so necessary. Norway is doing it. Why aren’t we?
    Similar problem in a local community. Large proportion of homes in the town centre were built at a time when there were neither cars nor indeed the need to leave the town.

    I think we will do it, but at the needed rate, which is fine.

    Perhaps what we need is a setup that allow all those petrol stations with Costa Coffees to invest and know they will get a return.
    My experience is that I charge at home 90% of the time or more, I have probably had to charge away from home about 10 times in the last 6 months.

    Home chargers are very simple and cheap. I dont see why low power chargers wouldn't be fitted as standard in work car parks, at supermarkets, railway stations, etc to the point where you just charge where you park. The tricky bit would be the payment infrastructure, but it's not that difficult a problem.

    I dont think petrol station equivalents will be the solution except for very high power chargers on the motorway network and there wont need to be that many of them.
    I think that for supermarkets it needs to be a substantially complete charge in the time it takes to shop ... say 1 hr.
    Supermarket shopping. In and out in 5-10 minutes me. Know what I want, get it. The Park and Ride in N Chelmsford has three (I think) charging points. Don't know how that works; leave your car there, get the bus to Chelmsford (or the hospital), but how do you move the car when it's charged, you are still an hour away and someone else wants to use the charging point?
    50kW equates to somewhere around 200miles of range.
    Most of those topping up at the supermarket would require a fraction of that - and I don’t think you do the weekly shop in five minutes.
    I don't do the weekly shop. I'm not allowed to come. I spend too much time in Wines and Spirits and not enough in vegetables.
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,533

    On topic : The obvious thing to have done would have been to reduce the setting for thermostats across the college to 15 degrees. This would have had a massive impact on the spend on energy.

    I notice that the point about "short notice" was ignored. First you would have to get a quorum of the trustees together. Then there would need to be expert advice as to the options. Then a policy going forward would have had to be set out. I'm surprised that a lawyer didn't mention this - such trusts are not run by someone shouting "Sell" into a telephone.

    Yeah, but the sarcastic tone of the response implied that he had no intention of initiating the process at all.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,468
    Saffirs innings over. Good last minute effort by Miller. Why is Jordan so effective in t20 and much less so in 50 over cricket?
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,695
    Nigelb said:

    MattW said:

    Balrog said:

    MattW said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Dura_Ace said:



    The I-Pace makes sense (apart from the comedy build quality but that's just a given with JLR) if you charge it at home then your dependency on charging infrastructure is greatly reduced. I've just had a Chargestorm (Swedish so Greta Approved) installed in the garage so Mrs DA will probably never have to visit a petrol station.
    A garage. Lucky old you.

    ** Looks out at street of terraced houses where you’re lucky to to park anywhere near your house let alone in front to enable charging when you need it. **

    This is why having reliable public charging infrastructure is so necessary. Norway is doing it. Why aren’t we?
    Similar problem in a local community. Large proportion of homes in the town centre were built at a time when there were neither cars nor indeed the need to leave the town.

    I think we will do it, but at the needed rate, which is fine.

    Perhaps what we need is a setup that allow all those petrol stations with Costa Coffees to invest and know they will get a return.
    My experience is that I charge at home 90% of the time or more, I have probably had to charge away from home about 10 times in the last 6 months.

    Home chargers are very simple and cheap. I dont see why low power chargers wouldn't be fitted as standard in work car parks, at supermarkets, railway stations, etc to the point where you just charge where you park. The tricky bit would be the payment infrastructure, but it's not that difficult a problem.

    I dont think petrol station equivalents will be the solution except for very high power chargers on the motorway network and there wont need to be that many of them.
    I think that for supermarkets it needs to be a substantially complete charge in the time it takes to shop ... say 1 hr.
    Supermarket shopping. In and out in 5-10 minutes me. Know what I want, get it. The Park and Ride in N Chelmsford has three (I think) charging points. Don't know how that works; leave your car there, get the bus to Chelmsford (or the hospital), but how do you move the car when it's charged, you are still an hour away and someone else wants to use the charging point?
    50kW equates to somewhere around 200miles of range.
    Most of those topping up at the supermarket would require a fraction of that - and I don’t think you do the weekly shop in five minutes.
    Confusing power and energy here surely?

    50kW is power and thus a charging rate.

    50kWh might get you 200miles.
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826
    edited February 2020
    Nigelb said:

    50kW equates to somewhere around 200miles of range.
    Most of those topping up at the supermarket would require a fraction of that - and I don’t think you do the weekly shop in five minutes.

    We're talking about a solution for those who don't have charging at home. If you don't have at home charging capabilities then recharging at the supermarket or elsewhere won't be a case of just "topping up", it could be your weekly charge to go with your weekly shop.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 13,833
    kjh said:

    Cookie said:

    Just heard a message* rumble of thunder. Plus more water flowing outside the house than I've seen for a long while.

    Suspect persuading the hound to go for an afternoon wander may be a challenge.


    Edited extra bit: *massive. That's quite the homophonic typo.

    Roof just started leaking. Suspect there will be a steady drip for the next 12-24 hours. Bucket in place.
    Builders who did the job last summer liquidated soon after and are now uncontactable. Bastards.
    An hour or so ago a branch fell off the enormous Austrian pine (and when I say branch we are talking logs here!) in our front garden. There was one hell of a bang. It has hit the ground floor roof extension which I can see from my daughters upstairs bedroom. I count at least 50 slates smashed and at one point it is clean through the roof with beams etc exposed and into the garage below. Bugger.

    In the storm of a few weeks ago I lost 5 panes of glass from my greenhouse. One came out almost complete.

    Not having a lot of luck at present with weather.
    Sorry to hear that. My leak is pretty trivial by comoarison to that.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,380

    On topic : The obvious thing to have done would have been to reduce the setting for thermostats across the college to 15 degrees. This would have had a massive impact on the spend on energy.

    I notice that the point about "short notice" was ignored. First you would have to get a quorum of the trustees together. Then there would need to be expert advice as to the options. Then a policy going forward would have had to be set out. I'm surprised that a lawyer didn't mention this - such trusts are not run by someone shouting "Sell" into a telephone.

    Yeah, but the sarcastic tone of the response implied that he had no intention of initiating the process at all.
    I am a savage sadist. So I would have set the thermostats *before* I made the announcement.
  • kyf_100kyf_100 Posts: 4,951
    Cookie said:

    Just heard a message* rumble of thunder. Plus more water flowing outside the house than I've seen for a long while.

    Suspect persuading the hound to go for an afternoon wander may be a challenge.


    Edited extra bit: *massive. That's quite the homophonic typo.

    Roof just started leaking. Suspect there will be a steady drip for the next 12-24 hours. Bucket in place.
    Builders who did the job last summer liquidated soon after and are now uncontactable. Bastards.
    As I have mentioned on here before, there is a huge scandal brewing regarding flammable cladding and thousands if not hundreds of thousands of households being stuck in unmortgageable leasehold flats for the forseeable until they are fixed.

    Many of the original firms involved in the building of these properties have vanished without a trace, leaving leaseholders (not even the freeholder) to foot the bill, often in excess of £25k, with bills of up to £500 per month "walking watch" in case of fire in the meantime.

    Meanwhile the government sits on their hands while anger among largely young-ish first time buyers brews. I am not personally affected but know people who are and they are hopping mad at the lack of accountability from both the government and the people who sold/built the flats.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,380
    kle4 said:

    malcolmg said:

    eek said:

    RobD said:

    John Bercow’s peerage hopes sunk by third bullying complaint

    A dossier of allegations submitted by his private secretary puts an end to the former Speaker’s hopes of becoming a lord

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/john-bercows-peerage-hopes-sunk-by-third-bullying-complaint-8w7t0q5jz

    I'm looking forward to the moment Hoyle gets a peerage the moment he steps down. :D
    What is annoying is that people seem to believe Bercow hasn't got a peerage because of Brexit rather than because he's been found to be a bully who played the system to avoid being caught.
    Done purely out of spite from Tories who would give a peerage to any despot.
    Multiple things can be true at once. Spite is why the Tories want to deny Bercow a peerage, but if he is found to be a nasty bully he has given them a sound reason to justify it in a way which won't prevent future speakers getting one.
    The lesson from this is not to be an office bully when the next lot of management might not be your best friends.
  • kjhkjh Posts: 11,805
    Cookie said:

    kjh said:

    Cookie said:

    Just heard a message* rumble of thunder. Plus more water flowing outside the house than I've seen for a long while.

    Suspect persuading the hound to go for an afternoon wander may be a challenge.


    Edited extra bit: *massive. That's quite the homophonic typo.

    Roof just started leaking. Suspect there will be a steady drip for the next 12-24 hours. Bucket in place.
    Builders who did the job last summer liquidated soon after and are now uncontactable. Bastards.
    An hour or so ago a branch fell off the enormous Austrian pine (and when I say branch we are talking logs here!) in our front garden. There was one hell of a bang. It has hit the ground floor roof extension which I can see from my daughters upstairs bedroom. I count at least 50 slates smashed and at one point it is clean through the roof with beams etc exposed and into the garage below. Bugger.

    In the storm of a few weeks ago I lost 5 panes of glass from my greenhouse. One came out almost complete.

    Not having a lot of luck at present with weather.
    Sorry to hear that. My leak is pretty trivial by comoarison to that.
    Cheers. Its life. Worse things happen. But has buggered up my day.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,228
    edited February 2020

    Nigelb said:

    MattW said:

    Balrog said:

    MattW said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Dura_Ace said:



    The I-Pace makes sense (apart from the comedy build quality but that's just a given with JLR) if you charge it at home then your dependency on charging infrastructure is greatly reduced. I've just had a Chargestorm (Swedish so Greta Approved) installed in the garage so Mrs DA will probably never have to visit a petrol station.
    A garage. Lucky old you.

    ** Looks out at street of terraced houses where you’re lucky to to park anywhere near your house let alone in front to enable charging when you need it. **

    This is why having reliable public charging infrastructure is so necessary. Norway is doing it. Why aren’t we?
    Similar problem in a local community. Large proportion of homes in the town centre were built at a time when there were neither cars nor indeed the need to leave the town.

    I think we will do it, but at the needed rate, which is fine.

    Perhaps what we need is a setup that allow all those petrol stations with Costa Coffees to invest and know they will get a return.
    Home chargers are very simple and cheap. I dont see why low power chargers wouldn't be fitted as standard in work car parks, at supermarkets, railway stations, etc to the point where you just charge where you park. The tricky bit would be the payment infrastructure, but it's not that difficult a problem.

    I dont think petrol station equivalents will be the solution except for very high power chargers on the motorway network and there wont need to be that many of them.
    I think that for supermarkets it needs to be a substantially complete charge in the time it takes to shop ... say 1 hr.
    Supermarket shopping. In and out in 5-10 minutes me. Know what I want, get it. The Park and Ride in N Chelmsford has three (I think) charging points. Don't know how that works; leave your car there, get the bus to Chelmsford (or the hospital), but how do you move the car when it's charged, you are still an hour away and someone else wants to use the charging point?
    50kW equates to somewhere around 200miles of range.
    Most of those topping up at the supermarket would require a fraction of that - and I don’t think you do the weekly shop in five minutes.
    Confusing power and energy here surely?

    50kW is power and thus a charging rate.

    50kWh might get you 200miles.
    Indeed, my bad. The calculation stands, though, since we were discussing charging for an hour.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 22,125
    Dura_Ace said:

    Type 31 Frigate delayed by four years. Defence spending is definitely going on the back burner so the government can plant palm trees on roundabouts in Spennymoor.

    So if, say, a large Eurasian country decides to invade a small Central European country that's a member of NATO, we'll have to ask them to wait for a decade whilst we buy stuff and people to stop them.

    Yup, nothing wrong there. Entirely understandable. Not even slightly sinister. No, siree.

    (punches wall in frustration)
This discussion has been closed.