Probably pointless even suggesting it, but anyone interested in a nuanced, largely fact-based discussion on trans issues should listen to this morning's Woman's Hour where a lawyer who specialises in trans issues (and is trans herself), Robin Moira White, was interviewed.
Thanks for flagging this, just listened to it. I think it's been said on here that Emma Barnett is a very good presenter/interviewer, and she was top notch in that segment. It's interesting that Robin Moira White compared trans rights to gay rights. As has been pointed out on here, it's not quite so neat and tidy.
99% of comparisons are never neat and tidy, and I think there is a valid comparison there despite it being inexact. My main takeaway was that White implicitly acknowledged that the situation was complicated and context is all. Her referring to cases she has taken on behalf of individuals & companies who had been charged with being transphobic or breaking the law in this area seemed to me a clear recognition of how tricky it is.
Rolling blackouts in China, shops ordered to stop using AC to lower demand on the grid. Brexit has had some serious consequences, Boris should be ashamed of himself for causing this latest crisis.
Yes, but it all sounds a bit "it started in America" excuse making. People aren't bothered by what's happening in other countries, they want the government to get a grip here. Unfair, certainly, but that's the way it is.
This doesn’t sound very good: in England, latest figures suggest more than one in ten secondary school pupils and over a third of school staff who had coronavirus have suffered long Covid symptoms.
The most common symptom reported by staff and pupils was weakness or tiredness, while staff were more likely to experience shortness of breath than pupils, according to a small study of schools in England, the PA news agency reports.
The survey from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that about 35.7% of staff and 12.3% of secondary school pupils with a previously confirmed Covid infection reported experiencing ongoing symptoms more than four weeks from the start of the infection.
Instinctively I'm suspicious that this might be a self-reporting survey, and those without 'long covid' are not reporting.
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
And irony of all ironies it was empty when I passed this morning, though two other local garages had fuel and one with a tanker on their forecourt
It seems very patchy
If you want fuel and are prepared to pay £1. 42 per litre it is available if you don't mind a short queue in South West Wales.
Researching the US Colonial pipeline attack, as I’m doing for the day job, came across two comedy pieces from the time, that I’ll be using for training.
Both videos make a point of saying, within the first couple of minutes, that there would be no shortages of ‘gas’ (petrol) were it not for every idiot brimming their tank, their Jerry can and even milk bottles.
It’s exactly the same as what’s happening in the UK at the moment.
Herd immunity mentality.
“From now on I'm thinking only of me."
Major Danby replied indulgently with a superior smile: "But, Yossarian, suppose everyone felt that way."
"Then," said Yossarian, "I'd certainly be a damned fool to feel any other way, wouldn't I?” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22
If Starmer doesn't want a £15 p/h minimum wage, why on earth was he out with a protest for McDonald's to pay £15 p/h ?
Because big companies should pay more than minimum wage?
Really? McDonalds have already gone through one round of automation (the self service tills) to reduce staff requirements because £9 an hour was too much.
Tills which have very much lost them their sole USP. Which was speed. Could have ordered a full English at a cafe quicker last time. And bigger and cheaper.
I don't think speed is their sole USP. Indeed they've long since moved away from speed being their USP. When I worked there 20 years ago all food was premade and boxed up, someone came to the till and placed their order and I would grab it off the rack and give it to them. Shouting out for something to be made was extremely rare and generally was only the case if someone ordered something unusual like a Filet O Fish.
Nowadays almost everything is made fresh to order instead of being sat on the rack potentially for over an hour before it gets chosen.
Oh. OK. Perhaps I am remembering when I went often. My last visit, and it will be my last visit, was a shocker. 20 minutes wait. Food meh. Compared to a cafe, portions tiny, price exorbitant.
My support bubble and I have binned our weekly visit to McDonalds because, as you say, it now takes too long, even if objectively it is still quicker than some alternatives.
Last time I headed into a McD's it was full of Deliveroo drivers !
I had the same experience. I don’t think McDonald’s have thought through their ubereats/Deliveroo partnership.
Makes the experience rather miserable for their eat-in customers.
I've heard our local one is full of Deliveroo drivers who are also drug dealers!
To Brighton, where most coverage of Labour feels like intruding on private grief. Top line: Keir Starmer remains juuuust a few infinity stones short of a gauntlet. A national executive committee member announced that Labour’s legal fees were now £2m a year. What are its sedative bills? This entire event has spent four days crying out to be locked in a loft – one that’s insulated, of course, ideally with 2-metre-thick lead.
Probably pointless even suggesting it, but anyone interested in a nuanced, largely fact-based discussion on trans issues should listen to this morning's Woman's Hour where a lawyer who specialises in trans issues (and is trans herself), Robin Moira White, was interviewed.
Thanks for flagging this, just listened to it. I think it's been said on here that Emma Barnett is a very good presenter/interviewer, and she was top notch in that segment. It's interesting that Robin Moira White compared trans rights to gay rights. As has been pointed out on here, it's not quite so neat and tidy.
99% of comparisons are never neat and tidy, and I think there is a valid comparison there despite it being inexact. My main takeaway was that White implicitly acknowledged that the situation was complicated and context is all. Her referring to cases she has taken on behalf of individuals & companies who had been charged with being transphobic or breaking the law in this area seemed to me a clear recognition of how tricky it is.
I find companies discriminating against trans people utterly bizarre. Irrespective of one's view on the tricky side of this issue, why anyone running a business would care about their staff's identity is a complete mystery to me.
I'm not a woman, so perhaps I shouldn't give a view on this, but I find the whole when is a woman a woman debate a bit meh. As I said earlier, from the state's perspective, deciding when a man is a man is much more important.
If Starmer doesn't want a £15 p/h minimum wage, why on earth was he out with a protest for McDonald's to pay £15 p/h ?
Because big companies should pay more than minimum wage?
Really? McDonalds have already gone through one round of automation (the self service tills) to reduce staff requirements because £9 an hour was too much.
Tills which have very much lost them their sole USP. Which was speed. Could have ordered a full English at a cafe quicker last time. And bigger and cheaper.
I don't think speed is their sole USP. Indeed they've long since moved away from speed being their USP. When I worked there 20 years ago all food was premade and boxed up, someone came to the till and placed their order and I would grab it off the rack and give it to them. Shouting out for something to be made was extremely rare and generally was only the case if someone ordered something unusual like a Filet O Fish.
Nowadays almost everything is made fresh to order instead of being sat on the rack potentially for over an hour before it gets chosen.
Oh. OK. Perhaps I am remembering when I went often. My last visit, and it will be my last visit, was a shocker. 20 minutes wait. Food meh. Compared to a cafe, portions tiny, price exorbitant.
My support bubble and I have binned our weekly visit to McDonalds because, as you say, it now takes too long, even if objectively it is still quicker than some alternatives.
Last time I headed into a McD's it was full of Deliveroo drivers !
I had the same experience. I don’t think McDonald’s have thought through their ubereats/Deliveroo partnership.
Makes the experience rather miserable for their eat-in customers.
I've heard our local one is full of Deliveroo drivers who are also drug dealers!
Makes perfect sense. Would explain why Amazon are buying into Deliveroo. When drugs are legalised, they will *own* the final mile.....
If Starmer doesn't want a £15 p/h minimum wage, why on earth was he out with a protest for McDonald's to pay £15 p/h ?
Because big companies should pay more than minimum wage?
Really? McDonalds have already gone through one round of automation (the self service tills) to reduce staff requirements because £9 an hour was too much.
Tills which have very much lost them their sole USP. Which was speed. Could have ordered a full English at a cafe quicker last time. And bigger and cheaper.
I don't think speed is their sole USP. Indeed they've long since moved away from speed being their USP. When I worked there 20 years ago all food was premade and boxed up, someone came to the till and placed their order and I would grab it off the rack and give it to them. Shouting out for something to be made was extremely rare and generally was only the case if someone ordered something unusual like a Filet O Fish.
Nowadays almost everything is made fresh to order instead of being sat on the rack potentially for over an hour before it gets chosen.
Oh. OK. Perhaps I am remembering when I went often. My last visit, and it will be my last visit, was a shocker. 20 minutes wait. Food meh. Compared to a cafe, portions tiny, price exorbitant.
My support bubble and I have binned our weekly visit to McDonalds because, as you say, it now takes too long, even if objectively it is still quicker than some alternatives.
Last time I headed into a McD's it was full of Deliveroo drivers !
Yes, I went into a KFC a fortnight ago and it was a constant stream of JustEat, Deliveroo, and UberEats.
We're talking a motorbike turning up every 1-2 minutes, and then departing 2-3 minutes later. Probably always at least two guys in the shop.
If Starmer doesn't want a £15 p/h minimum wage, why on earth was he out with a protest for McDonald's to pay £15 p/h ?
Because big companies should pay more than minimum wage?
Really? McDonalds have already gone through one round of automation (the self service tills) to reduce staff requirements because £9 an hour was too much.
Tills which have very much lost them their sole USP. Which was speed. Could have ordered a full English at a cafe quicker last time. And bigger and cheaper.
I don't think speed is their sole USP. Indeed they've long since moved away from speed being their USP. When I worked there 20 years ago all food was premade and boxed up, someone came to the till and placed their order and I would grab it off the rack and give it to them. Shouting out for something to be made was extremely rare and generally was only the case if someone ordered something unusual like a Filet O Fish.
Nowadays almost everything is made fresh to order instead of being sat on the rack potentially for over an hour before it gets chosen.
Oh. OK. Perhaps I am remembering when I went often. My last visit, and it will be my last visit, was a shocker. 20 minutes wait. Food meh. Compared to a cafe, portions tiny, price exorbitant.
My support bubble and I have binned our weekly visit to McDonalds because, as you say, it now takes too long, even if objectively it is still quicker than some alternatives.
Last time I headed into a McD's it was full of Deliveroo drivers !
I had the same experience. I don’t think McDonald’s have thought through their ubereats/Deliveroo partnership.
Makes the experience rather miserable for their eat-in customers.
I've heard our local one is full of Deliveroo drivers who are also drug dealers!
That's long been the case. When I was at uni everyone in my hall tended to order from the same pizza restaurant (so the driver would arrive and he'd have a stack of boxes for multiple customers simultaneously) but it was not just pizzas that got handed over if you know what I mean.
Though I don't know how that works with Deliveroo. With the pizza restaurant you knew which driver was going to deliver your food - and your 'side orders'. With Deliveroo a computer assigns that job to a driver, so how do you get your 'sides'?
If Starmer doesn't want a £15 p/h minimum wage, why on earth was he out with a protest for McDonald's to pay £15 p/h ?
Because big companies should pay more than minimum wage?
Really? McDonalds have already gone through one round of automation (the self service tills) to reduce staff requirements because £9 an hour was too much.
Tills which have very much lost them their sole USP. Which was speed. Could have ordered a full English at a cafe quicker last time. And bigger and cheaper.
I don't think speed is their sole USP. Indeed they've long since moved away from speed being their USP. When I worked there 20 years ago all food was premade and boxed up, someone came to the till and placed their order and I would grab it off the rack and give it to them. Shouting out for something to be made was extremely rare and generally was only the case if someone ordered something unusual like a Filet O Fish.
Nowadays almost everything is made fresh to order instead of being sat on the rack potentially for over an hour before it gets chosen.
Oh. OK. Perhaps I am remembering when I went often. My last visit, and it will be my last visit, was a shocker. 20 minutes wait. Food meh. Compared to a cafe, portions tiny, price exorbitant.
My support bubble and I have binned our weekly visit to McDonalds because, as you say, it now takes too long, even if objectively it is still quicker than some alternatives.
Its pretty quick if you go the sit down table order service (compared to most cafes) If you wait around at the till , it seems to take ages for the food to emerge (compared to the old days) I don't understand why anyone would order a delivery, the food is pretty much lukewarm when it is served in the restaurant, it must lose nearly all its heat being delivered.
I think that, in the end, they will be done for by the fact that the food is terribly unhealthy, lots of saturated fat, not very filling, etc. Their attempts at addressing this have been tokenistic. They don't have any gluten free options. They should try and do a decent chicken salad or something.
Another grievance I have with them, is that you cant use the drive thru on a bike (either a pedal bike or motorbike). They are always indifferent when I complain about this.
Researching the US Colonial pipeline attack, as I’m doing for the day job, came across two comedy pieces from the time, that I’ll be using for training.
Both videos make a point of saying, within the first couple of minutes, that there would be no shortages of ‘gas’ (petrol) were it not for every idiot brimming their tank, their Jerry can and even milk bottles.
It’s exactly the same as what’s happening in the UK at the moment.
Herd immunity mentality.
Worth watching the whole thing for the sheer idiocy of it.
Although I 'liked' Big G's comment, it was the coming out and being open about it I agree with. If being in the EU is better than out (and I believe it is) the LDs shouldn't be afraid to say so, very loudly and in response to every issue. Just as the Brexiteers did for 20 years.
However I really don't see the point of being in the single market but not in the EU. I want to set the rules, not just take them. Otherwise we are better off as we are now - at least we get to decide.
I'm still trying to decide if LD policy is one I can support - it's a bit mealy mouthed for me. Is it the fist step in a commitment to rejoin that will take more than a parliament to implement, or just a step in the hope that we will rejoin eventually? While we are out of the EU, we should be out properly, until we decide to rejoin. A halfway house is pointless.
The main problem with Brexit and rejoining is the timescale. The next election is in 2024 (I really can't see it earlier).
Lets say, and speaking as a Leaver, that we have a shit winter and lets say we all decide the problems are because of Brexit. Everything bad that ever happens in the next six months are Brexit. Food shortages? Brexit Fuel shortages? Brexit Kids school report isn't up to scratch? Brexit Oil tanker sinks of the coast of Chile? Brexit Earthquake in Los Angeles? Brexit
The problem is that by 2024, these problems will be behind us, and a new 'normal' (whatever that may be) will be in. We've have solved whatever paper work issues needed resolving and we'll be buying goods and products from whereever we need to.
Any party coming to the table in 2024 (except the SNP) will not be able to sell 'rejoin'.
Unless the UK goes into an obvious decline (so 2021 is worse than 2020, and 2022 worse than 2021, and 2023 worse than 2022) and can be clearly blamed on Brexit then I don't think any party advocating rejoing will get any traction. Rejoin isn't happening this decade.....
”Walk around a supermarket in the U.S. or Europe and you will see some empty shelves once more. This isn’t due to people panic-buying toilet paper, as they did early on in the pandemic; rather it’s because supply chains are clogged at almost every stage between Asian factories and grocery stock rooms.
“But rising prices and patchy availability mean it’s only a matter of time before shoppers start purchasing in bulk again — this time to avoid future sticker shock.
“Supply lines are struggling as producers such as Vietnam, responsible for making everything from sneakers to coffee, are hurt by Covid restrictions. Surging virus cases and consumer demand are leading to congested ports. Shipping containers are in the wrong place. Sea freight costs are up tenfold. If goods do arrive at the destined ports, there are too few truck drivers to transport them to retailers. Shortages of workers to harvest and prepare foods are also adding to the pressures.”
Now, I know I'm in a posh part of LA, but I haven't seen any shortages... yet.
Today I filled up my (@Dura_Ace approved) car with petrol, without problems.
My gut - and it's just a gut - is that there is a post Covid demand boom, that is causing supply crunches everywhere. But it's most acute in the UK, simply because Covid hit almost immediately following Brexit. It meant that those who could drive could earn great money in less stressful food delivery jobs, and the normal steady flow people through training was disrupted.
And you know what, that's OK.
No-one is going to starve. Things will adjust. The cost of trucking stuff around will probably increase. And yes, that will have an impact on the price we pay for things.
That post was fine until you got to the 'it's ok' bit.
No it isn't. If you lived here you'd realise that it really, really, isn't. We have horrendous multiple crises going on in the UK at the moment. You may not be a fan of the NHS, for instance, but the situation is absolutely dire. I know several people who have had cancer diagnoses missed during the past 18 months and are now in real trouble. Try getting a face to face appointment with a GP and it's nigh-impossible.
And there are people who ARE on the bread line, especially with the cut in universal credit.
I could go on but please don't post aloof messages from sunny LA trying to tell us it's all fine. That's as bad as the Metropolitan Elite Remainers who never, ever, got the issue in the ghost towns of the north and east of England.
I think you go a bit far - we have some enormous challenges ahead, but we always do. The NHS has had winter crisis for as long as I can remember. There will never be enough money, time, medics to do all that could be done. I'd suggest you look elsewhere. We are not uniquely struggling. Things will improve. My guess is the fuel 'crisis' will be over by the weekend.
They don't seem to be struggling quite as much as we are. In terms of loss of life expectancy, Covid has hit the UK harder than many countries, and nowhere else has has people queuing for petrol. European supermarket shelves aren't as empty as ours, either. Pasta, chopped tomatoes and kidney beans almost all gone on my last shoping trip.
BREXIT has really put us in a bad place.
Brexit is an unserious project lead by unserious people, which is the big issue we have right now. They start out by claiming shortages are a feature, not a bug, of Brexit, because they drive up wages. Then they deny that shortages actually exist, because no-one wants to do without important stuff. Or, if they can't deny it, they claim everyone else also had shortages. Finally they blame everyone else for the consequences of their own decisions; companies, the media, Remainers, the EU.
As I have said before time for the lib dems to come out publicly and say they will join the single market and a accept freedom of movement
That would be honest rather than continually bemoaning abour Brexit
You do not like it, so say what you do want openly and honestly to the public
It's an interesting point, which goes beyond the Lib Dems. Is there a workable version of Brexit that doesn't involve realigning with the EU, similar to the EEA? Because that's been rejected by Brexiteers for reasons that are important to them. It's much easier to declare the whole situation a mess than to find solutions to it. Brexiteers presumably deflect , blame-shift and devise unrealistic solutions because they don't have real solutions themselves.
Although I 'liked' Big G's comment, it was the coming out and being open about it I agree with. If being in the EU is better than out (and I believe it is) the LDs shouldn't be afraid to say so, very loudly and in response to every issue. Just as the Brexiteers did for 20 years.
However I really don't see the point of being in the single market but not in the EU. I want to set the rules, not just take them. Otherwise we are better off as we are now - at least we get to decide.
I'm still trying to decide if LD policy is one I can support - it's a bit mealy mouthed for me. Is it the fist step in a commitment to rejoin that will take more than a parliament to implement, or just a step in the hope that we will rejoin eventually? While we are out of the EU, we should be out properly, until we decide to rejoin. A halfway house is pointless.
I can't fault your logic: go for the best outcome, not one that is less bad than what he have. The issue for people who think the case stacks up for EU membership is that the "best outcome" is the only one that has been definitively and formally rejected in a popular vote. Absent an appetite to overturn that vote, we are left with suboptimal outcomes.
My question is whether at least some of those that voted Leave could be persuaded, along with those that voted Remain, for some kind of damage limitation, given that the former are in denial about the consequences of their vote. They don't like those consequences but they don't accept they voted for them either. It may not be a case of changing minds, but they get tired of this stuff.
To Brighton, where most coverage of Labour feels like intruding on private grief. Top line: Keir Starmer remains juuuust a few infinity stones short of a gauntlet. A national executive committee member announced that Labour’s legal fees were now £2m a year. What are its sedative bills? This entire event has spent four days crying out to be locked in a loft – one that’s insulated, of course, ideally with 2-metre-thick lead.
Rolling blackouts in China, shops ordered to stop using AC to lower demand on the grid. Brexit has had some serious consequences, Boris should be ashamed of himself for causing this latest crisis.
I was just about to press like - but before we giggle, if they are sneezing might we catch a cold?
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
Forgive me, but how can you Google to find out if a petrol station is busy? This would be v useful to know.
I looked up the filling station and the Google result included a bar chart of typical busy levels. This included a red 'live' bar for the current time, which was well above trend. I have no idea where they get the data from, but very useful.
In contrast, the live bar for the local Asda was through the floor, therefore no fuel.
They get their information from everyone who has a smart phone, uses google maps and has GPS turned on, that's a lot of people. What is not recorded is the prupose of being in that location, ie. google can't tell the difference between someone walking past a petrol station and a car slowly moving up in a queue for petrol, but often the information is good enough to be useful.
There was a guy in Berlin a few years ago, who singlehandedly caused Google to think there was a traffic jam in central Berlin, by cycling slowly around with a bike trailer full of mobile phones.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
Researching the US Colonial pipeline attack, as I’m doing for the day job, came across two comedy pieces from the time, that I’ll be using for training.
Both videos make a point of saying, within the first couple of minutes, that there would be no shortages of ‘gas’ (petrol) were it not for every idiot brimming their tank, their Jerry can and even milk bottles.
It’s exactly the same as what’s happening in the UK at the moment.
Herd immunity mentality.
Economists say the only way out of the current crisis may be herd immunity. This happens when a sufficient number of people originally vulnerable to panic buying have full tanks and are no longer susceptible to joining queues at fuel stations. At this point, incidence of new queues is expected to fall as fuel simply has nowhere to go.
They do however warn that this natural protection may wane over time as fuel levels in the nation's vehicles gradually decline, so further localised outbreaks will be possible. Of greatest concern are new panic buying variants, with queues forming in quite different locations and possibly greater lengths. Experts warn that the greatest risk of this is from delays in letting people and goods across borders.
The best thing everyone can do is simply stay at home. Mask wearing has so far shown no effect on incidence of queuing cases.
New: latest survey of members of Petrol Retail Association shows that, as of this morning, 40% of forecourts were “dry”, 40% have one grade of fuel and 20% are fully stocked.
Those percentages imply that "fully stocked" means "has some of every type of fuel offered" rather than "has full storage tanks". They could all still have very little fuel stored.
We had a Quantum Geography teacher in 4th year. He used to teach the first lesson after Friday lunch. It was only at the start of the lesson when you found out if he would be there or still in the pub.
The best sci-fi book I've ever read was Greg Egan's Quarantine. No spoilers but its very very hard Science Fiction. I lent it to a friend who loved Sci-fi and she passed it back after one chapter. She couldn't get into it at all. But I loved it. Still sits on the shelf. Read it only three times but always an amazing read through.
Must try that, thanks. Was quite struck by his Orthogonal trilogy with its positive-definite Riemannian metric cosmos and its coal-fired spaceship (though it was mcu shakier on its biology - quite implausible to any neoDarwinist as I recall).
To Brighton, where most coverage of Labour feels like intruding on private grief. Top line: Keir Starmer remains juuuust a few infinity stones short of a gauntlet. A national executive committee member announced that Labour’s legal fees were now £2m a year. What are its sedative bills? This entire event has spent four days crying out to be locked in a loft – one that’s insulated, of course, ideally with 2-metre-thick lead.
I'll offer them free advice to save most of the £2m:
Expel The Trots
Well said.
The left like to bandy around the word 'fascist' against anyone they don't like, but the Tories are absolutely ruthless at expelling the far right and quite right too. Both because its the right thing to do, and because everyone on the far right you attract would put off many more central voters.
Expelling the Trots is the right thing to do both morally and politically.
Researching the US Colonial pipeline attack, as I’m doing for the day job, came across two comedy pieces from the time, that I’ll be using for training.
Both videos make a point of saying, within the first couple of minutes, that there would be no shortages of ‘gas’ (petrol) were it not for every idiot brimming their tank, their Jerry can and even milk bottles.
It’s exactly the same as what’s happening in the UK at the moment.
Herd immunity mentality.
Worth watching the whole thing for the sheer idiocy of it.
They were quite sensible and laid back about it. It’s just a domino effect isn’t it, not bogroll banditry.
Labour are quite right to keep quiet about this and not go on attack, they are less a government in waiting trying to score cheap political points over this. There’s no supply problem. No blockades. There’s a very small haulage issue the government trying to keep under wraps whilst they sorted it. Got to feel sorry for government over this one, direct anger at those trying to score points over it, like The Sun.
The CO2 and food on shelves issue is different, government should have been more active sooner on that.
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
Forgive me, but how can you Google to find out if a petrol station is busy? This would be v useful to know.
I looked up the filling station and the Google result included a bar chart of typical busy levels. This included a red 'live' bar for the current time, which was well above trend. I have no idea where they get the data from, but very useful.
In contrast, the live bar for the local Asda was through the floor, therefore no fuel.
They get their information from everyone who has a smart phone, uses google maps and has GPS turned on, that's a lot of people. What is not recorded is the prupose of being in that location, ie. google can't tell the difference between someone walking past a petrol station and a car slowly moving up in a queue for petrol, but often the information is good enough to be useful.
There was a guy in Berlin a few years ago, who singlehandedly caused Google to think there was a traffic jam in central Berlin, by cycling slowly around with a bike trailer full of mobile phones.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
I did that experiment this morning/yesterday with my new Peugeot and Google Maps. Google Maps was much more accurate. Maybe VW group has better programmers
This doesn’t sound very good: in England, latest figures suggest more than one in ten secondary school pupils and over a third of school staff who had coronavirus have suffered long Covid symptoms.
The most common symptom reported by staff and pupils was weakness or tiredness, while staff were more likely to experience shortness of breath than pupils, according to a small study of schools in England, the PA news agency reports.
The survey from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that about 35.7% of staff and 12.3% of secondary school pupils with a previously confirmed Covid infection reported experiencing ongoing symptoms more than four weeks from the start of the infection.
Instinctively I'm suspicious that this might be a self-reporting survey, and those without 'long covid' are not reporting.
These would back you up... (in fact the Guardian story specifically mentions the Response Rate Problem)
For me, the anecdotal evidence is key: were long covid a major problem, schools would be half closed due to lack of pupils and lack of teachers. And, by and large, they aren't.
There is much is common between Greta Thunberg and realists who say that the powerful are virtue signalling.
At what point do those who actually are interested in facts, like Greta, agree that if the science is correct the catastrophe is going to happen and we can't and won't stop it?
Though I'm a full-fat environmentalist, I dislike Thunburg's pronouncements - the powerful are virtue-signalling to be sure but her humanist refrain is always the same: concern for humans rather than the rest of the natural world is easy to glean from her words. Consider this from the linked article:
"Our leaders’ intentional lack of action is a betrayal toward all present and future generations [she means humans].
Research published on Monday showed that children [humans] born today would experience many times more extreme heatwaves and other climate disasters over their lifetimes than their grandparents, even if countries fulfil their current emissions pledges."
Researching the US Colonial pipeline attack, as I’m doing for the day job, came across two comedy pieces from the time, that I’ll be using for training.
Both videos make a point of saying, within the first couple of minutes, that there would be no shortages of ‘gas’ (petrol) were it not for every idiot brimming their tank, their Jerry can and even milk bottles.
It’s exactly the same as what’s happening in the UK at the moment.
Herd immunity mentality.
Economists say the only way out of the current crisis may be herd immunity. This happens when a sufficient number of people originally vulnerable to panic buying have full tanks and are no longer susceptible to joining queues at fuel stations. At this point, incidence of new queues is expected to fall as fuel simply has nowhere to go.
They do however warn that this natural protection may wane over time as fuel levels in the nation's vehicles gradually decline, so further localised outbreaks will be possible. Of greatest concern are new panic buying variants, with queues forming in quite different locations and possibly greater lengths. Experts warn that the greatest risk of this is from delays in letting people and goods across borders.
The best thing everyone can do is simply stay at home. Mask wearing has so far shown no effect on incidence of queuing cases.
”Walk around a supermarket in the U.S. or Europe and you will see some empty shelves once more. This isn’t due to people panic-buying toilet paper, as they did early on in the pandemic; rather it’s because supply chains are clogged at almost every stage between Asian factories and grocery stock rooms.
“But rising prices and patchy availability mean it’s only a matter of time before shoppers start purchasing in bulk again — this time to avoid future sticker shock.
“Supply lines are struggling as producers such as Vietnam, responsible for making everything from sneakers to coffee, are hurt by Covid restrictions. Surging virus cases and consumer demand are leading to congested ports. Shipping containers are in the wrong place. Sea freight costs are up tenfold. If goods do arrive at the destined ports, there are too few truck drivers to transport them to retailers. Shortages of workers to harvest and prepare foods are also adding to the pressures.”
Now, I know I'm in a posh part of LA, but I haven't seen any shortages... yet.
Today I filled up my (@Dura_Ace approved) car with petrol, without problems.
My gut - and it's just a gut - is that there is a post Covid demand boom, that is causing supply crunches everywhere. But it's most acute in the UK, simply because Covid hit almost immediately following Brexit. It meant that those who could drive could earn great money in less stressful food delivery jobs, and the normal steady flow people through training was disrupted.
And you know what, that's OK.
No-one is going to starve. Things will adjust. The cost of trucking stuff around will probably increase. And yes, that will have an impact on the price we pay for things.
Shelves are definitely emptying in Damascus MD. No real fuel shortages yet, but there are some gas stations with some pumps closed (e.g. regular, or diesel out, but other options available). I had just used up my First Wave paper towel stash, but have started to restock. It seems inevitable with the truck driver shortages, dock worker shortages, and just general labour shortages that we will have more goods shortages in the coming months until the supply chain and the labour market resolve.
@ darkage re bikes and drive-throughs, I have a great photo somewhere in my collection to two girls getting drive-thru at the local Dairy Queen on their horses.
To Brighton, where most coverage of Labour feels like intruding on private grief. Top line: Keir Starmer remains juuuust a few infinity stones short of a gauntlet. A national executive committee member announced that Labour’s legal fees were now £2m a year. What are its sedative bills? This entire event has spent four days crying out to be locked in a loft – one that’s insulated, of course, ideally with 2-metre-thick lead.
I'll offer them free advice to save most of the £2m:
Expel The Trots
Well said.
The left like to bandy around the word 'fascist' against anyone they don't like, but the Tories are absolutely ruthless at expelling the far right and quite right too. Both because its the right thing to do, and because everyone on the far right you attract would put off many more central voters.
Expelling the Trots is the right thing to do both morally and politically.
Oh and stop calling each other "comrade". 🤦♂️
Boris was absolutely ruthless in expelling his internal enemies. Ironically, like everyone said Corbyn would be, but wasn't.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
No Audi uses data from Here (which used to be Nokia and before that NAVTEQ). Google gets their own data from lots of different suppliers. There will probably be some overlap between the two in some markets, but they don't all use the same data.
If Starmer doesn't want a £15 p/h minimum wage, why on earth was he out with a protest for McDonald's to pay £15 p/h ?
Because big companies should pay more than minimum wage?
Really? McDonalds have already gone through one round of automation (the self service tills) to reduce staff requirements because £9 an hour was too much.
Tills which have very much lost them their sole USP. Which was speed. Could have ordered a full English at a cafe quicker last time. And bigger and cheaper.
I don't think speed is their sole USP. Indeed they've long since moved away from speed being their USP. When I worked there 20 years ago all food was premade and boxed up, someone came to the till and placed their order and I would grab it off the rack and give it to them. Shouting out for something to be made was extremely rare and generally was only the case if someone ordered something unusual like a Filet O Fish.
Nowadays almost everything is made fresh to order instead of being sat on the rack potentially for over an hour before it gets chosen.
Oh. OK. Perhaps I am remembering when I went often. My last visit, and it will be my last visit, was a shocker. 20 minutes wait. Food meh. Compared to a cafe, portions tiny, price exorbitant.
My support bubble and I have binned our weekly visit to McDonalds because, as you say, it now takes too long, even if objectively it is still quicker than some alternatives.
Last time I headed into a McD's it was full of Deliveroo drivers !
I had the same experience. I don’t think McDonald’s have thought through their ubereats/Deliveroo partnership.
Makes the experience rather miserable for their eat-in customers.
I've heard our local one is full of Deliveroo drivers who are also drug dealers!
I got overtaken on my commute this morning by someone in deliveroo gear. I suspect performance enhancing drugs, or maybe a battery (he was on some outwardly clapped out mountain bike with a partly deflated rear tyre while I was on my wife's Halfords-special hybrid, must get round to buying a bike...)
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
And irony of all ironies it was empty when I passed this morning, though two other local garages had fuel and one with a tanker on their forecourt
It seems very patchy
If you want fuel and are prepared to pay £1. 42 per litre it is available if you don't mind a short queue in South West Wales.
I wonder whether this fuel crisis will incentivise more people to consider electric cars?
The thing that puts me off is the price tag - double the price of an equivalent non-electric car I reckon. And what about re-sale values? Will people want to buy a four year old electric car without being sure of the condition of the batteries?
To Brighton, where most coverage of Labour feels like intruding on private grief. Top line: Keir Starmer remains juuuust a few infinity stones short of a gauntlet. A national executive committee member announced that Labour’s legal fees were now £2m a year. What are its sedative bills? This entire event has spent four days crying out to be locked in a loft – one that’s insulated, of course, ideally with 2-metre-thick lead.
I'll offer them free advice to save most of the £2m:
Expel The Trots
Well said.
The left like to bandy around the word 'fascist' against anyone they don't like, but the Tories are absolutely ruthless at expelling the far right and quite right too. Both because its the right thing to do, and because everyone on the far right you attract would put off many more central voters.
Expelling the Trots is the right thing to do both morally and politically.
Oh and stop calling each other "comrade". 🤦♂️
Boris was absolutely ruthless in expelling his internal enemies. Ironically, like everyone said Corbyn would be, but wasn't.
Yes and the party was stronger and won a major majority for it that has been able to govern far better than had those who couldn't sign up to the platform being proposed remained in the party.
Ultimately 'his internal enemies' lost the leadership election, lost the referendum, and lost the majority - if they couldn't be reconciled to moving on then it was time to move on without them. The party and the country no longer reflected what they wanted anymore.
If those 20 irreconcileables had remained as MPs imagine how much tougher it would have been for the government to actually govern? Even if they'd won a majority of thirty instead of eighty, they'd have potentially had no real majority as it stands.
If the public wanted what those irreconcileables wanted, then they could have backed them at the election. Grieves, Gauke and others did stand for Parliament in 2019 but they lost. The public didn't want them so that's the end of it, that's democracy.
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
And irony of all ironies it was empty when I passed this morning, though two other local garages had fuel and one with a tanker on their forecourt
It seems very patchy
If you want fuel and are prepared to pay £1. 42 per litre it is available if you don't mind a short queue in South West Wales.
I wonder whether this fuel crisis will incentivise more people to consider electric cars?
The thing that puts me off is the price tag - double the price of an equivalent non-electric car I reckon. And what about re-sale values? Will people want to buy a four year old electric car without being sure of the condition of the batteries?
People seem happy enough to buy a four year old IC car without being sure of the state of the engine.
I sort of instinctively think this must be caused by humankind fucking the planet up but am open to new information on it. The wee sods are really up for it though. Relatedly I love an otter but I'm always slightly puzzled why they are so beloved since they're quite high up the scale of mustelid savagery. I guess Ring of Bright Water must take some of the blame/credit.
Reminds me of an Old Firm Saturday - but in fairness also Slateford/Easter Rd on a derby day.
Otters are 'clean' I suppose. If only because nobody sees their shite (or if they do, blames it oin foxes or dogs usually). I once had to help look after some ferrets. Which are just sort of tame polecats. The smell ...
IIRC one take home message from the Maxwell books was how an otter could slice through your hand very quickly and easily (perhaps one of the later ones). Though in hindsight the shark fishing one was better, if only for the bizarreness of trying to set up a giant "rock salmon" fishery in the Small Isles.
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
Forgive me, but how can you Google to find out if a petrol station is busy? This would be v useful to know.
I looked up the filling station and the Google result included a bar chart of typical busy levels. This included a red 'live' bar for the current time, which was well above trend. I have no idea where they get the data from, but very useful.
In contrast, the live bar for the local Asda was through the floor, therefore no fuel.
They get their information from everyone who has a smart phone, uses google maps and has GPS turned on, that's a lot of people. What is not recorded is the prupose of being in that location, ie. google can't tell the difference between someone walking past a petrol station and a car slowly moving up in a queue for petrol, but often the information is good enough to be useful.
There was a guy in Berlin a few years ago, who singlehandedly caused Google to think there was a traffic jam in central Berlin, by cycling slowly around with a bike trailer full of mobile phones.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
Isn't the expectation that Audi drivers will be able to avoid the delay by simply overtaking everyone in the queue and squashing in at the front?
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
Forgive me, but how can you Google to find out if a petrol station is busy? This would be v useful to know.
I looked up the filling station and the Google result included a bar chart of typical busy levels. This included a red 'live' bar for the current time, which was well above trend. I have no idea where they get the data from, but very useful.
In contrast, the live bar for the local Asda was through the floor, therefore no fuel.
They get their information from everyone who has a smart phone, uses google maps and has GPS turned on, that's a lot of people. What is not recorded is the prupose of being in that location, ie. google can't tell the difference between someone walking past a petrol station and a car slowly moving up in a queue for petrol, but often the information is good enough to be useful.
There was a guy in Berlin a few years ago, who singlehandedly caused Google to think there was a traffic jam in central Berlin, by cycling slowly around with a bike trailer full of mobile phones.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
I did that experiment this morning/yesterday with my new Peugeot and Google Maps. Google Maps was much more accurate. Maybe VW group has better programmers
Generally speaking, the programming on the Audi infotainment system is pretty good, so it might just be better algorithms etc. But it's definitely superior – on several journeys it's saved me time by avoiding and – crucially – anticipating near-future traffic while Google has wanted to plough me straight into it.
Maybe that's it – there's a predictive element that Google doesn't have. Dunno. It's a bit of a mystery.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
No Audi uses data from Here (which used to be Nokia and before that NAVTEQ). Google gets their own data from lots of different suppliers. There will probably be some overlap between the two in some markets, but they don't all use the same data.
If Starmer doesn't want a £15 p/h minimum wage, why on earth was he out with a protest for McDonald's to pay £15 p/h ?
Because big companies should pay more than minimum wage?
Really? McDonalds have already gone through one round of automation (the self service tills) to reduce staff requirements because £9 an hour was too much.
Tills which have very much lost them their sole USP. Which was speed. Could have ordered a full English at a cafe quicker last time. And bigger and cheaper.
I don't think speed is their sole USP. Indeed they've long since moved away from speed being their USP. When I worked there 20 years ago all food was premade and boxed up, someone came to the till and placed their order and I would grab it off the rack and give it to them. Shouting out for something to be made was extremely rare and generally was only the case if someone ordered something unusual like a Filet O Fish.
Nowadays almost everything is made fresh to order instead of being sat on the rack potentially for over an hour before it gets chosen.
Oh. OK. Perhaps I am remembering when I went often. My last visit, and it will be my last visit, was a shocker. 20 minutes wait. Food meh. Compared to a cafe, portions tiny, price exorbitant.
My support bubble and I have binned our weekly visit to McDonalds because, as you say, it now takes too long, even if objectively it is still quicker than some alternatives.
Last time I headed into a McD's it was full of Deliveroo drivers !
Yes, I went into a KFC a fortnight ago and it was a constant stream of JustEat, Deliveroo, and UberEats.
We're talking a motorbike turning up every 1-2 minutes, and then departing 2-3 minutes later. Probably always at least two guys in the shop.
And this was in Basingstoke.
Thats tye sort of food one only eat after a lot of drink and wgen one was hungry late at night. It fills a hole thats all. Ordinarily its ugh....
I wonder whether this fuel crisis will incentivise more people to consider electric cars?
The thing that puts me off is the price tag - double the price of an equivalent non-electric car I reckon. And what about re-sale values? Will people want to buy a four year old electric car without being sure of the condition of the batteries?
People seem happy enough to buy a four year old IC car without being sure of the state of the engine.
Not sure this is a fair analogy? The engine is loads of components only one of which may be buggered whereas a battery is the whole thing isn't it? They have a limited life I think - dunno.
Tescos had E5 today, but no E10 or Diesel. Fiat 500 now full, so should be fine for the next couple of weeks.
Fine - apart from driving a Fiat 500....
Have to admit I raised an eyebrow at that too. If one car was the epitome of 'style'* over content, it's that.
*not my style, I should add, but I don't think I'm the target market...
I have had it 13 years and done 100 000 miles with no real problems. Fox Jr learned to drive in it, you can park it anywhere and £30 per year road tax and similarly cheap insurance. A great little car for its purposes.
To Brighton, where most coverage of Labour feels like intruding on private grief. Top line: Keir Starmer remains juuuust a few infinity stones short of a gauntlet. A national executive committee member announced that Labour’s legal fees were now £2m a year. What are its sedative bills? This entire event has spent four days crying out to be locked in a loft – one that’s insulated, of course, ideally with 2-metre-thick lead.
I'll offer them free advice to save most of the £2m:
Expel The Trots
Well said.
The left like to bandy around the word 'fascist' against anyone they don't like, but the Tories are absolutely ruthless at expelling the far right and quite right too. Both because its the right thing to do, and because everyone on the far right you attract would put off many more central voters.
Expelling the Trots is the right thing to do both morally and politically.
Oh and stop calling each other "comrade". 🤦♂️
Boris was absolutely ruthless in expelling his internal enemies. Ironically, like everyone said Corbyn would be, but wasn't.
Yes and the party was stronger and won a major majority for it that has been able to govern far better than had those who couldn't sign up to the platform being proposed remained in the party.
Ultimately 'his internal enemies' lost the leadership election, lost the referendum, and lost the majority - if they couldn't be reconciled to moving on then it was time to move on without them. The party and the country no longer reflected what they wanted anymore.
If those 20 irreconcileables had remained as MPs imagine how much tougher it would have been for the government to actually govern? Even if they'd won a majority of thirty instead of eighty, they'd have potentially had no real majority as it stands.
If the public wanted what those irreconcileables wanted, then they could have backed them at the election. Grieves, Gauke and others did stand for Parliament in 2019 but they lost. The public didn't want them so that's the end of it, that's democracy.
This is fundamentally the problem. In 2007, there were only 24 members of the Socialist Campaign Group so the leadership could generally ignore them. There are now 35 members, which make up a much bigger share of a smaller caucus. Most of them are in very safe constituencies and a large share were election in 2017 and 2019 and were young enough to be around for decades
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
Forgive me, but how can you Google to find out if a petrol station is busy? This would be v useful to know.
I looked up the filling station and the Google result included a bar chart of typical busy levels. This included a red 'live' bar for the current time, which was well above trend. I have no idea where they get the data from, but very useful.
In contrast, the live bar for the local Asda was through the floor, therefore no fuel.
They get their information from everyone who has a smart phone, uses google maps and has GPS turned on, that's a lot of people. What is not recorded is the prupose of being in that location, ie. google can't tell the difference between someone walking past a petrol station and a car slowly moving up in a queue for petrol, but often the information is good enough to be useful.
There was a guy in Berlin a few years ago, who singlehandedly caused Google to think there was a traffic jam in central Berlin, by cycling slowly around with a bike trailer full of mobile phones.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
Isn't the expectation that Audi drivers will be able to avoid the delay by simply overtaking everyone in the queue and squashing in at the front?
I'll leave you to the lazy stereotypes! I'm a very courteous driver!
How old were you when you first fell in love with Boris Johnson?
Ooer, a double pronged attack of wallyness! What a morning
Not an attack, just deserved mockery.
Give it up - I dignified your attempt at abuse, wrapped in a question, with a response in order to get rid of you and your trolling. No one wants to read the fall out all morning
Please don't upset yourself. It isn't trolling, it isn't "abuse". If you don't post unfunny crap that looks like it came straight off a Tory Party student association leaflet I won't mock.
How was I trying to be funny? I just posted Sir Keir's exact words, with no comment
You don't like me - I don't care, lets leave it at that. I can PM you a photo to throw darts at if it will help?
The guy is a mental case stalker, you should ignore him. Unfortunately you will be bombarded by him for a long time.
Although I 'liked' Big G's comment, it was the coming out and being open about it I agree with. If being in the EU is better than out (and I believe it is) the LDs shouldn't be afraid to say so, very loudly and in response to every issue. Just as the Brexiteers did for 20 years.
However I really don't see the point of being in the single market but not in the EU. I want to set the rules, not just take them. Otherwise we are better off as we are now - at least we get to decide.
I'm still trying to decide if LD policy is one I can support - it's a bit mealy mouthed for me. Is it the fist step in a commitment to rejoin that will take more than a parliament to implement, or just a step in the hope that we will rejoin eventually? While we are out of the EU, we should be out properly, until we decide to rejoin. A halfway house is pointless.
The main problem with Brexit and rejoining is the timescale. The next election is in 2024 (I really can't see it earlier).
Lets say, and speaking as a Leaver, that we have a shit winter and lets say we all decide the problems are because of Brexit. Everything bad that ever happens in the next six months are Brexit. Food shortages? Brexit Fuel shortages? Brexit Kids school report isn't up to scratch? Brexit Oil tanker sinks of the coast of Chile? Brexit Earthquake in Los Angeles? Brexit
The problem is that by 2024, these problems will be behind us, and a new 'normal' (whatever that may be) will be in. We've have solved whatever paper work issues needed resolving and we'll be buying goods and products from whereever we need to.
Any party coming to the table in 2024 (except the SNP) will not be able to sell 'rejoin'.
Unless the UK goes into an obvious decline (so 2021 is worse than 2020, and 2022 worse than 2021, and 2023 worse than 2022) and can be clearly blamed on Brexit then I don't think any party advocating rejoing will get any traction. Rejoin isn't happening this decade.....
Agreed - although I don't share your optimism that all our problems will be behind us. My assumption is the LDs won't win a majority irrespective of position on Rejoining, in 2024 or anytime. But someone has to put the case - loudly.
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
Forgive me, but how can you Google to find out if a petrol station is busy? This would be v useful to know.
I looked up the filling station and the Google result included a bar chart of typical busy levels. This included a red 'live' bar for the current time, which was well above trend. I have no idea where they get the data from, but very useful.
In contrast, the live bar for the local Asda was through the floor, therefore no fuel.
They get their information from everyone who has a smart phone, uses google maps and has GPS turned on, that's a lot of people. What is not recorded is the prupose of being in that location, ie. google can't tell the difference between someone walking past a petrol station and a car slowly moving up in a queue for petrol, but often the information is good enough to be useful.
There was a guy in Berlin a few years ago, who singlehandedly caused Google to think there was a traffic jam in central Berlin, by cycling slowly around with a bike trailer full of mobile phones.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
Isn't the expectation that Audi drivers will be able to avoid the delay by simply overtaking everyone in the queue and squashing in at the front?
I'll leave you to the lazy stereotypes! I'm a very courteous driver!
Pleased to hear it! My two brothers in law both drive BMWs so I use similar clichés with them.
To Brighton, where most coverage of Labour feels like intruding on private grief. Top line: Keir Starmer remains juuuust a few infinity stones short of a gauntlet. A national executive committee member announced that Labour’s legal fees were now £2m a year. What are its sedative bills? This entire event has spent four days crying out to be locked in a loft – one that’s insulated, of course, ideally with 2-metre-thick lead.
I'll offer them free advice to save most of the £2m:
Expel The Trots
Well said.
The left like to bandy around the word 'fascist' against anyone they don't like, but the Tories are absolutely ruthless at expelling the far right and quite right too. Both because its the right thing to do, and because everyone on the far right you attract would put off many more central voters.
Expelling the Trots is the right thing to do both morally and politically.
Oh and stop calling each other "comrade". 🤦♂️
Boris was absolutely ruthless in expelling his internal enemies. Ironically, like everyone said Corbyn would be, but wasn't.
Yes and the party was stronger and won a major majority for it that has been able to govern far better than had those who couldn't sign up to the platform being proposed remained in the party.
Ultimately 'his internal enemies' lost the leadership election, lost the referendum, and lost the majority - if they couldn't be reconciled to moving on then it was time to move on without them. The party and the country no longer reflected what they wanted anymore.
If those 20 irreconcileables had remained as MPs imagine how much tougher it would have been for the government to actually govern? Even if they'd won a majority of thirty instead of eighty, they'd have potentially had no real majority as it stands.
If the public wanted what those irreconcileables wanted, then they could have backed them at the election. Grieves, Gauke and others did stand for Parliament in 2019 but they lost. The public didn't want them so that's the end of it, that's democracy.
This is fundamentally the problem. In 2007, there were only 24 members of the Socialist Campaign Group so the leadership could generally ignore them. There are now 35 members, which make up a much bigger share of a smaller caucus. Most of them are in very safe constituencies and a large share were election in 2017 and 2019 and were young enough to be around for decades
I bet the Labour members of TIG now wish they had stuck it out. Chukka and Mike Gapes in particular stood down and were replaced by members of the SCG
How old were you when you first fell in love with Boris Johnson?
Ooer, a double pronged attack of wallyness! What a morning
Not an attack, just deserved mockery.
Give it up - I dignified your attempt at abuse, wrapped in a question, with a response in order to get rid of you and your trolling. No one wants to read the fall out all morning
Please don't upset yourself. It isn't trolling, it isn't "abuse". If you don't post unfunny crap that looks like it came straight off a Tory Party student association leaflet I won't mock.
How was I trying to be funny? I just posted Sir Keir's exact words, with no comment
You don't like me - I don't care, lets leave it at that. I can PM you a photo to throw darts at if it will help?
The AA report on an increase in breakdowns because people are putting diesel in their petrol cars is glorious. You know the thought process is "well this is what's available so I'll get some". Wankers.
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
Forgive me, but how can you Google to find out if a petrol station is busy? This would be v useful to know.
I looked up the filling station and the Google result included a bar chart of typical busy levels. This included a red 'live' bar for the current time, which was well above trend. I have no idea where they get the data from, but very useful.
In contrast, the live bar for the local Asda was through the floor, therefore no fuel.
They get their information from everyone who has a smart phone, uses google maps and has GPS turned on, that's a lot of people. What is not recorded is the prupose of being in that location, ie. google can't tell the difference between someone walking past a petrol station and a car slowly moving up in a queue for petrol, but often the information is good enough to be useful.
There was a guy in Berlin a few years ago, who singlehandedly caused Google to think there was a traffic jam in central Berlin, by cycling slowly around with a bike trailer full of mobile phones.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
Isn't the expectation that Audi drivers will be able to avoid the delay by simply overtaking everyone in the queue and squashing in at the front?
Actually that's another very good example of herd mentality in action!
If there's two lanes open and a major queue in the left hand lane then overtaking everyone and squashing in at the front at the merge point is how you're supposed to drive.
I'll always merge at the front not join the herd queuing for a long distance in a single lane, even if some of the herd shoot me filthy looks for overtaking them; just because a herd of people don't know how to drive properly doesn't mean you should join them.
I wonder whether this fuel crisis will incentivise more people to consider electric cars?
The thing that puts me off is the price tag - double the price of an equivalent non-electric car I reckon. And what about re-sale values? Will people want to buy a four year old electric car without being sure of the condition of the batteries?
Leading to the next set of problems manifested as rolling blackouts and electricity rationing unless a realistic power generation plan is substituted for the current one and implemented urgently.
I sort of instinctively think this must be caused by humankind fucking the planet up but am open to new information on it. The wee sods are really up for it though. Relatedly I love an otter but I'm always slightly puzzled why they are so beloved since they're quite high up the scale of mustelid savagery. I guess Ring of Bright Water must take some of the blame/credit.
Reminds me of an Old Firm Saturday - but in fairness also Slateford/Easter Rd on a derby day.
Otters are 'clean' I suppose. If only because nobody sees their shite (or if they do, blames it oin foxes or dogs usually). I once had to help look after some ferrets. Which are just sort of tame polecats. The smell ...
IIRC one take home message from the Maxwell books was how an otter could slice through your hand very quickly and easily (perhaps one of the later ones). Though in hindsight the shark fishing one was better, if only for the bizarreness of trying to set up a giant "rock salmon" fishery in the Small Isles.
Maxwell's was a good writer, much more so than he was a businessman! The film involved much sugaring of his 'complicated' life and was probably much more responsible for the Disneyfying of otters. His relationship (such as it was) with Katherine Raine and the latter years of his life have a whiff of the Gothic about them.
Judging by the rain outside/icelandic low on windy should be higher though.
The issue is that on days like this we should be generating 40-50GW of peak energy and storing 80% for those days like two weeks ago when the wind wasn't blowing.
A decade, pissed away trying to get the French and Chinese to build a nuclear station that may never actually turn on judging by the difficulties China have got with their EPR.
Tescos had E5 today, but no E10 or Diesel. Fiat 500 now full, so should be fine for the next couple of weeks.
Fine - apart from driving a Fiat 500....
Have to admit I raised an eyebrow at that too. If one car was the epitome of 'style'* over content, it's that.
*not my style, I should add, but I don't think I'm the target market...
I have had it 13 years and done 100 000 miles with no real problems. Fox Jr learned to drive in it, you can park it anywhere and £30 per year road tax and similarly cheap insurance. A great little car for its purposes.
There is a certain satisfaction in using the right tool for the right purpose. We now use (originally) my little petrol car for local stuff and (originally) the missus's larger diesel for long distance journeys. At some point my lad will get my car and we'll replace it with, hopefully, an EV.
The inappropriateness of Chelsea tractors on tiny urban streets makes me wince.
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
Forgive me, but how can you Google to find out if a petrol station is busy? This would be v useful to know.
I looked up the filling station and the Google result included a bar chart of typical busy levels. This included a red 'live' bar for the current time, which was well above trend. I have no idea where they get the data from, but very useful.
In contrast, the live bar for the local Asda was through the floor, therefore no fuel.
They get their information from everyone who has a smart phone, uses google maps and has GPS turned on, that's a lot of people. What is not recorded is the prupose of being in that location, ie. google can't tell the difference between someone walking past a petrol station and a car slowly moving up in a queue for petrol, but often the information is good enough to be useful.
There was a guy in Berlin a few years ago, who singlehandedly caused Google to think there was a traffic jam in central Berlin, by cycling slowly around with a bike trailer full of mobile phones.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
Isn't the expectation that Audi drivers will be able to avoid the delay by simply overtaking everyone in the queue and squashing in at the front?
Actually that's another very good example of herd mentality in action!
If there's two lanes open and a major queue in the left hand lane then overtaking everyone and squashing in at the front at the merge point is how you're supposed to drive.
I'll always merge at the front not join the herd queuing for a long distance in a single lane, even if some of the herd shoot me filthy looks for overtaking them; just because a herd of people don't know how to drive properly doesn't mean you should join them.
Trouble is it feels so un-British, that it winds people up. It needs better signage to indicate driving to the end and then merging (zipper style) and an ad campaign.
There is much is common between Greta Thunberg and realists who say that the powerful are virtue signalling.
At what point do those who actually are interested in facts, like Greta, agree that if the science is correct the catastrophe is going to happen and we can't and won't stop it?
Though I'm a full-fat environmentalist, I dislike Thunburg's pronouncements - the powerful are virtue-signalling to be sure but her humanist refrain is always the same: concern for humans rather than the rest of the natural world is easy to glean from her words. Consider this from the linked article:
"Our leaders’ intentional lack of action is a betrayal toward all present and future generations [she means humans].
Research published on Monday showed that children [humans] born today would experience many times more extreme heatwaves and other climate disasters over their lifetimes than their grandparents, even if countries fulfil their current emissions pledges."
That is a perceptive point. And something that she should be questioned on.
From my perspective, the human impact of climate change is the least important consideration. These 'future generations' don't need to be born.
The AA report on an increase in breakdowns because people are putting diesel in their petrol cars is glorious. You know the thought process is "well this is what's available so I'll get some". Wankers.
Doesn't diesel in petrol completely write off the engine too, whereas petrol in diesel is recoverable?
”Walk around a supermarket in the U.S. or Europe and you will see some empty shelves once more. This isn’t due to people panic-buying toilet paper, as they did early on in the pandemic; rather it’s because supply chains are clogged at almost every stage between Asian factories and grocery stock rooms.
“But rising prices and patchy availability mean it’s only a matter of time before shoppers start purchasing in bulk again — this time to avoid future sticker shock.
“Supply lines are struggling as producers such as Vietnam, responsible for making everything from sneakers to coffee, are hurt by Covid restrictions. Surging virus cases and consumer demand are leading to congested ports. Shipping containers are in the wrong place. Sea freight costs are up tenfold. If goods do arrive at the destined ports, there are too few truck drivers to transport them to retailers. Shortages of workers to harvest and prepare foods are also adding to the pressures.”
Now, I know I'm in a posh part of LA, but I haven't seen any shortages... yet.
Today I filled up my (@Dura_Ace approved) car with petrol, without problems.
My gut - and it's just a gut - is that there is a post Covid demand boom, that is causing supply crunches everywhere. But it's most acute in the UK, simply because Covid hit almost immediately following Brexit. It meant that those who could drive could earn great money in less stressful food delivery jobs, and the normal steady flow people through training was disrupted.
And you know what, that's OK.
No-one is going to starve. Things will adjust. The cost of trucking stuff around will probably increase. And yes, that will have an impact on the price we pay for things.
That post was fine until you got to the 'it's ok' bit.
No it isn't. If you lived here you'd realise that it really, really, isn't. We have horrendous multiple crises going on in the UK at the moment. You may not be a fan of the NHS, for instance, but the situation is absolutely dire. I know several people who have had cancer diagnoses missed during the past 18 months and are now in real trouble. Try getting a face to face appointment with a GP and it's nigh-impossible.
And there are people who ARE on the bread line, especially with the cut in universal credit.
I could go on but please don't post aloof messages from sunny LA trying to tell us it's all fine. That's as bad as the Metropolitan Elite Remainers who never, ever, got the issue in the ghost towns of the north and east of England.
I think you go a bit far - we have some enormous challenges ahead, but we always do. The NHS has had winter crisis for as long as I can remember. There will never be enough money, time, medics to do all that could be done. I'd suggest you look elsewhere. We are not uniquely struggling. Things will improve. My guess is the fuel 'crisis' will be over by the weekend.
They don't seem to be struggling quite as much as we are. In terms of loss of life expectancy, Covid has hit the UK harder than many countries, and nowhere else has has people queuing for petrol. European supermarket shelves aren't as empty as ours, either. Pasta, chopped tomatoes and kidney beans almost all gone on my last shoping trip.
BREXIT has really put us in a bad place.
Brexit is an unserious project lead by unserious people, which is the big issue we have right now. They start out by claiming shortages are a feature, not a bug, of Brexit, because they drive up wages. Then they deny that shortages actually exist, because no-one wants to do without important stuff. Or, if they can't deny it, they claim everyone else also had shortages. Finally they blame everyone else for the consequences of their own decisions; companies, the media, Remainers, the EU.
As I have said before time for the lib dems to come out publicly and say they will join the single market and a accept freedom of movement
That would be honest rather than continually bemoaning abour Brexit
You do not like it, so say what you do want openly and honestly to the public
It's an interesting point, which goes beyond the Lib Dems. Is there a workable version of Brexit that doesn't involve realigning with the EU, similar to the EEA? Because that's been rejected by Brexiteers for reasons that are important to them. It's much easier to declare the whole situation a mess than to find solutions to it. Brexiteers presumably deflect , blame-shift and devise unrealistic solutions because they don't have real solutions themselves.
Although I 'liked' Big G's comment, it was the coming out and being open about it I agree with. If being in the EU is better than out (and I believe it is) the LDs shouldn't be afraid to say so, very loudly and in response to every issue. Just as the Brexiteers did for 20 years.
However I really don't see the point of being in the single market but not in the EU. I want to set the rules, not just take them. Otherwise we are better off as we are now - at least we get to decide.
I'm still trying to decide if LD policy is one I can support - it's a bit mealy mouthed for me. Is it the fist step in a commitment to rejoin that will take more than a parliament to implement, or just a step in the hope that we will rejoin eventually? While we are out of the EU, we should be out properly, until we decide to rejoin. A halfway house is pointless.
I can't fault your logic: go for the best outcome, not one that is less bad than what he have. The issue for people who think the case stacks up for EU membership is that the "best outcome" is the only one that has been definitively and formally rejected in a popular vote. Absent an appetite to overturn that vote, we are left with suboptimal outcomes.
My question is whether at least some of those that voted Leave could be persuaded, along with those that voted Remain, for some kind of damage limitation, given that the former are in denial about the consequences of their vote. They don't like those consequences but they don't accept they voted for them either. It may not be a case of changing minds, but they get tired of this stuff.
I don't buy your assumption that inside the SM but not in the EU is better than now (it might be, but not sure). All i know is that it can never be better than both of the current position and fully in, so we just have to decide which of those two is better.
As for selling it, either Brexit turns out to be such a roaring success that the question goes away , or we start to look enviously across the channel at our neighbours once more.
I also expect it to take a generation to overturn. All of my daughters' generation (teens/early 20s) that I know think Brexit was the most stupid idea, ever, and as the people older than me shuffle off it will depend whether the new status quo seems a good thing or not to her age group and the generation following her by the time they are in a majority.
The AA report on an increase in breakdowns because people are putting diesel in their petrol cars is glorious. You know the thought process is "well this is what's available so I'll get some". Wankers.
Have been musing on how this behaviour very closely mirrors that of substance addiction. Perhaps it is merely a socally acceptable one?
There is much is common between Greta Thunberg and realists who say that the powerful are virtue signalling.
At what point do those who actually are interested in facts, like Greta, agree that if the science is correct the catastrophe is going to happen and we can't and won't stop it?
Though I'm a full-fat environmentalist, I dislike Thunburg's pronouncements - the powerful are virtue-signalling to be sure but her humanist refrain is always the same: concern for humans rather than the rest of the natural world is easy to glean from her words. Consider this from the linked article:
"Our leaders’ intentional lack of action is a betrayal toward all present and future generations [she means humans].
Research published on Monday showed that children [humans] born today would experience many times more extreme heatwaves and other climate disasters over their lifetimes than their grandparents, even if countries fulfil their current emissions pledges."
That is a perceptive point. And something that she should be questioned on.
From my perspective, the human impact of climate change is the least important consideration. These 'future generations' don't need to be born.
Frankly, I think this sort of attitude gives ammunition to the head-in-the-sand mob.
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
Forgive me, but how can you Google to find out if a petrol station is busy? This would be v useful to know.
I looked up the filling station and the Google result included a bar chart of typical busy levels. This included a red 'live' bar for the current time, which was well above trend. I have no idea where they get the data from, but very useful.
In contrast, the live bar for the local Asda was through the floor, therefore no fuel.
They get their information from everyone who has a smart phone, uses google maps and has GPS turned on, that's a lot of people. What is not recorded is the prupose of being in that location, ie. google can't tell the difference between someone walking past a petrol station and a car slowly moving up in a queue for petrol, but often the information is good enough to be useful.
There was a guy in Berlin a few years ago, who singlehandedly caused Google to think there was a traffic jam in central Berlin, by cycling slowly around with a bike trailer full of mobile phones.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
Isn't the expectation that Audi drivers will be able to avoid the delay by simply overtaking everyone in the queue and squashing in at the front?
Actually that's another very good example of herd mentality in action!
If there's two lanes open and a major queue in the left hand lane then overtaking everyone and squashing in at the front at the merge point is how you're supposed to drive.
I'll always merge at the front not join the herd queuing for a long distance in a single lane, even if some of the herd shoot me filthy looks for overtaking them; just because a herd of people don't know how to drive properly doesn't mean you should join them.
Trouble is it feels so un-British, that it winds people up. It needs better signage to indicate driving to the end and then merging (zipper style) and an ad campaign.
I know but it is already in the f***ing Highway Code.
So many morons out there that think when there's a queue everyone has to be in the left-hand lane altogether, then the rest of the time they'll drive down the middle lane on the motorway even when the left hand lane is empty.
Its not difficult, keep left unless overtaking. But if the left is moving slow, then then its reasonable to move right and overtake and merge at the merge point.
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
Forgive me, but how can you Google to find out if a petrol station is busy? This would be v useful to know.
I looked up the filling station and the Google result included a bar chart of typical busy levels. This included a red 'live' bar for the current time, which was well above trend. I have no idea where they get the data from, but very useful.
In contrast, the live bar for the local Asda was through the floor, therefore no fuel.
They get their information from everyone who has a smart phone, uses google maps and has GPS turned on, that's a lot of people. What is not recorded is the prupose of being in that location, ie. google can't tell the difference between someone walking past a petrol station and a car slowly moving up in a queue for petrol, but often the information is good enough to be useful.
There was a guy in Berlin a few years ago, who singlehandedly caused Google to think there was a traffic jam in central Berlin, by cycling slowly around with a bike trailer full of mobile phones.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
I did that experiment this morning/yesterday with my new Peugeot and Google Maps. Google Maps was much more accurate. Maybe VW group has better programmers
No my mates VW Tiguan Sat is shite compared to Google Maps
Researching the US Colonial pipeline attack, as I’m doing for the day job, came across two comedy pieces from the time, that I’ll be using for training.
Both videos make a point of saying, within the first couple of minutes, that there would be no shortages of ‘gas’ (petrol) were it not for every idiot brimming their tank, their Jerry can and even milk bottles.
It’s exactly the same as what’s happening in the UK at the moment.
Herd immunity mentality.
Worth watching the whole thing for the sheer idiocy of it.
They were quite sensible and laid back about it. It’s just a domino effect isn’t it, not bogroll banditry.
Labour are quite right to keep quiet about this and not go on attack, they are less a government in waiting trying to score cheap political points over this. There’s no supply problem. No blockades. There’s a very small haulage issue the government trying to keep under wraps whilst they sorted it. Got to feel sorry for government over this one, direct anger at those trying to score points over it, like The Sun.
The CO2 and food on shelves issue is different, government should have been more active sooner on that.
The problem is learned behaviour, and people can get really entrenched in their views. Which they base on experience even if it is wrong. There IS a shortage and there ARE problems because here I am queuing because they are queuing.
People are funny when they get behind the wheel. Traffic flow rationale doesn't sink in. They dislike 50mph limits on motorways to reduce congestion and keep traffic moving because it "slows them down" when the opposite is true. They hate "queue jumpers" even though the highway code (and so often signs) instructs people to merge in turn because extending the lane closure by not doing just increases the congestion they are stuck in.
The AA report on an increase in breakdowns because people are putting diesel in their petrol cars is glorious. You know the thought process is "well this is what's available so I'll get some". Wankers.
Doesn't diesel in petrol completely write off the engine too, whereas petrol in diesel is recoverable?
Not sure if complete write-off, but thats close to my understanding too. If you start putting in petrol to a diesel, and stop immediately, you can pretty much burn that through with the full tan of diesel.* Other way round - stop, call the AA (or rescue provider of choice).
*Note this is not advice. Don't sue me if it doesn't work...
There is much is common between Greta Thunberg and realists who say that the powerful are virtue signalling.
At what point do those who actually are interested in facts, like Greta, agree that if the science is correct the catastrophe is going to happen and we can't and won't stop it?
Though I'm a full-fat environmentalist, I dislike Thunburg's pronouncements - the powerful are virtue-signalling to be sure but her humanist refrain is always the same: concern for humans rather than the rest of the natural world is easy to glean from her words. Consider this from the linked article:
"Our leaders’ intentional lack of action is a betrayal toward all present and future generations [she means humans].
Research published on Monday showed that children [humans] born today would experience many times more extreme heatwaves and other climate disasters over their lifetimes than their grandparents, even if countries fulfil their current emissions pledges."
That is a perceptive point. And something that she should be questioned on.
From my perspective, the human impact of climate change is the least important consideration. These 'future generations' don't need to be born.
Frankly, I think this sort of attitude gives ammunition to the head-in-the-sand mob.
Well it may do. But it is an important question nonetheless. If temperatures rise 5°C humans and many species would continue. If insects disappeared none would. So which is more important?
”Walk around a supermarket in the U.S. or Europe and you will see some empty shelves once more. This isn’t due to people panic-buying toilet paper, as they did early on in the pandemic; rather it’s because supply chains are clogged at almost every stage between Asian factories and grocery stock rooms.
“But rising prices and patchy availability mean it’s only a matter of time before shoppers start purchasing in bulk again — this time to avoid future sticker shock.
“Supply lines are struggling as producers such as Vietnam, responsible for making everything from sneakers to coffee, are hurt by Covid restrictions. Surging virus cases and consumer demand are leading to congested ports. Shipping containers are in the wrong place. Sea freight costs are up tenfold. If goods do arrive at the destined ports, there are too few truck drivers to transport them to retailers. Shortages of workers to harvest and prepare foods are also adding to the pressures.”
Now, I know I'm in a posh part of LA, but I haven't seen any shortages... yet.
Today I filled up my (@Dura_Ace approved) car with petrol, without problems.
My gut - and it's just a gut - is that there is a post Covid demand boom, that is causing supply crunches everywhere. But it's most acute in the UK, simply because Covid hit almost immediately following Brexit. It meant that those who could drive could earn great money in less stressful food delivery jobs, and the normal steady flow people through training was disrupted.
And you know what, that's OK.
No-one is going to starve. Things will adjust. The cost of trucking stuff around will probably increase. And yes, that will have an impact on the price we pay for things.
That post was fine until you got to the 'it's ok' bit.
No it isn't. If you lived here you'd realise that it really, really, isn't. We have horrendous multiple crises going on in the UK at the moment. You may not be a fan of the NHS, for instance, but the situation is absolutely dire. I know several people who have had cancer diagnoses missed during the past 18 months and are now in real trouble. Try getting a face to face appointment with a GP and it's nigh-impossible.
And there are people who ARE on the bread line, especially with the cut in universal credit.
I could go on but please don't post aloof messages from sunny LA trying to tell us it's all fine. That's as bad as the Metropolitan Elite Remainers who never, ever, got the issue in the ghost towns of the north and east of England.
I think you go a bit far - we have some enormous challenges ahead, but we always do. The NHS has had winter crisis for as long as I can remember. There will never be enough money, time, medics to do all that could be done. I'd suggest you look elsewhere. We are not uniquely struggling. Things will improve. My guess is the fuel 'crisis' will be over by the weekend.
They don't seem to be struggling quite as much as we are. In terms of loss of life expectancy, Covid has hit the UK harder than many countries, and nowhere else has has people queuing for petrol. European supermarket shelves aren't as empty as ours, either. Pasta, chopped tomatoes and kidney beans almost all gone on my last shoping trip.
BREXIT has really put us in a bad place.
Brexit is an unserious project lead by unserious people, which is the big issue we have right now. They start out by claiming shortages are a feature, not a bug, of Brexit, because they drive up wages. Then they deny that shortages actually exist, because no-one wants to do without important stuff. Or, if they can't deny it, they claim everyone else also had shortages. Finally they blame everyone else for the consequences of their own decisions; companies, the media, Remainers, the EU.
As I have said before time for the lib dems to come out publicly and say they will join the single market and a accept freedom of movement
That would be honest rather than continually bemoaning abour Brexit
You do not like it, so say what you do want openly and honestly to the public
It's an interesting point, which goes beyond the Lib Dems. Is there a workable version of Brexit that doesn't involve realigning with the EU, similar to the EEA? Because that's been rejected by Brexiteers for reasons that are important to them. It's much easier to declare the whole situation a mess than to find solutions to it. Brexiteers presumably deflect , blame-shift and devise unrealistic solutions because they don't have real solutions themselves.
Although I 'liked' Big G's comment, it was the coming out and being open about it I agree with. If being in the EU is better than out (and I believe it is) the LDs shouldn't be afraid to say so, very loudly and in response to every issue. Just as the Brexiteers did for 20 years.
However I really don't see the point of being in the single market but not in the EU. I want to set the rules, not just take them. Otherwise we are better off as we are now - at least we get to decide.
I'm still trying to decide if LD policy is one I can support - it's a bit mealy mouthed for me. Is it the fist step in a commitment to rejoin that will take more than a parliament to implement, or just a step in the hope that we will rejoin eventually? While we are out of the EU, we should be out properly, until we decide to rejoin. A halfway house is pointless.
I can't fault your logic: go for the best outcome, not one that is less bad than what he have. The issue for people who think the case stacks up for EU membership is that the "best outcome" is the only one that has been definitively and formally rejected in a popular vote. Absent an appetite to overturn that vote, we are left with suboptimal outcomes.
My question is whether at least some of those that voted Leave could be persuaded, along with those that voted Remain, for some kind of damage limitation, given that the former are in denial about the consequences of their vote. They don't like those consequences but they don't accept they voted for them either. It may not be a case of changing minds, but they get tired of this stuff.
I don't buy your assumption that inside the SM but not in the EU is better than now (it might be, but not sure). All i know is that it can never be better than both of the current position and fully in, so we just have to decide which of those two is better.
As for selling it, either Brexit turns out to be such a roaring success that the question goes away , or we start to look enviously across the channel at our neighbours once more.
I also expect it to take a generation to overturn. All of my daughters' generation (teens/early 20s) that I know think Brexit was the most stupid idea, ever, and as the people older than me shuffle off it will depend whether the new status quo seems a good thing or not to her age group and the generation following her by the time they are in a majority.
Its a bit tricky at the moment to untangle all the influences on 'how its going'. Imagine your football team changes its manager, and then before the first match you lose half the squad to injury. Is it a fair test to criticise when you lose? No doubt covid has had a huge effect on things, and no doubt Brexit has too. Taken together, in the old adage 'I wouldn't start from here'.
Coming out of EU was never going to be over in months or a few years. It'll be for historians to work out who was right and who was wrong. On purely economic arguments, my feel is we should have stayed in, and I voted that way. On other aspects I was happy with the vote to withdraw. Whatever. We are where we are. If a future government is elected on a rejoiin manifesto then so be it. I think the Lib Dems got smashed last time, not because they wanted to stay in the EU, but because they didn't want to to respect the referendum vote, because it went against them. Making the case for rejoin now, and in future, is entirely different.
The AA report on an increase in breakdowns because people are putting diesel in their petrol cars is glorious. You know the thought process is "well this is what's available so I'll get some". Wankers.
Doesn't diesel in petrol completely write off the engine too, whereas petrol in diesel is recoverable?
Not sure if complete write-off, but thats close to my understanding too. If you start putting in petrol to a diesel, and stop immediately, you can pretty much burn that through with the full tan of diesel.* Other way round - stop, call the AA (or rescue provider of choice).
*Note this is not advice. Don't sue me if it doesn't work...
The wife has done petrol in a diesel (US, BP station where petrol has a green handle - all other US gas stations green handle = diesel). Towed to garage, a day and several $000s of repairs and unexpected hotel bills later she was good to go (on a long road trip to an equestrian competition, pulling a 40' trailer with horses. Fortunately, someone was able to come and pick up the horses for her and get them to stabling. Thankfully, I was out of the country and therefore not expected to help ).
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
Forgive me, but how can you Google to find out if a petrol station is busy? This would be v useful to know.
I looked up the filling station and the Google result included a bar chart of typical busy levels. This included a red 'live' bar for the current time, which was well above trend. I have no idea where they get the data from, but very useful.
In contrast, the live bar for the local Asda was through the floor, therefore no fuel.
They get their information from everyone who has a smart phone, uses google maps and has GPS turned on, that's a lot of people. What is not recorded is the prupose of being in that location, ie. google can't tell the difference between someone walking past a petrol station and a car slowly moving up in a queue for petrol, but often the information is good enough to be useful.
There was a guy in Berlin a few years ago, who singlehandedly caused Google to think there was a traffic jam in central Berlin, by cycling slowly around with a bike trailer full of mobile phones.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
Isn't the expectation that Audi drivers will be able to avoid the delay by simply overtaking everyone in the queue and squashing in at the front?
Actually that's another very good example of herd mentality in action!
If there's two lanes open and a major queue in the left hand lane then overtaking everyone and squashing in at the front at the merge point is how you're supposed to drive.
I'll always merge at the front not join the herd queuing for a long distance in a single lane, even if some of the herd shoot me filthy looks for overtaking them; just because a herd of people don't know how to drive properly doesn't mean you should join them.
Trouble is it feels so un-British, that it winds people up. It needs better signage to indicate driving to the end and then merging (zipper style) and an ad campaign.
I know but it is already in the f***ing Highway Code.
So many morons out there that think when there's a queue everyone has to be in the left-hand lane altogether, then the rest of the time they'll drive down the middle lane on the motorway even when the left hand lane is empty.
Its not difficult, keep left unless overtaking. But if the left is moving slow, then then its reasonable to move right and overtake and merge at the merge point.
Sorry, no. That is being a twat. Merge in turn. Whether that is at the start of the narrowing or 400 yards earlier, that is your place in the queue. Overtaking after people have started queuing is not courteous behaviour.
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
Forgive me, but how can you Google to find out if a petrol station is busy? This would be v useful to know.
I looked up the filling station and the Google result included a bar chart of typical busy levels. This included a red 'live' bar for the current time, which was well above trend. I have no idea where they get the data from, but very useful.
In contrast, the live bar for the local Asda was through the floor, therefore no fuel.
They get their information from everyone who has a smart phone, uses google maps and has GPS turned on, that's a lot of people. What is not recorded is the prupose of being in that location, ie. google can't tell the difference between someone walking past a petrol station and a car slowly moving up in a queue for petrol, but often the information is good enough to be useful.
There was a guy in Berlin a few years ago, who singlehandedly caused Google to think there was a traffic jam in central Berlin, by cycling slowly around with a bike trailer full of mobile phones.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
Isn't the expectation that Audi drivers will be able to avoid the delay by simply overtaking everyone in the queue and squashing in at the front?
Actually that's another very good example of herd mentality in action!
If there's two lanes open and a major queue in the left hand lane then overtaking everyone and squashing in at the front at the merge point is how you're supposed to drive.
I'll always merge at the front not join the herd queuing for a long distance in a single lane, even if some of the herd shoot me filthy looks for overtaking them; just because a herd of people don't know how to drive properly doesn't mean you should join them.
Trouble is it feels so un-British, that it winds people up. It needs better signage to indicate driving to the end and then merging (zipper style) and an ad campaign.
I know but it is already in the f***ing Highway Code.
So many morons out there that think when there's a queue everyone has to be in the left-hand lane altogether, then the rest of the time they'll drive down the middle lane on the motorway even when the left hand lane is empty.
Its not difficult, keep left unless overtaking. But if the left is moving slow, then then its reasonable to move right and overtake and merge at the merge point.
Sorry, no. That is being a twat. Merge in turn. Whether that is at the start of the narrowing or 400 yards earlier, that is your place in the queue. Overtaking after people have started queuing is not courteous behaviour.
No, read the f***ing Highway Code, merging prematurely is being a twat. Merge in turn at the merge point.
Just because there's fools with a herd mentality who decide to merge prematurely doesn't mean you should join them. Merge in turn is the rule and you are supposed to merge at the merge point, not 400 yards before it and leave valid open road space empty.
Tescos had E5 today, but no E10 or Diesel. Fiat 500 now full, so should be fine for the next couple of weeks.
Fine - apart from driving a Fiat 500....
Have to admit I raised an eyebrow at that too. If one car was the epitome of 'style'* over content, it's that.
*not my style, I should add, but I don't think I'm the target market...
I have had it 13 years and done 100 000 miles with no real problems. Fox Jr learned to drive in it, you can park it anywhere and £30 per year road tax and similarly cheap insurance. A great little car for its purposes.
When you say "car"....
Some friends have one. It is called "the Pimple". And not in an overly affectionate way.
Researching the US Colonial pipeline attack, as I’m doing for the day job, came across two comedy pieces from the time, that I’ll be using for training.
Both videos make a point of saying, within the first couple of minutes, that there would be no shortages of ‘gas’ (petrol) were it not for every idiot brimming their tank, their Jerry can and even milk bottles.
It’s exactly the same as what’s happening in the UK at the moment.
Herd immunity mentality.
Worth watching the whole thing for the sheer idiocy of it.
They were quite sensible and laid back about it. It’s just a domino effect isn’t it, not bogroll banditry.
Labour are quite right to keep quiet about this and not go on attack, they are less a government in waiting trying to score cheap political points over this. There’s no supply problem. No blockades. There’s a very small haulage issue the government trying to keep under wraps whilst they sorted it. Got to feel sorry for government over this one, direct anger at those trying to score points over it, like The Sun.
The CO2 and food on shelves issue is different, government should have been more active sooner on that.
The problem is learned behaviour, and people can get really entrenched in their views. Which they base on experience even if it is wrong. There IS a shortage and there ARE problems because here I am queuing because they are queuing.
People are funny when they get behind the wheel. Traffic flow rationale doesn't sink in. They dislike 50mph limits on motorways to reduce congestion and keep traffic moving because it "slows them down" when the opposite is true. They hate "queue jumpers" even though the highway code (and so often signs) instructs people to merge in turn because extending the lane closure by not doing just increases the congestion they are stuck in.
Merging in turn, by definition, is not queue jumping. Overtaking 30 people then putting your indicator on is.
Tescos had E5 today, but no E10 or Diesel. Fiat 500 now full, so should be fine for the next couple of weeks.
Fine - apart from driving a Fiat 500....
Have to admit I raised an eyebrow at that too. If one car was the epitome of 'style'* over content, it's that.
*not my style, I should add, but I don't think I'm the target market...
I have had it 13 years and done 100 000 miles with no real problems. Fox Jr learned to drive in it, you can park it anywhere and £30 per year road tax and similarly cheap insurance. A great little car for its purposes.
There is a certain satisfaction in using the right tool for the right purpose. We now use (originally) my little petrol car for local stuff and (originally) the missus's larger diesel for long distance journeys. At some point my lad will get my car and we'll replace it with, hopefully, an EV.
The inappropriateness of Chelsea tractors on tiny urban streets makes me wince.
Oh, I agree. Mrs Foxy drives the electric, and we use it for longer trips like going to the IoW tommorow. It is beautifully smooth for motorway driving, where the Fiat feels a bit out of its depth.
Kia has a 7 year, 100 000 mile warranty on the batteries, so I have no worries with those. The evidence is that electric cars age well as fewer moving parts, and I expect batteries will get cheaper to replace over time.
To Brighton, where most coverage of Labour feels like intruding on private grief. Top line: Keir Starmer remains juuuust a few infinity stones short of a gauntlet. A national executive committee member announced that Labour’s legal fees were now £2m a year. What are its sedative bills? This entire event has spent four days crying out to be locked in a loft – one that’s insulated, of course, ideally with 2-metre-thick lead.
I'll offer them free advice to save most of the £2m:
Expel The Trots
Well said.
The left like to bandy around the word 'fascist' against anyone they don't like, but the Tories are absolutely ruthless at expelling the far right and quite right too. Both because its the right thing to do, and because everyone on the far right you attract would put off many more central voters.
Expelling the Trots is the right thing to do both morally and politically.
Oh and stop calling each other "comrade". 🤦♂️
Boris was absolutely ruthless in expelling his internal enemies. Ironically, like everyone said Corbyn would be, but wasn't.
Yes and the party was stronger and won a major majority for it that has been able to govern far better than had those who couldn't sign up to the platform being proposed remained in the party.
Ultimately 'his internal enemies' lost the leadership election, lost the referendum, and lost the majority - if they couldn't be reconciled to moving on then it was time to move on without them. The party and the country no longer reflected what they wanted anymore.
If those 20 irreconcileables had remained as MPs imagine how much tougher it would have been for the government to actually govern? Even if they'd won a majority of thirty instead of eighty, they'd have potentially had no real majority as it stands.
If the public wanted what those irreconcileables wanted, then they could have backed them at the election. Grieves, Gauke and others did stand for Parliament in 2019 but they lost. The public didn't want them so that's the end of it, that's democracy.
This is fundamentally the problem. In 2007, there were only 24 members of the Socialist Campaign Group so the leadership could generally ignore them. There are now 35 members, which make up a much bigger share of a smaller caucus. Most of them are in very safe constituencies and a large share were election in 2017 and 2019 and were young enough to be around for decades
And some of them are pillocks. Zarah Sultana. Claudia Webbe, Ding Dong Burgon. If Starmer had eviscerated Corbyn when he could have had the chance he would already have been rid of the worst of them. They would now be Peace and Justice Party MPs campaigning for their inevitable massive defeat in 2023.
Researching the US Colonial pipeline attack, as I’m doing for the day job, came across two comedy pieces from the time, that I’ll be using for training.
Both videos make a point of saying, within the first couple of minutes, that there would be no shortages of ‘gas’ (petrol) were it not for every idiot brimming their tank, their Jerry can and even milk bottles.
It’s exactly the same as what’s happening in the UK at the moment.
Herd immunity mentality.
Worth watching the whole thing for the sheer idiocy of it.
They were quite sensible and laid back about it. It’s just a domino effect isn’t it, not bogroll banditry.
Labour are quite right to keep quiet about this and not go on attack, they are less a government in waiting trying to score cheap political points over this. There’s no supply problem. No blockades. There’s a very small haulage issue the government trying to keep under wraps whilst they sorted it. Got to feel sorry for government over this one, direct anger at those trying to score points over it, like The Sun.
The CO2 and food on shelves issue is different, government should have been more active sooner on that.
The problem is learned behaviour, and people can get really entrenched in their views. Which they base on experience even if it is wrong. There IS a shortage and there ARE problems because here I am queuing because they are queuing.
People are funny when they get behind the wheel. Traffic flow rationale doesn't sink in. They dislike 50mph limits on motorways to reduce congestion and keep traffic moving because it "slows them down" when the opposite is true. They hate "queue jumpers" even though the highway code (and so often signs) instructs people to merge in turn because extending the lane closure by not doing just increases the congestion they are stuck in.
Merging in turn, by definition, is not queue jumping. Overtaking 30 people then putting your indicator on is.
Your turn is when you reach the merge point.
If those thirty people haven't reached it yet, they've not got a turn yet.
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
Forgive me, but how can you Google to find out if a petrol station is busy? This would be v useful to know.
I looked up the filling station and the Google result included a bar chart of typical busy levels. This included a red 'live' bar for the current time, which was well above trend. I have no idea where they get the data from, but very useful.
In contrast, the live bar for the local Asda was through the floor, therefore no fuel.
They get their information from everyone who has a smart phone, uses google maps and has GPS turned on, that's a lot of people. What is not recorded is the prupose of being in that location, ie. google can't tell the difference between someone walking past a petrol station and a car slowly moving up in a queue for petrol, but often the information is good enough to be useful.
There was a guy in Berlin a few years ago, who singlehandedly caused Google to think there was a traffic jam in central Berlin, by cycling slowly around with a bike trailer full of mobile phones.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
Isn't the expectation that Audi drivers will be able to avoid the delay by simply overtaking everyone in the queue and squashing in at the front?
Actually that's another very good example of herd mentality in action!
If there's two lanes open and a major queue in the left hand lane then overtaking everyone and squashing in at the front at the merge point is how you're supposed to drive.
I'll always merge at the front not join the herd queuing for a long distance in a single lane, even if some of the herd shoot me filthy looks for overtaking them; just because a herd of people don't know how to drive properly doesn't mean you should join them.
Trouble is it feels so un-British, that it winds people up. It needs better signage to indicate driving to the end and then merging (zipper style) and an ad campaign.
I know but it is already in the f***ing Highway Code.
So many morons out there that think when there's a queue everyone has to be in the left-hand lane altogether, then the rest of the time they'll drive down the middle lane on the motorway even when the left hand lane is empty.
Its not difficult, keep left unless overtaking. But if the left is moving slow, then then its reasonable to move right and overtake and merge at the merge point.
Sorry, no. That is being a twat. Merge in turn. Whether that is at the start of the narrowing or 400 yards earlier, that is your place in the queue. Overtaking after people have started queuing is not courteous behaviour.
No, read the f***ing Highway Code, merging prematurely is being a twat. Merge in turn at the merge point.
Just because there's fools with a herd mentality who decide to merge prematurely doesn't mean you should join them. Merge in turn is the rule and you are supposed to merge at the merge point, not 400 yards before it and leave valid open road space empty.
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
Forgive me, but how can you Google to find out if a petrol station is busy? This would be v useful to know.
I looked up the filling station and the Google result included a bar chart of typical busy levels. This included a red 'live' bar for the current time, which was well above trend. I have no idea where they get the data from, but very useful.
In contrast, the live bar for the local Asda was through the floor, therefore no fuel.
They get their information from everyone who has a smart phone, uses google maps and has GPS turned on, that's a lot of people. What is not recorded is the prupose of being in that location, ie. google can't tell the difference between someone walking past a petrol station and a car slowly moving up in a queue for petrol, but often the information is good enough to be useful.
There was a guy in Berlin a few years ago, who singlehandedly caused Google to think there was a traffic jam in central Berlin, by cycling slowly around with a bike trailer full of mobile phones.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
Isn't the expectation that Audi drivers will be able to avoid the delay by simply overtaking everyone in the queue and squashing in at the front?
Actually that's another very good example of herd mentality in action!
If there's two lanes open and a major queue in the left hand lane then overtaking everyone and squashing in at the front at the merge point is how you're supposed to drive.
I'll always merge at the front not join the herd queuing for a long distance in a single lane, even if some of the herd shoot me filthy looks for overtaking them; just because a herd of people don't know how to drive properly doesn't mean you should join them.
Trouble is it feels so un-British, that it winds people up. It needs better signage to indicate driving to the end and then merging (zipper style) and an ad campaign.
I know but it is already in the f***ing Highway Code.
So many morons out there that think when there's a queue everyone has to be in the left-hand lane altogether, then the rest of the time they'll drive down the middle lane on the motorway even when the left hand lane is empty.
Its not difficult, keep left unless overtaking. But if the left is moving slow, then then its reasonable to move right and overtake and merge at the merge point.
Sorry, no. That is being a twat. Merge in turn. Whether that is at the start of the narrowing or 400 yards earlier, that is your place in the queue. Overtaking after people have started queuing is not courteous behaviour.
No, read the f***ing Highway Code, merging prematurely is being a twat. Merge in turn at the merge point.
Just because there's fools with a herd mentality who decide to merge prematurely doesn't mean you should join them. Merge in turn is the rule and you are supposed to merge at the merge point, not 400 yards before it and leave valid open road space empty.
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
Forgive me, but how can you Google to find out if a petrol station is busy? This would be v useful to know.
I looked up the filling station and the Google result included a bar chart of typical busy levels. This included a red 'live' bar for the current time, which was well above trend. I have no idea where they get the data from, but very useful.
In contrast, the live bar for the local Asda was through the floor, therefore no fuel.
They get their information from everyone who has a smart phone, uses google maps and has GPS turned on, that's a lot of people. What is not recorded is the prupose of being in that location, ie. google can't tell the difference between someone walking past a petrol station and a car slowly moving up in a queue for petrol, but often the information is good enough to be useful.
There was a guy in Berlin a few years ago, who singlehandedly caused Google to think there was a traffic jam in central Berlin, by cycling slowly around with a bike trailer full of mobile phones.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
Isn't the expectation that Audi drivers will be able to avoid the delay by simply overtaking everyone in the queue and squashing in at the front?
Actually that's another very good example of herd mentality in action!
If there's two lanes open and a major queue in the left hand lane then overtaking everyone and squashing in at the front at the merge point is how you're supposed to drive.
I'll always merge at the front not join the herd queuing for a long distance in a single lane, even if some of the herd shoot me filthy looks for overtaking them; just because a herd of people don't know how to drive properly doesn't mean you should join them.
Trouble is it feels so un-British, that it winds people up. It needs better signage to indicate driving to the end and then merging (zipper style) and an ad campaign.
I know but it is already in the f***ing Highway Code.
So many morons out there that think when there's a queue everyone has to be in the left-hand lane altogether, then the rest of the time they'll drive down the middle lane on the motorway even when the left hand lane is empty.
Its not difficult, keep left unless overtaking. But if the left is moving slow, then then its reasonable to move right and overtake and merge at the merge point.
Sorry, no. That is being a twat. Merge in turn. Whether that is at the start of the narrowing or 400 yards earlier, that is your place in the queue. Overtaking after people have started queuing is not courteous behaviour.
No, read the f***ing Highway Code, merging prematurely is being a twat. Merge in turn at the merge point.
Just because there's fools with a herd mentality who decide to merge prematurely doesn't mean you should join them. Merge in turn is the rule and you are supposed to merge at the merge point, not 400 yards before it and leave valid open road space empty.
Yes. Merge in turn. Not by queue jumping.
Using the available open road space isn't queue jumping however much you want to call it that.
Merge in turn happens at the merge point, not before it.
There is much is common between Greta Thunberg and realists who say that the powerful are virtue signalling.
At what point do those who actually are interested in facts, like Greta, agree that if the science is correct the catastrophe is going to happen and we can't and won't stop it?
Though I'm a full-fat environmentalist, I dislike Thunburg's pronouncements - the powerful are virtue-signalling to be sure but her humanist refrain is always the same: concern for humans rather than the rest of the natural world is easy to glean from her words. Consider this from the linked article:
"Our leaders’ intentional lack of action is a betrayal toward all present and future generations [she means humans].
Research published on Monday showed that children [humans] born today would experience many times more extreme heatwaves and other climate disasters over their lifetimes than their grandparents, even if countries fulfil their current emissions pledges."
That is a perceptive point. And something that she should be questioned on.
From my perspective, the human impact of climate change is the least important consideration. These 'future generations' don't need to be born.
Hmm. Much like your generation "didn't need to be born".
Let those who cry overpopulation sacrifice themselves first. Lead by example.
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
Forgive me, but how can you Google to find out if a petrol station is busy? This would be v useful to know.
I looked up the filling station and the Google result included a bar chart of typical busy levels. This included a red 'live' bar for the current time, which was well above trend. I have no idea where they get the data from, but very useful.
In contrast, the live bar for the local Asda was through the floor, therefore no fuel.
They get their information from everyone who has a smart phone, uses google maps and has GPS turned on, that's a lot of people. What is not recorded is the prupose of being in that location, ie. google can't tell the difference between someone walking past a petrol station and a car slowly moving up in a queue for petrol, but often the information is good enough to be useful.
There was a guy in Berlin a few years ago, who singlehandedly caused Google to think there was a traffic jam in central Berlin, by cycling slowly around with a bike trailer full of mobile phones.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
Isn't the expectation that Audi drivers will be able to avoid the delay by simply overtaking everyone in the queue and squashing in at the front?
Actually that's another very good example of herd mentality in action!
If there's two lanes open and a major queue in the left hand lane then overtaking everyone and squashing in at the front at the merge point is how you're supposed to drive.
I'll always merge at the front not join the herd queuing for a long distance in a single lane, even if some of the herd shoot me filthy looks for overtaking them; just because a herd of people don't know how to drive properly doesn't mean you should join them.
Trouble is it feels so un-British, that it winds people up. It needs better signage to indicate driving to the end and then merging (zipper style) and an ad campaign.
I know but it is already in the f***ing Highway Code.
So many morons out there that think when there's a queue everyone has to be in the left-hand lane altogether, then the rest of the time they'll drive down the middle lane on the motorway even when the left hand lane is empty.
Its not difficult, keep left unless overtaking. But if the left is moving slow, then then its reasonable to move right and overtake and merge at the merge point.
Sorry, no. That is being a twat. Merge in turn. Whether that is at the start of the narrowing or 400 yards earlier, that is your place in the queue. Overtaking after people have started queuing is not courteous behaviour.
For once, I'm with Philip on this. Queuing on the left when the right-hand lane is also available simply lengthens the queue and causes more hassle. There's nothing discourteous about following the Highway Code and merging in turn at the merging point. Having said that, I otfen don't do so due to misplaced opprobrium from those waiting on the left :-(
Researching the US Colonial pipeline attack, as I’m doing for the day job, came across two comedy pieces from the time, that I’ll be using for training.
Both videos make a point of saying, within the first couple of minutes, that there would be no shortages of ‘gas’ (petrol) were it not for every idiot brimming their tank, their Jerry can and even milk bottles.
It’s exactly the same as what’s happening in the UK at the moment.
Herd immunity mentality.
Worth watching the whole thing for the sheer idiocy of it.
They were quite sensible and laid back about it. It’s just a domino effect isn’t it, not bogroll banditry.
Labour are quite right to keep quiet about this and not go on attack, they are less a government in waiting trying to score cheap political points over this. There’s no supply problem. No blockades. There’s a very small haulage issue the government trying to keep under wraps whilst they sorted it. Got to feel sorry for government over this one, direct anger at those trying to score points over it, like The Sun.
The CO2 and food on shelves issue is different, government should have been more active sooner on that.
The problem is learned behaviour, and people can get really entrenched in their views. Which they base on experience even if it is wrong. There IS a shortage and there ARE problems because here I am queuing because they are queuing.
People are funny when they get behind the wheel. Traffic flow rationale doesn't sink in. They dislike 50mph limits on motorways to reduce congestion and keep traffic moving because it "slows them down" when the opposite is true. They hate "queue jumpers" even though the highway code (and so often signs) instructs people to merge in turn because extending the lane closure by not doing just increases the congestion they are stuck in.
Merging in turn, by definition, is not queue jumping. Overtaking 30 people then putting your indicator on is.
Your turn is when you reach the merge point.
If those thirty people haven't reached it yet, they've not got a turn yet.
Socialists = Merge in turn Libertarians = Queue jumpers
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
Forgive me, but how can you Google to find out if a petrol station is busy? This would be v useful to know.
I looked up the filling station and the Google result included a bar chart of typical busy levels. This included a red 'live' bar for the current time, which was well above trend. I have no idea where they get the data from, but very useful.
In contrast, the live bar for the local Asda was through the floor, therefore no fuel.
They get their information from everyone who has a smart phone, uses google maps and has GPS turned on, that's a lot of people. What is not recorded is the prupose of being in that location, ie. google can't tell the difference between someone walking past a petrol station and a car slowly moving up in a queue for petrol, but often the information is good enough to be useful.
There was a guy in Berlin a few years ago, who singlehandedly caused Google to think there was a traffic jam in central Berlin, by cycling slowly around with a bike trailer full of mobile phones.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
Isn't the expectation that Audi drivers will be able to avoid the delay by simply overtaking everyone in the queue and squashing in at the front?
Actually that's another very good example of herd mentality in action!
If there's two lanes open and a major queue in the left hand lane then overtaking everyone and squashing in at the front at the merge point is how you're supposed to drive.
I'll always merge at the front not join the herd queuing for a long distance in a single lane, even if some of the herd shoot me filthy looks for overtaking them; just because a herd of people don't know how to drive properly doesn't mean you should join them.
Trouble is it feels so un-British, that it winds people up. It needs better signage to indicate driving to the end and then merging (zipper style) and an ad campaign.
I know but it is already in the f***ing Highway Code.
So many morons out there that think when there's a queue everyone has to be in the left-hand lane altogether, then the rest of the time they'll drive down the middle lane on the motorway even when the left hand lane is empty.
Its not difficult, keep left unless overtaking. But if the left is moving slow, then then its reasonable to move right and overtake and merge at the merge point.
Sorry, no. That is being a twat. Merge in turn. Whether that is at the start of the narrowing or 400 yards earlier, that is your place in the queue. Overtaking after people have started queuing is not courteous behaviour.
No, read the f***ing Highway Code, merging prematurely is being a twat. Merge in turn at the merge point.
Just because there's fools with a herd mentality who decide to merge prematurely doesn't mean you should join them. Merge in turn is the rule and you are supposed to merge at the merge point, not 400 yards before it and leave valid open road space empty.
You'll never REALLY leave the Tory Party.... 😁
That made me laugh out loud for real! 😂
The merge point is the point where merge in turn kicks in, that's the rules, that's the Highway Code. Just because a herd join the left when they're not supposed to doubling the distance of a queue doesn't mean you should join the herd. Anyone complaining should re-read the Highway Code and learn how to drive properly.
There is much is common between Greta Thunberg and realists who say that the powerful are virtue signalling.
At what point do those who actually are interested in facts, like Greta, agree that if the science is correct the catastrophe is going to happen and we can't and won't stop it?
Though I'm a full-fat environmentalist, I dislike Thunburg's pronouncements - the powerful are virtue-signalling to be sure but her humanist refrain is always the same: concern for humans rather than the rest of the natural world is easy to glean from her words. Consider this from the linked article:
"Our leaders’ intentional lack of action is a betrayal toward all present and future generations [she means humans].
Research published on Monday showed that children [humans] born today would experience many times more extreme heatwaves and other climate disasters over their lifetimes than their grandparents, even if countries fulfil their current emissions pledges."
That is a perceptive point. And something that she should be questioned on.
From my perspective, the human impact of climate change is the least important consideration. These 'future generations' don't need to be born.
Hmm. Much like your generation "didn't need to be born".
Let those who cry overpopulation sacrifice themselves first. Lead by example.
Researching the US Colonial pipeline attack, as I’m doing for the day job, came across two comedy pieces from the time, that I’ll be using for training.
Both videos make a point of saying, within the first couple of minutes, that there would be no shortages of ‘gas’ (petrol) were it not for every idiot brimming their tank, their Jerry can and even milk bottles.
It’s exactly the same as what’s happening in the UK at the moment.
Herd immunity mentality.
Worth watching the whole thing for the sheer idiocy of it.
They were quite sensible and laid back about it. It’s just a domino effect isn’t it, not bogroll banditry.
Labour are quite right to keep quiet about this and not go on attack, they are less a government in waiting trying to score cheap political points over this. There’s no supply problem. No blockades. There’s a very small haulage issue the government trying to keep under wraps whilst they sorted it. Got to feel sorry for government over this one, direct anger at those trying to score points over it, like The Sun.
The CO2 and food on shelves issue is different, government should have been more active sooner on that.
The problem is learned behaviour, and people can get really entrenched in their views. Which they base on experience even if it is wrong. There IS a shortage and there ARE problems because here I am queuing because they are queuing.
People are funny when they get behind the wheel. Traffic flow rationale doesn't sink in. They dislike 50mph limits on motorways to reduce congestion and keep traffic moving because it "slows them down" when the opposite is true. They hate "queue jumpers" even though the highway code (and so often signs) instructs people to merge in turn because extending the lane closure by not doing just increases the congestion they are stuck in.
Merging in turn, by definition, is not queue jumping. Overtaking 30 people then putting your indicator on is.
Merge in turn is the highway code. Merge in turn near the restriction not half a mile back. You see that big fuck off queue of traffic not moving that you're stuck in? Its because you merged half a mile early and are now accelerating and braking hard to ensure nobody can merge in turn. People create the queue they get stuck in.
I'm with the Tories on the merge in turn / queue jumping question. It's people prematurely filtering left and clogging up the slip lane that makes those continuing in the outside lane until later look like queue jumping libertarians. If everyone was sensible and stuck to their usual lanes until nearly at the junction, we would all be utilising the available space in the most efficient way and the overall queues would be shorter. That's utilitarianism.
The AA report on an increase in breakdowns because people are putting diesel in their petrol cars is glorious. You know the thought process is "well this is what's available so I'll get some". Wankers.
Doesn't diesel in petrol completely write off the engine too, whereas petrol in diesel is recoverable?
Not sure if complete write-off, but thats close to my understanding too. If you start putting in petrol to a diesel, and stop immediately, you can pretty much burn that through with the full tan of diesel.* Other way round - stop, call the AA (or rescue provider of choice).
*Note this is not advice. Don't sue me if it doesn't work...
Yep. Put a small(ish) amount of petrol in my diesel a few years back after I swapped cars and forgot. 7 litres. 12.5%. Probably too much (I think the guidance is no more than 10%).
One failed fuel injector six months later, replaced at a cost of £75.
But go onto some websites, and they push hard that ANY petrol in diesel is a £4k full engine replacement job. I probably got lucky (12.5% is too much really) but 2-3 litres shouldn't be a problem......
I sort of instinctively think this must be caused by humankind fucking the planet up but am open to new information on it. The wee sods are really up for it though. Relatedly I love an otter but I'm always slightly puzzled why they are so beloved since they're quite high up the scale of mustelid savagery. I guess Ring of Bright Water must take some of the blame/credit.
Reminds me of an Old Firm Saturday - but in fairness also Slateford/Easter Rd on a derby day.
Otters are 'clean' I suppose. If only because nobody sees their shite (or if they do, blames it oin foxes or dogs usually). I once had to help look after some ferrets. Which are just sort of tame polecats. The smell ...
IIRC one take home message from the Maxwell books was how an otter could slice through your hand very quickly and easily (perhaps one of the later ones). Though in hindsight the shark fishing one was better, if only for the bizarreness of trying to set up a giant "rock salmon" fishery in the Small Isles.
Maxwell's was a good writer, much more so than he was a businessman! The film involved much sugaring of his 'complicated' life and was probably much more responsible for the Disneyfying of otters. His relationship (such as it was) with Katherine Raine and the latter years of his life have a whiff of the Gothic about them.
There was Tarka the Otter of course - set in the Two Rivers of northern Devon. I don't remember being it nearly so cosy - much grimmer with the otter hounds - but I last read it as a child so maybe ought to revisit it. The author Henry Williamson had his own, erm,. unusual aspects ...
There is much is common between Greta Thunberg and realists who say that the powerful are virtue signalling.
At what point do those who actually are interested in facts, like Greta, agree that if the science is correct the catastrophe is going to happen and we can't and won't stop it?
Though I'm a full-fat environmentalist, I dislike Thunburg's pronouncements - the powerful are virtue-signalling to be sure but her humanist refrain is always the same: concern for humans rather than the rest of the natural world is easy to glean from her words. Consider this from the linked article:
"Our leaders’ intentional lack of action is a betrayal toward all present and future generations [she means humans].
Research published on Monday showed that children [humans] born today would experience many times more extreme heatwaves and other climate disasters over their lifetimes than their grandparents, even if countries fulfil their current emissions pledges."
That is a perceptive point. And something that she should be questioned on.
From my perspective, the human impact of climate change is the least important consideration. These 'future generations' don't need to be born.
It's always the same with these watermelon "environmentalists" their one trick pony is climate change and it invariably reduces to concern for homo sapiens - the very, and only, species which is fucking up the planet.
When do you ever hear these people talk about a plan to reduce human population (never), the shocking loss of biodiversity and biomass (rarely) or loss of habitat (never). In fact the deep green environmentalists who do major on these things have actively been drummed out of some of our best environmental groups such as the Sierra Club (which is now an utter disgrace despite its roots tracing back to the wonderful John Muir). (You should read The Wild Muir BTW if you haven't already.)
Researching the US Colonial pipeline attack, as I’m doing for the day job, came across two comedy pieces from the time, that I’ll be using for training.
Both videos make a point of saying, within the first couple of minutes, that there would be no shortages of ‘gas’ (petrol) were it not for every idiot brimming their tank, their Jerry can and even milk bottles.
It’s exactly the same as what’s happening in the UK at the moment.
Herd immunity mentality.
Worth watching the whole thing for the sheer idiocy of it.
They were quite sensible and laid back about it. It’s just a domino effect isn’t it, not bogroll banditry.
Labour are quite right to keep quiet about this and not go on attack, they are less a government in waiting trying to score cheap political points over this. There’s no supply problem. No blockades. There’s a very small haulage issue the government trying to keep under wraps whilst they sorted it. Got to feel sorry for government over this one, direct anger at those trying to score points over it, like The Sun.
The CO2 and food on shelves issue is different, government should have been more active sooner on that.
The problem is learned behaviour, and people can get really entrenched in their views. Which they base on experience even if it is wrong. There IS a shortage and there ARE problems because here I am queuing because they are queuing.
People are funny when they get behind the wheel. Traffic flow rationale doesn't sink in. They dislike 50mph limits on motorways to reduce congestion and keep traffic moving because it "slows them down" when the opposite is true. They hate "queue jumpers" even though the highway code (and so often signs) instructs people to merge in turn because extending the lane closure by not doing just increases the congestion they are stuck in.
Merging in turn, by definition, is not queue jumping. Overtaking 30 people then putting your indicator on is.
Merge in turn is the highway code. Merge in turn near the restriction not half a mile back. You see that big fuck off queue of traffic not moving that you're stuck in? Its because you merged half a mile early and are now accelerating and braking hard to ensure nobody can merge in turn. People create the queue they get stuck in.
They aren't merging in turn. They are queue jumping. Arggghhhh!
I looked on Google this morning and it showed that our local BP filling station was 'busier than usual'. That could only mean one thing, so off I went.
After around 15 minutes queuing I now have a full tank of E10 petrol. Happy days!
The chap behind the counter said that they'd been busy since 5:30 this morning, and he expected that they'd be out of fuel this afternoon, with no more due for 2 or 3 days.
Interestingly, the person who had used the pump before me had put exactly £40 worth of diesel into his tank, rather than filling right up. Old habits die hard.
I now have 400 miles range - more than enough to reach the Llandudno branch of Asda.
Best of luck to everyone else on the lookout for fuel.
Forgive me, but how can you Google to find out if a petrol station is busy? This would be v useful to know.
I looked up the filling station and the Google result included a bar chart of typical busy levels. This included a red 'live' bar for the current time, which was well above trend. I have no idea where they get the data from, but very useful.
In contrast, the live bar for the local Asda was through the floor, therefore no fuel.
They get their information from everyone who has a smart phone, uses google maps and has GPS turned on, that's a lot of people. What is not recorded is the prupose of being in that location, ie. google can't tell the difference between someone walking past a petrol station and a car slowly moving up in a queue for petrol, but often the information is good enough to be useful.
There was a guy in Berlin a few years ago, who singlehandedly caused Google to think there was a traffic jam in central Berlin, by cycling slowly around with a bike trailer full of mobile phones.
For some reason, my Audi's own satnav system is consistently better at predicting (and avoiding) traffic than Google Maps.
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
Isn't the expectation that Audi drivers will be able to avoid the delay by simply overtaking everyone in the queue and squashing in at the front?
Actually that's another very good example of herd mentality in action!
If there's two lanes open and a major queue in the left hand lane then overtaking everyone and squashing in at the front at the merge point is how you're supposed to drive.
I'll always merge at the front not join the herd queuing for a long distance in a single lane, even if some of the herd shoot me filthy looks for overtaking them; just because a herd of people don't know how to drive properly doesn't mean you should join them.
i'd agree if it was a 2 lane road that was being reduced to 1. but if the left hand lane is queueing for a petrol station i don't think you should bomb down the right hand lane and try and cut in.
Comments
My main takeaway was that White implicitly acknowledged that the situation was complicated and context is all. Her referring to cases she has taken on behalf of individuals & companies who had been charged with being transphobic or breaking the law in this area seemed to me a clear recognition of how tricky it is.
Major Danby replied indulgently with a superior smile: "But, Yossarian, suppose everyone felt that way."
"Then," said Yossarian, "I'd certainly be a damned fool to feel any other way, wouldn't I?”
― Joseph Heller, Catch-22
https://twitter.com/MarinaHyde/status/1442832471138177025
I'm not a woman, so perhaps I shouldn't give a view on this, but I find the whole when is a woman a woman debate a bit meh. As I said earlier, from the state's perspective, deciding when a man is a man is much more important.
Though I don't know how that works with Deliveroo. With the pizza restaurant you knew which driver was going to deliver your food - and your 'side orders'. With Deliveroo a computer assigns that job to a driver, so how do you get your 'sides'?
If you wait around at the till , it seems to take ages for the food to emerge (compared to the old days)
I don't understand why anyone would order a delivery, the food is pretty much lukewarm when it is served in the restaurant, it must lose nearly all its heat being delivered.
I think that, in the end, they will be done for by the fact that the food is terribly unhealthy, lots of saturated fat, not very filling, etc. Their attempts at addressing this have been tokenistic. They don't have any gluten free options. They should try and do a decent chicken salad or something.
Another grievance I have with them, is that you cant use the drive thru on a bike (either a pedal bike or motorbike). They are always indifferent when I complain about this.
"Well he's right"
Lets say, and speaking as a Leaver, that we have a shit winter and lets say we all decide the problems are because of Brexit. Everything bad that ever happens in the next six months are Brexit.
Food shortages? Brexit
Fuel shortages? Brexit
Kids school report isn't up to scratch? Brexit
Oil tanker sinks of the coast of Chile? Brexit
Earthquake in Los Angeles? Brexit
The problem is that by 2024, these problems will be behind us, and a new 'normal' (whatever that may be) will be in. We've have solved whatever paper work issues needed resolving and we'll be buying goods and products from whereever we need to.
Any party coming to the table in 2024 (except the SNP) will not be able to sell 'rejoin'.
Unless the UK goes into an obvious decline (so 2021 is worse than 2020, and 2022 worse than 2021, and 2023 worse than 2022) and can be clearly blamed on Brexit then I don't think any party advocating rejoing will get any traction. Rejoin isn't happening this decade.....
My question is whether at least some of those that voted Leave could be persuaded, along with those that voted Remain, for some kind of damage limitation, given that the former are in denial about the consequences of their vote. They don't like those consequences but they don't accept they voted for them either. It may not be a case of changing minds, but they get tired of this stuff.
Expel
The
Trots
Which is bizarre – because presumably they use the same data?
They do however warn that this natural protection may wane over time as fuel levels in the nation's vehicles gradually decline, so further localised outbreaks will be possible. Of greatest concern are new panic buying variants, with queues forming in quite different locations and possibly greater lengths. Experts warn that the greatest risk of this is from delays in letting people and goods across borders.
The best thing everyone can do is simply stay at home. Mask wearing has so far shown no effect on incidence of queuing cases.
The left like to bandy around the word 'fascist' against anyone they don't like, but the Tories are absolutely ruthless at expelling the far right and quite right too. Both because its the right thing to do, and because everyone on the far right you attract would put off many more central voters.
Expelling the Trots is the right thing to do both morally and politically.
Oh and stop calling each other "comrade". 🤦♂️
Now that was a real crisis!
Labour are quite right to keep quiet about this and not go on attack, they are less a government in waiting trying to score cheap political points over this. There’s no supply problem. No blockades. There’s a very small haulage issue the government trying to keep under wraps whilst they sorted it. Got to feel sorry for government over this one, direct anger at those trying to score points over it, like The Sun.
The CO2 and food on shelves issue is different, government should have been more active sooner on that.
Maybe VW group has better programmers
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/long-covid-uncommon-in-children
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-58071898
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/17/long-covid-in-children-and-adolescents-is-less-common-than-previously-feared
For me, the anecdotal evidence is key: were long covid a major problem, schools would be half closed due to lack of pupils and lack of teachers. And, by and large, they aren't.
Have to admit I raised an eyebrow at that too. If one car was the epitome of 'style'* over content, it's that.
*not my style, I should add, but I don't think I'm the target market...
"Our leaders’ intentional lack of action is a betrayal toward all present and future generations [she means humans].
Research published on Monday showed that children [humans] born today would experience many times more extreme heatwaves and other climate disasters over their lifetimes than their grandparents, even if countries fulfil their current emissions pledges."
@ darkage re bikes and drive-throughs, I have a great photo somewhere in my collection to two girls getting drive-thru at the local Dairy Queen on their horses.
The thing that puts me off is the price tag - double the price of an equivalent non-electric car I reckon. And what about re-sale values? Will people want to buy a four year old electric car without being sure of the condition of the batteries?
Ultimately 'his internal enemies' lost the leadership election, lost the referendum, and lost the majority - if they couldn't be reconciled to moving on then it was time to move on without them. The party and the country no longer reflected what they wanted anymore.
If those 20 irreconcileables had remained as MPs imagine how much tougher it would have been for the government to actually govern? Even if they'd won a majority of thirty instead of eighty, they'd have potentially had no real majority as it stands.
If the public wanted what those irreconcileables wanted, then they could have backed them at the election. Grieves, Gauke and others did stand for Parliament in 2019 but they lost. The public didn't want them so that's the end of it, that's democracy.
Otters are 'clean' I suppose. If only because nobody sees their shite (or if they do, blames it oin foxes or dogs usually). I once had to help look after some ferrets. Which are just sort of tame polecats. The smell ...
IIRC one take home message from the Maxwell books was how an otter could slice through your hand very quickly and easily (perhaps one of the later ones). Though in hindsight the shark fishing one was better, if only for the bizarreness of trying to set up a giant "rock salmon" fishery in the Small Isles.
Maybe that's it – there's a predictive element that Google doesn't have. Dunno. It's a bit of a mystery.
Interesting, thanks.
Judging by the rain outside/icelandic low on windy should be higher though.
If there's two lanes open and a major queue in the left hand lane then overtaking everyone and squashing in at the front at the merge point is how you're supposed to drive.
I'll always merge at the front not join the herd queuing for a long distance in a single lane, even if some of the herd shoot me filthy looks for overtaking them; just because a herd of people don't know how to drive properly doesn't mean you should join them.
A decade, pissed away trying to get the French and Chinese to build a nuclear station that may never actually turn on judging by the difficulties China have got with their EPR.
The inappropriateness of Chelsea tractors on tiny urban streets makes me wince.
From my perspective, the human impact of climate change is the least important consideration. These 'future generations' don't need to be born.
As for selling it, either Brexit turns out to be such a roaring success that the question goes away , or we start to look enviously across the channel at our neighbours once more.
I also expect it to take a generation to overturn. All of my daughters' generation (teens/early 20s) that I know think Brexit was the most stupid idea, ever, and as the people older than me shuffle off it will depend whether the new status quo seems a good thing or not to her age group and the generation following her by the time they are in a majority.
Perhaps it is merely a socally acceptable one?
So many morons out there that think when there's a queue everyone has to be in the left-hand lane altogether, then the rest of the time they'll drive down the middle lane on the motorway even when the left hand lane is empty.
Its not difficult, keep left unless overtaking. But if the left is moving slow, then then its reasonable to move right and overtake and merge at the merge point.
People are funny when they get behind the wheel. Traffic flow rationale doesn't sink in. They dislike 50mph limits on motorways to reduce congestion and keep traffic moving because it "slows them down" when the opposite is true. They hate "queue jumpers" even though the highway code (and so often signs) instructs people to merge in turn because extending the lane closure by not doing just increases the congestion they are stuck in.
*Note this is not advice. Don't sue me if it doesn't work...
So which is more important?
Coming out of EU was never going to be over in months or a few years. It'll be for historians to work out who was right and who was wrong. On purely economic arguments, my feel is we should have stayed in, and I voted that way. On other aspects I was happy with the vote to withdraw. Whatever. We are where we are. If a future government is elected on a rejoiin manifesto then so be it. I think the Lib Dems got smashed last time, not because they wanted to stay in the EU, but because they didn't want to to respect the referendum vote, because it went against them. Making the case for rejoin now, and in future, is entirely different.
Just because there's fools with a herd mentality who decide to merge prematurely doesn't mean you should join them. Merge in turn is the rule and you are supposed to merge at the merge point, not 400 yards before it and leave valid open road space empty.
Some friends have one. It is called "the Pimple". And not in an overly affectionate way.
Kia has a 7 year, 100 000 mile warranty on the batteries, so I have no worries with those. The evidence is that electric cars age well as fewer moving parts, and I expect batteries will get cheaper to replace over time.
If those thirty people haven't reached it yet, they've not got a turn yet.
Merge in turn happens at the merge point, not before it.
Let those who cry overpopulation sacrifice themselves first. Lead by example.
Libertarians = Queue jumpers
The merge point is the point where merge in turn kicks in, that's the rules, that's the Highway Code. Just because a herd join the left when they're not supposed to doubling the distance of a queue doesn't mean you should join the herd. Anyone complaining should re-read the Highway Code and learn how to drive properly.
Put a small(ish) amount of petrol in my diesel a few years back after I swapped cars and forgot. 7 litres. 12.5%. Probably too much (I think the guidance is no more than 10%).
One failed fuel injector six months later, replaced at a cost of £75.
But go onto some websites, and they push hard that ANY petrol in diesel is a £4k full engine replacement job.
I probably got lucky (12.5% is too much really) but 2-3 litres shouldn't be a problem......
When do you ever hear these people talk about a plan to reduce human population (never), the shocking loss of biodiversity and biomass (rarely) or loss of habitat (never). In fact the deep green environmentalists who do major on these things have actively been drummed out of some of our best environmental groups such as the Sierra Club (which is now an utter disgrace despite its roots tracing back to the wonderful John Muir). (You should read The Wild Muir BTW if you haven't already.)
I'm stopping now.
Can we discuss AV?