I think the point on reallocating roadspace is that motor vehicles have had all of it for half a century, so that is where it is coming back from as we rebalance priorities to give individuals choice in how they travel. And inevitably there will be bit of a backlash from those attached to, or benefitting from, the legacy forms of transport.
Yet we wonder why the cycling enthusiasts come across as primarily anti-car rather than pro-bike.
If you want to improve cycling provision then it needs to be *new* roadway, not “repurposing” the existing road to make driving more difficult.
Pro-bike is pro-car. It's not a zero-sum game.
Wanting to increase taxes on cars, and wanting to reduce the number of lanes available to them, are both very much anti-car.
It’s not a zero-sum game if you’re adding *new* roads.
carrying a week of family groceries on a cycle is easy.
For god's sake let's not put you in charge of cycling policy.
It *is* easy. Get a trailer for about £70-£100.
If you want to go extreme there are the new EAV 2Cubed e-cycles, which have 2 cubic metres of carrying space - more than my full size estate car - and are being used by Amazon for urban deliveries. Even I was surprised what they had got inside the EAPC regs; they look like Postman Pat's van - but just 1m wide like a tricycle. Coming soon to a cycle track / road near you.
Yes very good. Carrying a week of family groceries on a cycle is easy. As long as you have a trailer or an EAV 2Cubed e-cycle. Or, of course, a Ford Fiesta.
I think the point on reallocating roadspace is that motor vehicles have had all of it for half a century, so that is where it is coming back from as we rebalance priorities to give individuals choice in how they travel. And inevitably there will be bit of a backlash from those attached to, or benefitting from, the legacy forms of transport.
Yet we wonder why the cycling enthusiasts come across as primarily anti-car rather than pro-bike.
If you want to improve cycling provision then it needs to be *new* roadway, not “repurposing” the existing road to make driving more difficult.
Pro-bike is pro-car. It's not a zero-sum game.
Wanting to increase taxes on cars, and wanting to reduce the number of lanes available to them, are both very much anti-car.
It’s not a zero-sum game if you’re adding *new* roads.
carrying a week of family groceries on a cycle is easy.
For god's sake let's not put you in charge of cycling policy.
He's not entirely wrong, a decent cargo ebike would do it. But yer looking at spending the cost of a decent second hand motor on one!
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
Looks Ok except the brakes. RX600 is meant to be equivalent to 105.
Crap bottom bracket too, although it is Hollowtech II so you could put a 𝘿𝙐𝙍𝘼 𝘼𝘾𝙀 in it.
Wy is it that serious bike people* buy ready built bikes, only to replace most of the bits?
My brother and I built all our bikes from bare frames, when we were kids.
A local bike shop is doing a good trade in the following -
1) Someone buys an expensive bike. 2) Pays for them to strip half the parts off it and change them for something else. 3) The shop sells/gives the parts to a community workshop on the local housing estates that helps youngsters build and maintain their own bikes.
A variation is that the customer does the work themselves - and *gives* the bag of spare bits to the shop.
*Defined as those spending 4 figures+ on a bike.
Trickle down in action, we should all be pleased
I am about to do exactly this. ribble claim that their bikes are infinitely customisable, but they won't change a cassette for the (readily available as far as I can see) bigger-biggest-cog alternative for getting the old and weak up steep hills. So I will probably get it swapped in the first month. Hang on to the original cassette tho.
But why not start with a bare frame? Put exactly what you want on it.
It's not as if bare frames and bits are hard to get hold of.
Mechanical ineptitiude. I would break things, order incompatibles, kill myself by forgetting to put fluid in the hydraulics, and need to spend £00s at least on tools and bikestands which I do not know how to use. And Ribble do give you a wide choice of everything else, i have asked for non-standard wheels and tyres from a choice of about 8 of each.
Bike stands! Luuuuuuxuuuury!
Seriously, when we were kids, it never occurred to us that you needed one.
Tools were a collection of screwdrivers, a set of Allen keys, and an adjustable spanner. Oh, and some pliers.
These days most of that can be done with a cheap driver set from Amazon
Turn it upside-down, resting on handlebars and seat, and sit down on the floor next to it with your multi-spanner and a screwdriver.
From about age 12 I’d do all my own maintainance; at least if something failed and kicked me off, it wouldn’t be anyone else’s fault!
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
Looks Ok except the brakes. RX600 is meant to be equivalent to 105.
Crap bottom bracket too, although it is Hollowtech II so you could put a 𝘿𝙐𝙍𝘼 𝘼𝘾𝙀 in it.
Wy is it that serious bike people* buy ready built bikes, only to replace most of the bits?
My brother and I built all our bikes from bare frames, when we were kids.
A local bike shop is doing a good trade in the following -
1) Someone buys an expensive bike. 2) Pays for them to strip half the parts off it and change them for something else. 3) The shop sells/gives the parts to a community workshop on the local housing estates that helps youngsters build and maintain their own bikes.
A variation is that the customer does the work themselves - and *gives* the bag of spare bits to the shop.
*Defined as those spending 4 figures+ on a bike.
Trickle down in action, we should all be pleased
I am about to do exactly this. ribble claim that their bikes are infinitely customisable, but they won't change a cassette for the (readily available as far as I can see) bigger-biggest-cog alternative for getting the old and weak up steep hills. So I will probably get it swapped in the first month. Hang on to the original cassette tho.
But why not start with a bare frame? Put exactly what you want on it.
It's not as if bare frames and bits are hard to get hold of.
Mechanical ineptitiude. I would break things, order incompatibles, kill myself by forgetting to put fluid in the hydraulics, and need to spend £00s at least on tools and bikestands which I do not know how to use. And Ribble do give you a wide choice of everything else, i have asked for non-standard wheels and tyres from a choice of about 8 of each.
Bike stands! Luuuuuuxuuuury!
Seriously, when we were kids, it never occurred to us that you needed one.
Tools were a collection of screwdrivers, a set of Allen keys, and an adjustable spanner. Oh, and some pliers.
These days most of that can be done with a cheap driver set from Amazon
This has just about every thing you need although bottom bracket and caliper facing tools are additionally required for a perfect assembly.
As a Watergate historian, it’s worth noting that nothing Nixon did—and he had plenty of crimes and conspiracies, involving more than 60 people criminally charged—approached the scale and severity of Trump’s assault on American democracy. https://twitter.com/vermontgmg/status/1686531761352609792?s=20
Good point. Viewed at this remove, Nixon's crimes appear almost quaint in comparison
The Democrats have opened Pandoras box and this could go anywhere . THe US is screwed
"Lock her up" was shouted by who, again?
And, it's the Democrats fault that Donald Trump allegedly committed crimes?
You can call a "pox on both your houses" with some degree of accuracy. But to point to the Dems and say the ball is entirely in your court - as you are doing - is willfully blind.
Now, I really, really hate the idea that governments use their political power to pursue political opponents. (Like Trump and the IRS vs Comey, for example.) But at the same time, should your political position shield you from all legal liability?
What of the upcoming tax/wirefraud case in NY? Trump valued properties at one price for the tax authorities and another for mortgages. And this wasn't a 10% difference, it was a multiple. People go to jail for that kind of thing all the time. Should he not be prosecuted, solely because he was President?
What is it about Trump that make otherwise sensible people lose their marbles ?
Hounding Trump will achieve precisely nothing except to make him more popular with his supporters and make diviisions in US society deeper.
As for the legal guff, Hilary is still walking free and has never been near a court nd I dont think anyome seriously expects the Biden\Hunter mess to be investigated before an election.
So you're saying laws actually should not apply to him?
That's his attitude, certainly, and that's what's got him into trouble.
Nobody is 'hounding' him, they're enforcing the multiple laws he's deliberately broken for his own gain.
Im saying the laws should apply to everyone and not just one individual. The US justice system is highly partisan and this is using the law to hamper an opponent who it appears cant be beaten by normal means.
That matter alone says what a poor position the Dems have, Worse now that the principle has been established if Trump were to win the election he can quite happily clear out the DoJ, pack it with his place men like Giuliani and lock up who he pleases as the Dems arent exactly choirboys.
And for the record I think that would be a total bag of shit too,
Trump tried to use the justice system to hound his opponents. It didn't work for him because ultimately the law-breaking of say, Hilary Clinton was quite low level. She should not have done what she did, but she was stupid rather than malign.
Her husband was, in case you've forgotten, impeached for his crimes although he wasn't in the end convicted.
Her husbands case I would actually say was the start of this whole sorry saga, The GOP tried to nobble Clinton by foul means and that set off the tit for tat escalation we have seen ever since.
As for Trump using the justice system, well as you say nobody got convicted. But I dont agree with that either , someone somewhere has to put the genie back in the bottle it just wont be either of the two presidential candidates.
Sigh.
The point is he *tried* to use the justice system to nobble his opponents and he failed because what happened wasn't ultimately significant enough to secure an indictment so the lawyers concerned told him 'no.' Had Clinton not handed over her email server, however belatedly and reluctantly, it might have been different. But that was not his call. Just as this is not Biden's. Or anyone in the government.
What's happening now is they *are* indicting him for multiple crimes he has not only committed but is repeatedly doubling down on.
And if you genuinely think January 6th was bad policing, you are profoundly ignorant of what happened. Again, read the indictment. How would 'bad policing,' for example, have led to a crowd gathering at Trump's urging that wanted to lynch the Vice President?
And if you don't think that, well...
No the point is he has been accused of it. He hasnt been convicted of anything,
And he has been accused of it not directly after the event when logically the state would lock up a real and present danger, but just before an election and by a partisan justice system. You draw one conclusion I draw another.
As for the policing issue London regulary gets trashed by people who shout down with the govt but these are riots not coups. And our police despite their critics handle them quite well. And just to wind you up even further J6 wasnt even a decent riot, I grew up in Ulster so I know what a riot looks like there were no petrol bombs, no stones no tear gas. Because all of those thinsg would have required organisation and hard work and Trump is too chaotic .
He has been INDICTED. That is the difference.
As for your last somewhat incoherent and illogical paragraph, put differently you are saying that should something not be exactly like your memories of a riot in Ulster it must not be a riot and therefore can't be a coup.
As a Watergate historian, it’s worth noting that nothing Nixon did—and he had plenty of crimes and conspiracies, involving more than 60 people criminally charged—approached the scale and severity of Trump’s assault on American democracy. https://twitter.com/vermontgmg/status/1686531761352609792?s=20
Good point. Viewed at this remove, Nixon's crimes appear almost quaint in comparison
The Democrats have opened Pandoras box and this could go anywhere . THe US is screwed
"Lock her up" was shouted by who, again?
And, it's the Democrats fault that Donald Trump allegedly committed crimes?
You can call a "pox on both your houses" with some degree of accuracy. But to point to the Dems and say the ball is entirely in your court - as you are doing - is willfully blind.
Now, I really, really hate the idea that governments use their political power to pursue political opponents. (Like Trump and the IRS vs Comey, for example.) But at the same time, should your political position shield you from all legal liability?
What of the upcoming tax/wirefraud case in NY? Trump valued properties at one price for the tax authorities and another for mortgages. And this wasn't a 10% difference, it was a multiple. People go to jail for that kind of thing all the time. Should he not be prosecuted, solely because he was President?
What is it about Trump that make otherwise sensible people lose their marbles ?
I think as one of the two people most affected on here by this phenomenon perhaps you could tell us?
Ive been indicted myself and had to go to court but never convicted because the charges were nonsense. In my case it was a french trade union trying it on for their own purposes. So so far Trump hasnt been convicted of anything, bar losing a civil case.
An indictment isnt a conviction unless youve decided hes guilty until proven innocent, which in its own way demonstrates the madness of a politicised justice system.
As for your second point Trump is like Brexit , people are so partisan about it they only eve believe one line of propaganda. There is very little room for standing back and looking at things in the round.
The democrats won the popular vote in the last 2 elections and on that basis should win the next one but as Ive said theyve opened Pandoras box so anything could happen.
Losing more than one civil case.
In addition, Trump Organization, his business, has been found guilty of 17 criminal charges and lost other civil cases. His charity, the Donald J Trump Foundation, was found guilty of various charges.
So Clinton level stuff ?
a) Trump and his organisations have lost or settled far more law suits than the Clintons, so no.
b) Is whataboutery all you have to offer?
I think he says upthread he's trolling. I'll take him at his word and stop responding.
well its hardly as if either one of us is going to change our mind.
I believe that NigelB is open to facts but I'll take your word that you're not. Remember cultists can recover, good luck.
ROFL.
So suddenly - despite saying I dont want Trump as president - Im a MAGA man .
Questioning spin is what this site is supposed to do.
But if you want to assume all those politicians and lawyers are telling you the Gods honest truth then do so. But I wont.
I was going to add a 'by the way I don't like Trump' disclaimer to my post upthread, then found I couldn't be arsed. Apparently if you don't think his being re-elected is armageddon, that makes you a cult member. Despite the fact that he's been President before and nothing of any consequence happened.
“Nothing of any consequence” is an odd take.
Really? A lot more seems to have gone to shit in the world since Biden 're-established America's leadership' upon his accession.
Whether more has “gone to shit in the world” during Biden’s presidency is another matter. Were that true, that wouldn’t mean that nothing of any consequence happened under Trump.
Also, given the COVID-19 pandemic happened during Trump’s presidency, it is ludicrous to suggest that more has “gone to shit in the world” under Biden.
I assume some level of intelligent interpretation of my comments. Of course things that are of consequence happen every day. A more precise way of expressing my sentiments would be to say 'by the standards of his antecedents, and to an extent his successor, no significant disasters appear to have been caused as a direct result of his Presidency' - more precise, but more of a hassle to type, and read, when we both know what I meant.
No significant disasters? The US had one of the higher COVID-19 death rates, 3100 per million, compared to 2687 in the UK or 1111 in Canada or 250 in Japan. If the US had a similar death rate to the UK, that would be 140000 fewer deaths. If 140000 deaths isn’t a disaster, what is? If they’d done as well as Japan, that’s would have been about a million fewer deaths. This is in large part because of Trump.
Trump was impeached an unprecedented two times. That seems like a disaster for the office of the Presidency. Once was about withholding arms for Ukraine, which was pretty bad for the Ukrainians. His anti-Ukrainian, pro-Putin positioning has left a toxic legacy in the US that still hampers aid to Ukraine. The second time was for his actions trying to overturn the election result, which is why we’re talking about him today. That’s been disastrous for respect in the democratic system in the US.
Roe v Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court, because of Trump appointments, a disaster for women in much of the US.
Many have described the US withdrawal from Afghanistan as a disaster. While that took place under his successor, it was started by Trump.
The case for the defence rests m'ludd.
What is fun is that there is trouble on both sides of the fence:
Just as with Trump, as with Biden whose defence has shifted from "I never knew anything or discussed anything with my son about business" to "I was never in business with my son" which is a different mix. We could face the situation where Trump is being indicted and Biden is facing an impeachment hearing.
And here is the thing re an impeachment. While there is no chance that an impeachment bill against Biden would get the 2/3 it needs in the Senate, there is a chance that Manchin (who is weighing a third party run) and / or Sinema (who may want to be seen as independent of the Democrats) could vote for it which would not be great for the optics especially if that lead to a 51-49 in favour vote.
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
Looks Ok except the brakes. RX600 is meant to be equivalent to 105.
Crap bottom bracket too, although it is Hollowtech II so you could put a 𝘿𝙐𝙍𝘼 𝘼𝘾𝙀 in it.
Wy is it that serious bike people* buy ready built bikes, only to replace most of the bits?
My brother and I built all our bikes from bare frames, when we were kids.
A local bike shop is doing a good trade in the following -
1) Someone buys an expensive bike. 2) Pays for them to strip half the parts off it and change them for something else. 3) The shop sells/gives the parts to a community workshop on the local housing estates that helps youngsters build and maintain their own bikes.
A variation is that the customer does the work themselves - and *gives* the bag of spare bits to the shop.
*Defined as those spending 4 figures+ on a bike.
Trickle down in action, we should all be pleased
I am about to do exactly this. ribble claim that their bikes are infinitely customisable, but they won't change a cassette for the (readily available as far as I can see) bigger-biggest-cog alternative for getting the old and weak up steep hills. So I will probably get it swapped in the first month. Hang on to the original cassette tho.
Fucking hell! It's not a fucking cog! A cog is a toothed wheel which engages another toothed wheel. A toothed wheel engaged by a chain is a sprocket. Honestly, Gardenwalker is bang on about this country.
Maybe you can set up a radio and put the aerial on the back of the bike.
Gonna tape a BT speaker to the handle bars and blast out a 90 BPM dubstep playlist. 4 da cadence innit
Drill surely?
Rockabilly in reality, you have seen through my down wiv da kidz pretence.
You need
1) Drill music 2) make sure your friends know that you are an aspiring footballer/community activist* 3) this ensures that when you are shot by the armed police, and they find 10 grams of crack and a badly converted starting pistol on you, that the proper funeral games** are run
As a Watergate historian, it’s worth noting that nothing Nixon did—and he had plenty of crimes and conspiracies, involving more than 60 people criminally charged—approached the scale and severity of Trump’s assault on American democracy. https://twitter.com/vermontgmg/status/1686531761352609792?s=20
Good point. Viewed at this remove, Nixon's crimes appear almost quaint in comparison
The Democrats have opened Pandoras box and this could go anywhere . THe US is screwed
"Lock her up" was shouted by who, again?
And, it's the Democrats fault that Donald Trump allegedly committed crimes?
You can call a "pox on both your houses" with some degree of accuracy. But to point to the Dems and say the ball is entirely in your court - as you are doing - is willfully blind.
Now, I really, really hate the idea that governments use their political power to pursue political opponents. (Like Trump and the IRS vs Comey, for example.) But at the same time, should your political position shield you from all legal liability?
What of the upcoming tax/wirefraud case in NY? Trump valued properties at one price for the tax authorities and another for mortgages. And this wasn't a 10% difference, it was a multiple. People go to jail for that kind of thing all the time. Should he not be prosecuted, solely because he was President?
What is it about Trump that make otherwise sensible people lose their marbles ?
Hounding Trump will achieve precisely nothing except to make him more popular with his supporters and make diviisions in US society deeper.
As for the legal guff, Hilary is still walking free and has never been near a court nd I dont think anyome seriously expects the Biden\Hunter mess to be investigated before an election.
So you're saying laws actually should not apply to him?
That's his attitude, certainly, and that's what's got him into trouble.
Nobody is 'hounding' him, they're enforcing the multiple laws he's deliberately broken for his own gain.
Im saying the laws should apply to everyone and not just one individual. The US justice system is highly partisan and this is using the law to hamper an opponent who it appears cant be beaten by normal means.
That matter alone says what a poor position the Dems have, Worse now that the principle has been established if Trump were to win the election he can quite happily clear out the DoJ, pack it with his place men like Giuliani and lock up who he pleases as the Dems arent exactly choirboys.
And for the record I think that would be a total bag of shit too,
Trump tried to use the justice system to hound his opponents. It didn't work for him because ultimately the law-breaking of say, Hilary Clinton was quite low level. She should not have done what she did, but she was stupid rather than malign.
Her husband was, in case you've forgotten, impeached for his crimes although he wasn't in the end convicted.
Her husbands case I would actually say was the start of this whole sorry saga, The GOP tried to nobble Clinton by foul means and that set off the tit for tat escalation we have seen ever since.
As for Trump using the justice system, well as you say nobody got convicted. But I dont agree with that either , someone somewhere has to put the genie back in the bottle it just wont be either of the two presidential candidates.
Sigh.
The point is he *tried* to use the justice system to nobble his opponents and he failed because what happened wasn't ultimately significant enough to secure an indictment so the lawyers concerned told him 'no.' Had Clinton not handed over her email server, however belatedly and reluctantly, it might have been different. But that was not his call. Just as this is not Biden's. Or anyone in the government.
What's happening now is they *are* indicting him for multiple crimes he has not only committed but is repeatedly doubling down on.
And if you genuinely think January 6th was bad policing, you are profoundly ignorant of what happened. Again, read the indictment. How would 'bad policing,' for example, have led to a crowd gathering at Trump's urging that wanted to lynch the Vice President?
And if you don't think that, well...
No the point is he has been accused of it. He hasnt been convicted of anything,
And he has been accused of it not directly after the event when logically the state would lock up a real and present danger, but just before an election and by a partisan justice system. You draw one conclusion I draw another.
As for the policing issue London regulary gets trashed by people who shout down with the govt but these are riots not coups. And our police despite their critics handle them quite well. And just to wind you up even further J6 wasnt even a decent riot, I grew up in Ulster so I know what a riot looks like there were no petrol bombs, no stones no tear gas. Because all of those thinsg would have required organisation and hard work and Trump is too chaotic .
He has been INDICTED. That is the difference.
As for your last somewhat incoherent and illogical paragraph, put differently you are saying that should something not be exactly like your memories of a riot in Ulster it must not be a riot and therefore can't be a coup.
As a Watergate historian, it’s worth noting that nothing Nixon did—and he had plenty of crimes and conspiracies, involving more than 60 people criminally charged—approached the scale and severity of Trump’s assault on American democracy. https://twitter.com/vermontgmg/status/1686531761352609792?s=20
Good point. Viewed at this remove, Nixon's crimes appear almost quaint in comparison
The Democrats have opened Pandoras box and this could go anywhere . THe US is screwed
"Lock her up" was shouted by who, again?
And, it's the Democrats fault that Donald Trump allegedly committed crimes?
You can call a "pox on both your houses" with some degree of accuracy. But to point to the Dems and say the ball is entirely in your court - as you are doing - is willfully blind.
Now, I really, really hate the idea that governments use their political power to pursue political opponents. (Like Trump and the IRS vs Comey, for example.) But at the same time, should your political position shield you from all legal liability?
What of the upcoming tax/wirefraud case in NY? Trump valued properties at one price for the tax authorities and another for mortgages. And this wasn't a 10% difference, it was a multiple. People go to jail for that kind of thing all the time. Should he not be prosecuted, solely because he was President?
What is it about Trump that make otherwise sensible people lose their marbles ?
I think as one of the two people most affected on here by this phenomenon perhaps you could tell us?
Ive been indicted myself and had to go to court but never convicted because the charges were nonsense. In my case it was a french trade union trying it on for their own purposes. So so far Trump hasnt been convicted of anything, bar losing a civil case.
An indictment isnt a conviction unless youve decided hes guilty until proven innocent, which in its own way demonstrates the madness of a politicised justice system.
As for your second point Trump is like Brexit , people are so partisan about it they only eve believe one line of propaganda. There is very little room for standing back and looking at things in the round.
The democrats won the popular vote in the last 2 elections and on that basis should win the next one but as Ive said theyve opened Pandoras box so anything could happen.
Losing more than one civil case.
In addition, Trump Organization, his business, has been found guilty of 17 criminal charges and lost other civil cases. His charity, the Donald J Trump Foundation, was found guilty of various charges.
So Clinton level stuff ?
a) Trump and his organisations have lost or settled far more law suits than the Clintons, so no.
b) Is whataboutery all you have to offer?
I think he says upthread he's trolling. I'll take him at his word and stop responding.
well its hardly as if either one of us is going to change our mind.
I believe that NigelB is open to facts but I'll take your word that you're not. Remember cultists can recover, good luck.
ROFL.
So suddenly - despite saying I dont want Trump as president - Im a MAGA man .
Questioning spin is what this site is supposed to do.
But if you want to assume all those politicians and lawyers are telling you the Gods honest truth then do so. But I wont.
I was going to add a 'by the way I don't like Trump' disclaimer to my post upthread, then found I couldn't be arsed. Apparently if you don't think his being re-elected is armageddon, that makes you a cult member. Despite the fact that he's been President before and nothing of any consequence happened.
“Nothing of any consequence” is an odd take.
Really? A lot more seems to have gone to shit in the world since Biden 're-established America's leadership' upon his accession.
Whether more has “gone to shit in the world” during Biden’s presidency is another matter. Were that true, that wouldn’t mean that nothing of any consequence happened under Trump.
Also, given the COVID-19 pandemic happened during Trump’s presidency, it is ludicrous to suggest that more has “gone to shit in the world” under Biden.
I assume some level of intelligent interpretation of my comments. Of course things that are of consequence happen every day. A more precise way of expressing my sentiments would be to say 'by the standards of his antecedents, and to an extent his successor, no significant disasters appear to have been caused as a direct result of his Presidency' - more precise, but more of a hassle to type, and read, when we both know what I meant.
No significant disasters? The US had one of the higher COVID-19 death rates, 3100 per million, compared to 2687 in the UK or 1111 in Canada or 250 in Japan. If the US had a similar death rate to the UK, that would be 140000 fewer deaths. If 140000 deaths isn’t a disaster, what is? If they’d done as well as Japan, that’s would have been about a million fewer deaths. This is in large part because of Trump.
Trump was impeached an unprecedented two times. That seems like a disaster for the office of the Presidency. Once was about withholding arms for Ukraine, which was pretty bad for the Ukrainians. His anti-Ukrainian, pro-Putin positioning has left a toxic legacy in the US that still hampers aid to Ukraine. The second time was for his actions trying to overturn the election result, which is why we’re talking about him today. That’s been disastrous for respect in the democratic system in the US.
Roe v Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court, because of Trump appointments, a disaster for women in much of the US.
Many have described the US withdrawal from Afghanistan as a disaster. While that took place under his successor, it was started by Trump.
Add to that failing to accept defeat when he lost and everything that flowed from that including Jan 6th.
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
I have Croix de Fer. I am not a Dura Ace style obsessive when it comes to bike kit. It’s fine? Pretty good even. I enjoy riding it, which is the main thing.
The current pricing is wild though: I think to get the components on mine (which I bought in 2019) you have to pay twice the price. There may be better alternatives around where competitors have managed to source components at lower prices.
If you really want a steel frame the Ribble CGR looks good, although when I see “mechanical disk brakes” the question you immediately want answered is whether these are single or double pull - single sided mech disks are awful. Double sided are OK, not great, but OK.
IMO DA’s opinions on bikes are correct, but only really apply to people doing 10,000 miles a year & I’ve never really understood the “replace everything on your new bike” approach to buying the things. Buy something that’s good enough, ride it till something wears out, replace that bit with something better, keep riding. Works for me.
What's everyone's thoughts on the Fitch downgrade for US Debt from AAA to AA+. Ol' Sec & ex Fed reserve head Yellen isn't happy !
viewcode, get the fuck in here.
I'm working. Go away. Possible range of outcomes vary from a five-minute blip on the radar to the downfall of Western civilization as we know it and a rise in canned food and shotgun futures.
[OK, I had a brief look at the statement. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yelland's response was i) it isn't a problem, and ii) even if it is we don't deserve this, and iii) even if we do why didn't you do it to the other guy huh? Huh?
Which does not inspire confidence.
The problem is the same as the UK: during the neoliberal consensus money could not be raised by tax because TAX BAD and instead was raised by debt via various instruments that I don't pretend to understand. So debt has been building up and things are ratcheting downwards over time, with the Fitch downgrade merely the latest ratchet. We'll pass a threshold at some point and I would be really glad if I knew where that was]
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
I have Croix de Fer. I am not a Dura Ace style obsessive when it comes to bike kit. It’s fine? Pretty good even. I enjoy riding it, which is the main thing.
The current pricing is wild though: I think to get the components on mine (which I bought in 2019) you have to pay twice the price. There may be better alternatives around where competitors have managed to source components at lower prices.
If you really want a steel frame the Ribble CGR looks good, although when I see “mechanical disk brakes” the question you immediately want answered is whether these are single or double pull - single sided mech disks are awful. Double sided are OK, not great, but OK.
IMO DA’s opinions on bikes are correct, but only really apply to people doing 10,000 miles a year.
Thanks for the brakes advice. Ribble CGR is cool but I want to get kit on the forks, whether that is a rack or otherwise.
@Dura_Ace I have a bike question… Are you aware of any good framesets with a non-existant or low top tube? I have a medical condition which makes it difficult for me to get over the top tube but I would like to build a bike up in future as a project (I know not good value for money).
I was thinking maybe a mountain bike frame but not sure where to start with that for mainly road running.
Comments not loading on the main PB site. End times.
Seems OK
Updated chrome last night, it may not like that
Pah. My Tesla is still awaiting for service intervention after 2 of the last 3 software updates killed the cameras.
Well, that serves you right for buying a Tesla!
This one reminds me a bit of the shenanigans I had with my Volvo S90. That had a hard-to-trace fault in the start-stop system. Had the battery replaced and various software flashes to try and fix it (successfully in the end).
The difference between then and now? Then - ring main dealers. Get appointment. Drive it in. Wait around. "We need Volvo UK to authorise the repair". Book a follow-up appointment. Drive home. Rinse. Repeat. Now - service desk are on chat and they've pushed updates out over the air without needing to plug the dealers laptop in.
@Dura_Ace I have a bike question… Are you aware of any good framesets with a non-existant or low top tube? I have a medical condition which makes it difficult for me to get over the top tube but I would like to build a bike up in future as a project (I know not good value for money).
I was thinking maybe a mountain bike frame but not sure where to start with that for mainly road running.
Not that I can answer this (although Boris bikes don't have a top tube) but I actually bought a bike the other day and they segregate (in my category/price range) by "girls" and "boys".
Is this really a thing any more albeit presumably old maids will need an easier swing up and hence plump for a girls' bike.
Main entrance to this major tourist attraction they have an American Manneken Pis taking a slash all over a world that would otherwise be rightly dominated by Bulgaria and Russia.
@Dura_Ace I have a bike question… Are you aware of any good framesets with a non-existant or low top tube? I have a medical condition which makes it difficult for me to get over the top tube but I would like to build a bike up in future as a project (I know not good value for money).
I was thinking maybe a mountain bike frame but not sure where to start with that for mainly road running.
@Dura_Ace I have a bike question… Are you aware of any good framesets with a non-existant or low top tube? I have a medical condition which makes it difficult for me to get over the top tube but I would like to build a bike up in future as a project (I know not good value for money).
I was thinking maybe a mountain bike frame but not sure where to start with that for mainly road running.
You want a 'mixte' frame. Soma Fab in California make really good disc compatible examples. There are loads of crap ones on eBay if you don't want to drop serious cash. Don't get an old one as finding BBs, headsets, etc. will be a fucking nightmare.
@Dura_Ace I have a bike question… Are you aware of any good framesets with a non-existant or low top tube? I have a medical condition which makes it difficult for me to get over the top tube but I would like to build a bike up in future as a project (I know not good value for money).
I was thinking maybe a mountain bike frame but not sure where to start with that for mainly road running.
Not that I can answer this (although Boris bikes don't have a top tube) but I actually bought a bike the other day and they segregate (in my category/price range) by "girls" and "boys".
Is this really a thing any more albeit presumably old maids will need an easier swing up and hence plump for a girls' bike.
A lot of MTB brands have done away with women specific frames. They tend to offer smaller size frames and women specific components, like saddles, narrower bars and the like.
Shunning, as it does, the urban form of Paris intra muros or Manhattan, it feels like a melange of low-rise suburban villages, as organised by the NHS.
Ladies and gentlemen, the enviable “urban form of Manhattan”, as per today’s New York Times
= 100,000 homeless people, and getting worse every day
Another snowflake. I merely noted the difference. Manhattan architecture can be enviable, the lack of green space is claustrophobic and of course the US is a social disaster.
I’ve finally diagnosed you. You’re not stupid, far from it, in fact you are often insightful. Yet you make negative, scornful remarks about all aspects of the UK to an extent which is beyond rationality, and sometimes approaches pathology
It’s plain old Cultural Cringe, but quite eloquently done. You’re a kiwi. London and the UK is simultaneously the beloved mother country, but also the old hag from whose shadow you desire to escape - while never quite managing it. Hence your obsessive return to the subject - and to PB, where you can vent your Oedipal weirdness
Having now identified this to my own satisfaction, I shall observe the rest of your commentary with wry gratification at my own percipience
Very clever but pretty sure (as much as one can self-diagnose) wrong.
I quite like the “old hag”, and raised my family here. My time in New York was always envisaged as temporary and I’ll be back properly at some stage.
Maybe sooner in the event of Trump win.
I just despair at British politics. But, walking through London over the last day or so and seeing the vibrancy I remember, I’m hopeful about a (post-election) future.
Your views on Britain are entirely coupled with who you think is in the political ascendancy here; they are in no sense objective.
@Dura_Ace I have a bike question… Are you aware of any good framesets with a non-existant or low top tube? I have a medical condition which makes it difficult for me to get over the top tube but I would like to build a bike up in future as a project (I know not good value for money).
I was thinking maybe a mountain bike frame but not sure where to start with that for mainly road running.
Not that I can answer this (although Boris bikes don't have a top tube) but I actually bought a bike the other day and they segregate (in my category/price range) by "girls" and "boys".
Is this really a thing any more albeit presumably old maids will need an easier swing up and hence plump for a girls' bike.
The modern (woke?) expression is "step through frame." You get less rigidity by losing the top tube, but this is apparently no big deal unless you are very fat and/or need to climb very steep hills.
Essentially they think it comes down not to whether Trump was advised that he was breaching the Constitution (clearly true) but whether he "internalised" (believed) the advice. That may be hard to determine. It's likely to go to the Supreme Court in the end, I assume.
True, but you need to be clear as to what an appellate court is and is not able to look at.
As in the UK, the Supreme Court isn't there to re-litigate the facts of a case. In particular, if the jury finds as a point of fact that Trump did not believe that his allegations of widespread voter fraud by/for his opponent were true, then the Supreme Court won't take that decision again. What they would consider, for example, is whether the judge misdirected the jury about the appropriate test and matters they could validly consider.
That's important as you might assume Amy Coney Barrett would be more inclined to give Trump the benefit of the doubt on some matters than an average juror. But she's not on the jury - she'd be being asked a separate question principally relating to the proper handling of legal points by the trial judge.
Yes, very good point. I'd not realised that it will be a jury trial. The US system of trying to determine whether the potential juror is biased will then be critical. Other things being equal, I assume that over 40% of the jury will currently be inclined to vote for Trump, so potentially reluctant to accept that he's guilty. I wonder if the questioning of potential jurors allows the question "Do you know how you will vote if Mr Trump is a candidate?" (anyone who says yes, regardless of which way they will vote, would then be ineligible for cause) Does the US have majority verdicts in such cases?
Because a lot of people are just discovery 18 USC 1512(c)(2) now that someone famous got charged with it, reupping the statement of facts Reagan-appointed Royce Lamberth wrote in the Alan Hostetter case, which helps you understand how it is being applied. https://twitter.com/emptywheel/status/1686715225825763328
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
Looks Ok except the brakes. RX600 is meant to be equivalent to 105.
Crap bottom bracket too, although it is Hollowtech II so you could put a 𝘿𝙐𝙍𝘼 𝘼𝘾𝙀 in it.
Wy is it that serious bike people* buy ready built bikes, only to replace most of the bits?
My brother and I built all our bikes from bare frames, when we were kids.
A local bike shop is doing a good trade in the following -
1) Someone buys an expensive bike. 2) Pays for them to strip half the parts off it and change them for something else. 3) The shop sells/gives the parts to a community workshop on the local housing estates that helps youngsters build and maintain their own bikes.
A variation is that the customer does the work themselves - and *gives* the bag of spare bits to the shop.
*Defined as those spending 4 figures+ on a bike.
Trickle down in action, we should all be pleased
I am about to do exactly this. ribble claim that their bikes are infinitely customisable, but they won't change a cassette for the (readily available as far as I can see) bigger-biggest-cog alternative for getting the old and weak up steep hills. So I will probably get it swapped in the first month. Hang on to the original cassette tho.
I bought a steel tourer from this lot a while ago, although I kind of want the titanium one now: https://spacycles.co.uk/
Cheaper components than some but it does fine for me.
Had no trouble getting them to put the tiniest granny gear which they could supply on (24/32) which is what I need to get up 25%+ hills in the Dales.
(Try Park Rash above Kettlewell for a laugh)
Interesting - someone else suggested them too. I am oddly attracted to their very dated website.
If you are passing Harrogate and the shop is as it was (also a little old fashioned) they'll let you ride around on one of their test bikes.
I think I did about 20km including some off-roading on the nearby Sustrans route so it wasn't just a quick spin round the block.
Some of the staff are, er, very Yorkshire, so be warned. Depends if you get them on a good day. May not be the best if mail ordering.
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
Looks Ok except the brakes. RX600 is meant to be equivalent to 105.
Crap bottom bracket too, although it is Hollowtech II so you could put a 𝘿𝙐𝙍𝘼 𝘼𝘾𝙀 in it.
Wy is it that serious bike people* buy ready built bikes, only to replace most of the bits?
My brother and I built all our bikes from bare frames, when we were kids.
A local bike shop is doing a good trade in the following -
1) Someone buys an expensive bike. 2) Pays for them to strip half the parts off it and change them for something else. 3) The shop sells/gives the parts to a community workshop on the local housing estates that helps youngsters build and maintain their own bikes.
A variation is that the customer does the work themselves - and *gives* the bag of spare bits to the shop.
*Defined as those spending 4 figures+ on a bike.
Trickle down in action, we should all be pleased
I am about to do exactly this. ribble claim that their bikes are infinitely customisable, but they won't change a cassette for the (readily available as far as I can see) bigger-biggest-cog alternative for getting the old and weak up steep hills. So I will probably get it swapped in the first month. Hang on to the original cassette tho.
I bought a steel tourer from this lot a while ago, although I kind of want the titanium one now: https://spacycles.co.uk/
Cheaper components than some but it does fine for me.
Had no trouble getting them to put the tiniest granny gear which they could supply on (24/32) which is what I need to get up 25%+ hills in the Dales.
(Try Park Rash above Kettlewell for a laugh)
Interesting - someone else suggested them too. I am oddly attracted to their very dated website.
If you are passing Harrogate and the shop is as it was (also a little old fashioned) they'll let you ride around on one of their test bikes.
I think I did about 20km including some off-roading on the nearby Sustrans route so it wasn't just a quick spin round the block.
Some of the staff are, er, very Yorkshire, so be warned. Depends if you get them on a good day.
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
What's the verdict on cargo ebikes? I'm tempted by something like a Tern or the cheaper Radwagon. Where we live, it'd make sense for me, rather than use the Transporter for a 10 minute drive to town. It'd be a crime to use my hardtail with panniers.
Terns are I think well-thought of and robust, if somewhat expensive at £3-4k+. ie about 12-18 months of running costs for a small 2nd car.
You can find E-Cargo bikes from about £1500, or secondhand, and they hold their value well.
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
I have Croix de Fer. I am not a Dura Ace style obsessive when it comes to bike kit.
I wish I were merely an obsessive. I am so much worse than that.
I once saw a 'mechanic' in a bike shop using a Philips driver instead of a JIS to adjust the H/L limit screws on a rear mech. I locked the shop door and put the CLOSED sign up while I had a gentle word with him.
Meanwhile, seems Rishi didn't go down well on LBC this morning. Some commentary from General Boles-
Rishi's terrible at the media thing because he's a geeky numbers guy who thinks at a macro level where individual hardship doesn't matter so long as the aggregate effect is positive for the country (as he sees it) He quickly gets annoyed with interviewers who question his "wisdom" because to him these are self-evidently the best policies and anyone who can't see it is a bit dim / disingenuous Before I became a top satirical photoshopper I was a big deal* in finance and we never let the analysts in front of clients because their brains weren't wired for the touchy-feely emotional side that you need to convince people to place their £££ with you *not entirely true
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
I have Croix de Fer. I am not a Dura Ace style obsessive when it comes to bike kit.
I wish I were merely an obsessive. I am so much worse than that.
I once saw a 'mechanic' in a bike shop using a Philips driver instead of a JIS to adjust the H/L limit screws on a rear mech. I locked the shop door and put the CLOSED sign up while I had a gentle word with him.
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
I have Croix de Fer. I am not a Dura Ace style obsessive when it comes to bike kit.
I wish I were merely an obsessive. I am so much worse than that.
I once saw a 'mechanic' in a bike shop using a Philips driver instead of a JIS to adjust the H/L limit screws on a rear mech. I locked the shop door and put the CLOSED sign up while I had a gentle word with him.
If the conversation did not end with a series of loud bangs, a crash and the sound of a hubcap spinning downwards, I will be oddly disappointed.
Meanwhile, seems Rishi didn't go down well on LBC this morning. Some commentary from General Boles-
Rishi's terrible at the media thing because he's a geeky numbers guy who thinks at a macro level where individual hardship doesn't matter so long as the aggregate effect is positive for the country (as he sees it) He quickly gets annoyed with interviewers who question his "wisdom" because to him these are self-evidently the best policies and anyone who can't see it is a bit dim / disingenuous Before I became a top satirical photoshopper I was a big deal* in finance and we never let the analysts in front of clients because their brains weren't wired for the touchy-feely emotional side that you need to convince people to place their £££ with you *not entirely true
1. As a geeky numbers guy myself, he's not wrong, is he? 2. What the hell do the Conservatives do about this at D minus 9/14/18 months?
I would quite like to believe that Rishi Sunak is an numbers-obsessed Rain Man figure who is rubbish at interviews but has the whole 'running the country' thing sorted. I am afraid I don't though.
Meanwhile, seems Rishi didn't go down well on LBC this morning. Some commentary from General Boles-
Rishi's terrible at the media thing because he's a geeky numbers guy who thinks at a macro level where individual hardship doesn't matter so long as the aggregate effect is positive for the country (as he sees it) He quickly gets annoyed with interviewers who question his "wisdom" because to him these are self-evidently the best policies and anyone who can't see it is a bit dim / disingenuous Before I became a top satirical photoshopper I was a big deal* in finance and we never let the analysts in front of clients because their brains weren't wired for the touchy-feely emotional side that you need to convince people to place their £££ with you *not entirely true
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
What's the verdict on cargo ebikes? I'm tempted by something like a Tern or the cheaper Radwagon. Where we live, it'd make sense for me, rather than use the Transporter for a 10 minute drive to town. It'd be a crime to use my hardtail with panniers.
Terns are I think well-thought of and robust, if somewhat expensive at £3-4k+. ie about 12-18 months of running costs for a small 2nd car.
You can find E-Cargo bikes from about £1500, or secondhand, and they hold their value well.
Main entrance to this major tourist attraction they have an American Manneken Pis taking a slash all over a world that would otherwise be rightly dominated by Bulgaria and Russia.
And this country is a member of NATO.
Seems a reasonable summation of 70 years of American foreign policy.
Meanwhile, seems Rishi didn't go down well on LBC this morning. Some commentary from General Boles-
Rishi's terrible at the media thing because he's a geeky numbers guy who thinks at a macro level where individual hardship doesn't matter so long as the aggregate effect is positive for the country (as he sees it) He quickly gets annoyed with interviewers who question his "wisdom" because to him these are self-evidently the best policies and anyone who can't see it is a bit dim / disingenuous Before I became a top satirical photoshopper I was a big deal* in finance and we never let the analysts in front of clients because their brains weren't wired for the touchy-feely emotional side that you need to convince people to place their £££ with you *not entirely true
1. As a geeky numbers guy myself, he's not wrong, is he? 2. What the hell do the Conservatives do about this at D minus 9/14/18 months?
No, he's not. My superiors are very glad of my advice, value my work, and will under no circumstances allow me to email external oversight without looking at it first
Meanwhile, seems Rishi didn't go down well on LBC this morning. Some commentary from General Boles-
Rishi's terrible at the media thing because he's a geeky numbers guy who thinks at a macro level where individual hardship doesn't matter so long as the aggregate effect is positive for the country (as he sees it) He quickly gets annoyed with interviewers who question his "wisdom" because to him these are self-evidently the best policies and anyone who can't see it is a bit dim / disingenuous Before I became a top satirical photoshopper I was a big deal* in finance and we never let the analysts in front of clients because their brains weren't wired for the touchy-feely emotional side that you need to convince people to place their £££ with you *not entirely true
1. As a geeky numbers guy myself, he's not wrong, is he? 2. What the hell do the Conservatives do about this at D minus 9/14/18 months?
I would quite like to believe that Rishi Sunak is an numbers-obsessed Rain Man figure who is rubbish at interviews but has the whole 'running the country' thing sorted. I am afraid I don't though.
The suggestion that he is just a spreadsheet man who doesn’t empathise with people affected by policy, that’s the sort of thing that comes up in focus groups.
If he learned anything from the Uxbridge by-election, it should be that policies that affect people negatively are much more salient than policies that affect them positively.
ULEZ was a great example of that, another is making noises toward allowing more unskilled immigration. The group of people that have benefitted most of all in the last four years, are those who were on minimum wage in 2019. Not a group of people known for voting Conservative historically, but a group who might be persuaded to turn out nonetheless. Another million unskilled immigrants will work wonders for the GDP figure though, when the productivity and median income numbers are way more important to the economy in general.
I wish I were merely an obsessive. I am so much worse than that.
I once saw a 'mechanic' in a bike shop using a Philips driver instead of a JIS to adjust the H/L limit screws on a rear mech. I locked the shop door and put the CLOSED sign up while I had a gentle word with him.
This fact probably explains why every second hand bike I’ve seen has wrecked limit screws.
A query to the wise: is it permissible to use a Pozidriv screwdriver in a JIS screw head? Or am I supposed to obtain a JIS screwdriver for this one job?
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
What's the verdict on cargo ebikes? I'm tempted by something like a Tern or the cheaper Radwagon. Where we live, it'd make sense for me, rather than use the Transporter for a 10 minute drive to town. It'd be a crime to use my hardtail with panniers.
Terns are I think well-thought of and robust, if somewhat expensive at £3-4k+. ie about 12-18 months of running costs for a small 2nd car.
You can find E-Cargo bikes from about £1500, or secondhand, and they hold their value well.
Meanwhile, seems Rishi didn't go down well on LBC this morning. Some commentary from General Boles-
Rishi's terrible at the media thing because he's a geeky numbers guy who thinks at a macro level where individual hardship doesn't matter so long as the aggregate effect is positive for the country (as he sees it) He quickly gets annoyed with interviewers who question his "wisdom" because to him these are self-evidently the best policies and anyone who can't see it is a bit dim / disingenuous Before I became a top satirical photoshopper I was a big deal* in finance and we never let the analysts in front of clients because their brains weren't wired for the touchy-feely emotional side that you need to convince people to place their £££ with you *not entirely true
1. As a geeky numbers guy myself, he's not wrong, is he? 2. What the hell do the Conservatives do about this at D minus 9/14/18 months?
No, he's not. My superiors are very glad of my advice, value my work, and will under no circumstances allow me to email external oversight without looking at it first
One of the reasons why physics teachers are as rare as unicorns. You need enough numbers geek to do the physics (and to role model to numbers geeks in the class) but also enough human to do all the other stuff.
Another thought; the individual hardship doesn't matter if it is for the good of the hive nation is the sort of attitude people laughed at Dominic Cummings for. Those were the days...
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
What's the verdict on cargo ebikes? I'm tempted by something like a Tern or the cheaper Radwagon. Where we live, it'd make sense for me, rather than use the Transporter for a 10 minute drive to town. It'd be a crime to use my hardtail with panniers.
Terns are I think well-thought of and robust, if somewhat expensive at £3-4k+. ie about 12-18 months of running costs for a small 2nd car.
You can find E-Cargo bikes from about £1500, or secondhand, and they hold their value well.
FOI response has revealed that Chief Medical Officer @DrGregorSmith has approved SPATH as Scotland's new treatment protocol. GPs will be able to prescribe hormones, & refer patients for surgery, without psychological assessment. This decision goes against @Hilary_Cass recommendations
Unfortunately the latter has not informed the former:
This is very concerning. Whatever happened to evidence based medicine? The best interests of the child? Why have the interim findings of the #Cass review been ignored? Why are gender questioning young girls being fast tracked to medicalisation?
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
What's the verdict on cargo ebikes? I'm tempted by something like a Tern or the cheaper Radwagon. Where we live, it'd make sense for me, rather than use the Transporter for a 10 minute drive to town. It'd be a crime to use my hardtail with panniers.
Terns are I think well-thought of and robust, if somewhat expensive at £3-4k+. ie about 12-18 months of running costs for a small 2nd car.
You can find E-Cargo bikes from about £1500, or secondhand, and they hold their value well.
Rishi has also announced that he’s off to California this afternoon on his “vacays”. As he probably refers to them, the moment he leaves British airspace.
God that is tone deaf even by his standards.It's not like he has to keep up the Easyjet to the Med pretence longer than this summer and next. Even Dave managed this.
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
What's the verdict on cargo ebikes? I'm tempted by something like a Tern or the cheaper Radwagon. Where we live, it'd make sense for me, rather than use the Transporter for a 10 minute drive to town. It'd be a crime to use my hardtail with panniers.
Terns are I think well-thought of and robust, if somewhat expensive at £3-4k+. ie about 12-18 months of running costs for a small 2nd car.
You can find E-Cargo bikes from about £1500, or secondhand, and they hold their value well.
I wish I were merely an obsessive. I am so much worse than that.
I once saw a 'mechanic' in a bike shop using a Philips driver instead of a JIS to adjust the H/L limit screws on a rear mech. I locked the shop door and put the CLOSED sign up while I had a gentle word with him.
This fact probably explains why every second hand bike I’ve seen has wrecked limit screws.
A query to the wise: is it permissible to use a Pozidriv screwdriver in a JIS screw head? Or am I supposed to obtain a JIS screwdriver for this one job?
Get the JIS. It's just the right thing to do. Also useful for carb float bowls on old Japanese motorbikes and the swash plates on really expensive RC helicopters.
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
What's the verdict on cargo ebikes? I'm tempted by something like a Tern or the cheaper Radwagon. Where we live, it'd make sense for me, rather than use the Transporter for a 10 minute drive to town. It'd be a crime to use my hardtail with panniers.
Terns are I think well-thought of and robust, if somewhat expensive at £3-4k+. ie about 12-18 months of running costs for a small 2nd car.
You can find E-Cargo bikes from about £1500, or secondhand, and they hold their value well.
I bought my car for £3,000, and it can carry a family of five and all of their luggage for a fortnight away. Plus the dog.
And the bike won’t go 80mph, do. 0-60 in six seconds, or make V8 noises. ULEZ compliant as well. (It’s a later model of this)
But the cost of running the bike is magnitudes cheaper, greener and keeping you fit. I have the van for passengers, luggage and the bikes if I take them with me. Plus the bike's a lot more fun!
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
What's the verdict on cargo ebikes? I'm tempted by something like a Tern or the cheaper Radwagon. Where we live, it'd make sense for me, rather than use the Transporter for a 10 minute drive to town. It'd be a crime to use my hardtail with panniers.
Terns are I think well-thought of and robust, if somewhat expensive at £3-4k+. ie about 12-18 months of running costs for a small 2nd car.
You can find E-Cargo bikes from about £1500, or secondhand, and they hold their value well.
Rishi has also announced that he’s off to California this afternoon on his “vacays”.
As he probably refers to them, the moment he leaves British airspace.
That’s a really, really stupid thing to pre-announce - unless he’s flying BA Club World, every bored lobby hack is going to have details of his flight by tomorrow, and it’s unlikely to be reported in a way that’s favourable to the PM.
Meanwhile, seems Rishi didn't go down well on LBC this morning. Some commentary from General Boles-
Rishi's terrible at the media thing because he's a geeky numbers guy who thinks at a macro level where individual hardship doesn't matter so long as the aggregate effect is positive for the country (as he sees it) He quickly gets annoyed with interviewers who question his "wisdom" because to him these are self-evidently the best policies and anyone who can't see it is a bit dim / disingenuous Before I became a top satirical photoshopper I was a big deal* in finance and we never let the analysts in front of clients because their brains weren't wired for the touchy-feely emotional side that you need to convince people to place their £££ with you *not entirely true
1. As a geeky numbers guy myself, he's not wrong, is he? 2. What the hell do the Conservatives do about this at D minus 9/14/18 months?
I think Rishi's finance background is definitely a major cause of this. One angle that has not been commented on is that, if you are a Buy-side client (which Rishi was for many years) and you work for a major fund (which Rishi did), essentially the sell-side banks suck up to you all day, every day and will never argue vociferously with you, even if they think you are wrong. It is too much risk if the client takes offence and goes somewhere else. Basically, you start to think you are superior which - to someone of Rishi's stature and manner - would go to his head. However, that is not great for politics.
I think the point on reallocating roadspace is that motor vehicles have had all of it for half a century, so that is where it is coming back from as we rebalance priorities to give individuals choice in how they travel. And inevitably there will be bit of a backlash from those attached to, or benefitting from, the legacy forms of transport.
Yet we wonder why the cycling enthusiasts come across as primarily anti-car rather than pro-bike.
If you want to improve cycling provision then it needs to be *new* roadway, not “repurposing” the existing road to make driving more difficult.
Pro-bike is pro-car. It's not a zero-sum game.
Wanting to increase taxes on cars, and wanting to reduce the number of lanes available to them, are both very much anti-car.
It’s not a zero-sum game if you’re adding *new* roads.
carrying a week of family groceries on a cycle is easy.
For god's sake let's not put you in charge of cycling policy.
It *is* easy. Get a trailer for about £70-£100.
If you want to go extreme there are the new EAV 2Cubed e-cycles, which have 2 cubic metres of carrying space - more than my full size estate car - and are being used by Amazon for urban deliveries. Even I was surprised what they had got inside the EAPC regs; they look like Postman Pat's van - but just 1m wide like a tricycle. Coming soon to a cycle track / road near you.
Saw someone on a Danish bike the other day, with a trailer that looked like a running pram. Had a front wheel for the trailer clipped to the side - so a three wheeler when not attached to the bike.
Two kids in the front, heaps of stuff in the trailer.
Son-in-law has bought something like that. He does quite a lot of running and wants to be able to take his grandson with him. Grandson is still a baby.
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
I have Croix de Fer. I am not a Dura Ace style obsessive when it comes to bike kit.
I wish I were merely an obsessive. I am so much worse than that.
I once saw a 'mechanic' in a bike shop using a Philips driver instead of a JIS to adjust the H/L limit screws on a rear mech. I locked the shop door and put the CLOSED sign up while I had a gentle word with him.
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
What's the verdict on cargo ebikes? I'm tempted by something like a Tern or the cheaper Radwagon. Where we live, it'd make sense for me, rather than use the Transporter for a 10 minute drive to town. It'd be a crime to use my hardtail with panniers.
Terns are I think well-thought of and robust, if somewhat expensive at £3-4k+. ie about 12-18 months of running costs for a small 2nd car.
You can find E-Cargo bikes from about £1500, or secondhand, and they hold their value well.
I bought my car for £3,000, and it can carry a family of five and all of their luggage for a fortnight away. Plus the dog.
And the bike won’t go 80mph, do. 0-60 in six seconds, or make V8 noises. ULEZ compliant as well. (It’s a later model of this)
Speed limiter or should that be 180?
The speed limiter is 155, in common with most German cars of that era. But if I’d said that, someone would have said it’s irresponsible to go that fast. Saying it does 80 (fair motorway speed, when compared to a bicycle) is good enough, even though it does it with three gears left!
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
I have Croix de Fer. I am not a Dura Ace style obsessive when it comes to bike kit.
I wish I were merely an obsessive. I am so much worse than that.
I once saw a 'mechanic' in a bike shop using a Philips driver instead of a JIS to adjust the H/L limit screws on a rear mech. I locked the shop door and put the CLOSED sign up while I had a gentle word with him.
I use a kitchen knife.
Seems a bit harsh on the mechanic.
A mechanic who could do that? To a bike belonging to a bike nut? Should be grateful it's a JIS screwdriver and not a katana that's brought to the workshop.
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
What's the verdict on cargo ebikes? I'm tempted by something like a Tern or the cheaper Radwagon. Where we live, it'd make sense for me, rather than use the Transporter for a 10 minute drive to town. It'd be a crime to use my hardtail with panniers.
Terns are I think well-thought of and robust, if somewhat expensive at £3-4k+. ie about 12-18 months of running costs for a small 2nd car.
You can find E-Cargo bikes from about £1500, or secondhand, and they hold their value well.
Meanwhile, seems Rishi didn't go down well on LBC this morning. Some commentary from General Boles-
Rishi's terrible at the media thing because he's a geeky numbers guy who thinks at a macro level where individual hardship doesn't matter so long as the aggregate effect is positive for the country (as he sees it) He quickly gets annoyed with interviewers who question his "wisdom" because to him these are self-evidently the best policies and anyone who can't see it is a bit dim / disingenuous Before I became a top satirical photoshopper I was a big deal* in finance and we never let the analysts in front of clients because their brains weren't wired for the touchy-feely emotional side that you need to convince people to place their £££ with you *not entirely true
1. As a geeky numbers guy myself, he's not wrong, is he? 2. What the hell do the Conservatives do about this at D minus 9/14/18 months?
I think Rishi's finance background is definitely a major cause of this. One angle that has not been commented on is that, if you are a Buy-side client (which Rishi was for many years) and you work for a major fund (which Rishi did), essentially the sell-side banks suck up to you all day, every day and will never argue vociferously with you, even if they think you are wrong. It is too much risk if the client takes offence and goes somewhere else. Basically, you start to think you are superior which - to someone of Rishi's stature and manner - would go to his head. However, that is not great for politics.
He's getting worse at concealing it though. Is his heart really in this fight?
Rishi is even worse than the geek who can’t emphathise in the micro because the macro is improving.
Because Rishi has also fucked the macro.
Jeremy Bentham he ain't.
The main thing I knew about Jeremy Bentham is that his stuffed bodily remains were kept on the UCL campus (though sadly not at Council meetings, despite the amusing urban myth.)
Are we now at the stage where Britain needs a PM of the "a better (wo)man dead than anyone alive" type?
Rishi is even worse than the geek who can’t emphathise in the micro because the macro is improving.
Because Rishi has also fucked the macro.
Jeremy Bentham he ain't.
The main thing I knew about Jeremy Bentham is that his stuffed bodily remains were kept on the UCL campus (though sadly not at Council meetings, despite the amusing urban myth.)
Are we now at the stage where Britain needs a PM of the "a better (wo)man dead than anyone alive" type?
Meanwhile, seems Rishi didn't go down well on LBC this morning. Some commentary from General Boles-
Rishi's terrible at the media thing because he's a geeky numbers guy who thinks at a macro level where individual hardship doesn't matter so long as the aggregate effect is positive for the country (as he sees it) He quickly gets annoyed with interviewers who question his "wisdom" because to him these are self-evidently the best policies and anyone who can't see it is a bit dim / disingenuous Before I became a top satirical photoshopper I was a big deal* in finance and we never let the analysts in front of clients because their brains weren't wired for the touchy-feely emotional side that you need to convince people to place their £££ with you *not entirely true
Meanwhile, seems Rishi didn't go down well on LBC this morning. Some commentary from General Boles-
Rishi's terrible at the media thing because he's a geeky numbers guy who thinks at a macro level where individual hardship doesn't matter so long as the aggregate effect is positive for the country (as he sees it) He quickly gets annoyed with interviewers who question his "wisdom" because to him these are self-evidently the best policies and anyone who can't see it is a bit dim / disingenuous Before I became a top satirical photoshopper I was a big deal* in finance and we never let the analysts in front of clients because their brains weren't wired for the touchy-feely emotional side that you need to convince people to place their £££ with you *not entirely true
1. As a geeky numbers guy myself, he's not wrong, is he? 2. What the hell do the Conservatives do about this at D minus 9/14/18 months?
I think Rishi's finance background is definitely a major cause of this. One angle that has not been commented on is that, if you are a Buy-side client (which Rishi was for many years) and you work for a major fund (which Rishi did), essentially the sell-side banks suck up to you all day, every day and will never argue vociferously with you, even if they think you are wrong. It is too much risk if the client takes offence and goes somewhere else. Basically, you start to think you are superior which - to someone of Rishi's stature and manner - would go to his head. However, that is not great for politics.
He's getting worse at concealing it though. Is his heart really in this fight?
I think it is in the sense that he wants to win the election and continue being the CEO of Waystar-Royco. It's just that his personal skillset and gilded yet brief ascent has left him very ill-prepared to be PM of a desperately unpopular third term government that is relying on the Putin strategy of appealing exclusively to the elderly and poorly educated.
He can't sell this populist guff with any authenticity in the way that Farage or Trump or even Putin can.
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
What's the verdict on cargo ebikes? I'm tempted by something like a Tern or the cheaper Radwagon. Where we live, it'd make sense for me, rather than use the Transporter for a 10 minute drive to town. It'd be a crime to use my hardtail with panniers.
Terns are I think well-thought of and robust, if somewhat expensive at £3-4k+. ie about 12-18 months of running costs for a small 2nd car.
You can find E-Cargo bikes from about £1500, or secondhand, and they hold their value well.
Rishi is even worse than the geek who can’t emphathise in the micro because the macro is improving.
Because Rishi has also fucked the macro.
Jeremy Bentham he ain't.
The main thing I knew about Jeremy Bentham is that his stuffed bodily remains were kept on the UCL campus (though sadly not at Council meetings, despite the amusing urban myth.)
Are we now at the stage where Britain needs a PM of the "a better (wo)man dead than anyone alive" type?
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
I have Croix de Fer. I am not a Dura Ace style obsessive when it comes to bike kit.
I wish I were merely an obsessive. I am so much worse than that.
I once saw a 'mechanic' in a bike shop using a Philips driver instead of a JIS to adjust the H/L limit screws on a rear mech. I locked the shop door and put the CLOSED sign up while I had a gentle word with him.
I use a kitchen knife.
Seems a bit harsh on the mechanic.
A mechanic who could do that? To a bike belonging to a bike nut? Should be grateful it's a JIS screwdriver and not a katana that's brought to the workshop.
I’d didn’t say it wasn’t fair. Just harsh.
I once said nothing as my wife and a friend tried to use a good wood chisel as a screwdriver. Nothing can upset me now.
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
What's the verdict on cargo ebikes? I'm tempted by something like a Tern or the cheaper Radwagon. Where we live, it'd make sense for me, rather than use the Transporter for a 10 minute drive to town. It'd be a crime to use my hardtail with panniers.
Terns are I think well-thought of and robust, if somewhat expensive at £3-4k+. ie about 12-18 months of running costs for a small 2nd car.
You can find E-Cargo bikes from about £1500, or secondhand, and they hold their value well.
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
I have Croix de Fer. I am not a Dura Ace style obsessive when it comes to bike kit.
I wish I were merely an obsessive. I am so much worse than that.
I once saw a 'mechanic' in a bike shop using a Philips driver instead of a JIS to adjust the H/L limit screws on a rear mech. I locked the shop door and put the CLOSED sign up while I had a gentle word with him.
I use a kitchen knife.
Seems a bit harsh on the mechanic.
A mechanic who could do that? To a bike belonging to a bike nut? Should be grateful it's a JIS screwdriver and not a katana that's brought to the workshop.
I’d didn’t say it wasn’t fair. Just harsh.
I once said nothing as my wife and a friend tried to use a good wood chisel as a screwdriver. Nothing can upset me now.
*hyperventilates and has panic attack at the very thought*
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
I have Croix de Fer. I am not a Dura Ace style obsessive when it comes to bike kit.
I wish I were merely an obsessive. I am so much worse than that.
I once saw a 'mechanic' in a bike shop using a Philips driver instead of a JIS to adjust the H/L limit screws on a rear mech. I locked the shop door and put the CLOSED sign up while I had a gentle word with him.
I use a kitchen knife.
Seems a bit harsh on the mechanic.
A mechanic who could do that? To a bike belonging to a bike nut? Should be grateful it's a JIS screwdriver and not a katana that's brought to the workshop.
I’d didn’t say it wasn’t fair. Just harsh.
I once said nothing as my wife and a friend tried to use a good wood chisel as a screwdriver. Nothing can upset me now.
*hyperventilates and has panic attack at the very thought*
As a result I can completely control my heart rate, just with my mind.
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
I have Croix de Fer. I am not a Dura Ace style obsessive when it comes to bike kit.
I wish I were merely an obsessive. I am so much worse than that.
I once saw a 'mechanic' in a bike shop using a Philips driver instead of a JIS to adjust the H/L limit screws on a rear mech. I locked the shop door and put the CLOSED sign up while I had a gentle word with him.
I use a kitchen knife.
Seems a bit harsh on the mechanic.
A mechanic who could do that? To a bike belonging to a bike nut? Should be grateful it's a JIS screwdriver and not a katana that's brought to the workshop.
I’d didn’t say it wasn’t fair. Just harsh.
I once said nothing as my wife and a friend tried to use a good wood chisel as a screwdriver. Nothing can upset me now.
*hyperventilates and has panic attack at the very thought*
I can only presume it wasn’t Malmesbury’s wood chisel.
Teenage boys are swinging right. But of course they are
There is only so many times the Left can say "You are "toxic" simply by virtue of being male", until the toxic males will retort, "Fuck that I'll be a conservative, then"
The same will happen to white people under Woke-ism. Every time the Woke Left brands white people as intrinsically racist, and benefiting from White Privilege, white people will slowly shift culturally right. Which does NOT regard them as intrinsically evil
Trump could win in 2024 because of this. Continental Europe is already headed that way
A query to the wise: is it permissible to use a Pozidriv screwdriver in a JIS screw head? Or am I supposed to obtain a JIS screwdriver for this one job?
Teenage boys are swinging right. But of course they are
There is only so many times the Left can say "You are "toxic" simply by virtue of being male", until the toxic males will retort, "Fuck that I'll be a conservative, then"
The same will happen to white people under Woke-ism. Every time the Woke Left brands white people as intrinsically racist, and benefiting from White Privilege, white people will slowly shift culturally right. Which does NOT regard them as intrinsically evil
Trump could win in 2024 because of this. Continental Europe is already headed that way
Especially white, working-class men. It’s a massive (but surely not unexpected) backlash against being told they’re racist and misogynist by default, as they watch affirmative action policies on college admissions put them to the back of the queue.
Teenage boys are swinging right. But of course they are
There is only so many times the Left can say "You are "toxic" simply by virtue of being male", until the toxic males will retort, "Fuck that I'll be a conservative, then"
The same will happen to white people under Woke-ism. Every time the Woke Left brands white people as intrinsically racist, and benefiting from White Privilege, white people will slowly shift culturally right. Which does NOT regard them as intrinsically evil
Trump could win in 2024 because of this. Continental Europe is already headed that way
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
What's the verdict on cargo ebikes? I'm tempted by something like a Tern or the cheaper Radwagon. Where we live, it'd make sense for me, rather than use the Transporter for a 10 minute drive to town. It'd be a crime to use my hardtail with panniers.
Terns are I think well-thought of and robust, if somewhat expensive at £3-4k+. ie about 12-18 months of running costs for a small 2nd car.
You can find E-Cargo bikes from about £1500, or secondhand, and they hold their value well.
What is your annual running cost, btw? *innocent face*
I nearly bought a Mercedes E-Class Estate in 2018. But it was over the super-VED threshold price, I test drove it a frost, and I couldn't carry a stack of house doors in it with the tailgate closed.
So I went for a well-specced Skoda Super Estate instead, at just under 40% less.
Teenage boys are swinging right. But of course they are
There is only so many times the Left can say "You are "toxic" simply by virtue of being male", until the toxic males will retort, "Fuck that I'll be a conservative, then"
The same will happen to white people under Woke-ism. Every time the Woke Left brands white people as intrinsically racist, and benefiting from White Privilege, white people will slowly shift culturally right. Which does NOT regard them as intrinsically evil
Trump could win in 2024 because of this. Continental Europe is already headed that way
And yet you will hear people say culture war stuff doesn’t matter and won’t affect any votes.
Teenage boys are swinging right. But of course they are
There is only so many times the Left can say "You are "toxic" simply by virtue of being male", until the toxic males will retort, "Fuck that I'll be a conservative, then"
The same will happen to white people under Woke-ism. Every time the Woke Left brands white people as intrinsically racist, and benefiting from White Privilege, white people will slowly shift culturally right. Which does NOT regard them as intrinsically evil
Trump could win in 2024 because of this. Continental Europe is already headed that way
A fair bit of this is going to be how we define "being male". No, I'm not talking about cock or not, I'm talking about what it means to be male. My father-in-law seemed aggrieved that his government says that "wolf-whistling at a beautiful woman" is a crime.
The way he described the law and the potential punishment may be accurate, may be not. But as I pointed out to him, if guys started harassing my daughter / his grand-daughter, we'd both be unhappy about it.
So what part of "being male" is under attack? In America the right want it to mean that their womenfolk are basically chattels. Put out as that is God's will, but no free access to contraception as that makes you a who-er, and if you get pregnant then no abortion and no travel in case you're off to get an abortion.
I'm quite happy for the old ways of "being male" to be under attack.
Rishi has also announced that he’s off to California this afternoon on his “vacays”. As he probably refers to them, the moment he leaves British airspace.
God that is tone deaf even by his standards.It's not like he has to keep up the Easyjet to the Med pretence longer than this summer and next. Even Dave managed this.
Really? Didn't Brown like going to Cape Cod? Is holidaying in California such a big deal?
Teenage boys are swinging right. But of course they are
There is only so many times the Left can say "You are "toxic" simply by virtue of being male", until the toxic males will retort, "Fuck that I'll be a conservative, then"
The same will happen to white people under Woke-ism. Every time the Woke Left brands white people as intrinsically racist, and benefiting from White Privilege, white people will slowly shift culturally right. Which does NOT regard them as intrinsically evil
Trump could win in 2024 because of this. Continental Europe is already headed that way
A fair bit of this is going to be how we define "being male". No, I'm not talking about cock or not, I'm talking about what it means to be male. My father-in-law seemed aggrieved that his government says that "wolf-whistling at a beautiful woman" is a crime.
The way he described the law and the potential punishment may be accurate, may be not. But as I pointed out to him, if guys started harassing my daughter / his grand-daughter, we'd both be unhappy about it.
So what part of "being male" is under attack? In America the right want it to mean that their womenfolk are basically chattels. Put out as that is God's will, but no free access to contraception as that makes you a who-er, and if you get pregnant then no abortion and no travel in case you're off to get an abortion.
I'm quite happy for the old ways of "being male" to be under attack.
The other day, Leon stated a series of attributes of what he thought women want in men. It was... somewhat outdated.
The 'problem' with incels is not helped by that sort of rubbish. A good bit of advice to get a girl is; "Don't be a git."
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
I have Croix de Fer. I am not a Dura Ace style obsessive when it comes to bike kit.
I wish I were merely an obsessive. I am so much worse than that.
I once saw a 'mechanic' in a bike shop using a Philips driver instead of a JIS to adjust the H/L limit screws on a rear mech. I locked the shop door and put the CLOSED sign up while I had a gentle word with him.
I use a kitchen knife.
Seems a bit harsh on the mechanic.
A mechanic who could do that? To a bike belonging to a bike nut? Should be grateful it's a JIS screwdriver and not a katana that's brought to the workshop.
I’d didn’t say it wasn’t fair. Just harsh.
I once said nothing as my wife and a friend tried to use a good wood chisel as a screwdriver. Nothing can upset me now.
*hyperventilates and has panic attack at the very thought*
I can only presume it wasn’t Malmesbury’s wood chisel.
Teenage boys are swinging right. But of course they are
There is only so many times the Left can say "You are "toxic" simply by virtue of being male", until the toxic males will retort, "Fuck that I'll be a conservative, then"
The same will happen to white people under Woke-ism. Every time the Woke Left brands white people as intrinsically racist, and benefiting from White Privilege, white people will slowly shift culturally right. Which does NOT regard them as intrinsically evil
Trump could win in 2024 because of this. Continental Europe is already headed that way
The article also says this though:
"The chart gave the impression, at least on first glance, that two-thirds of 12th-grade boys were now conservative. In the small print beneath, Twenge noted that she had omitted moderates.
The full story is messier and murkier. High school seniors, boys and girls alike, are more likely to claim no political identity than to throw in with either liberals or conservatives."
Teenage boys are swinging right. But of course they are
There is only so many times the Left can say "You are "toxic" simply by virtue of being male", until the toxic males will retort, "Fuck that I'll be a conservative, then"
The same will happen to white people under Woke-ism. Every time the Woke Left brands white people as intrinsically racist, and benefiting from White Privilege, white people will slowly shift culturally right. Which does NOT regard them as intrinsically evil
Trump could win in 2024 because of this. Continental Europe is already headed that way
The article also says this though:
"The chart gave the impression, at least on first glance, that two-thirds of 12th-grade boys were now conservative. In the small print beneath, Twenge noted that she had omitted moderates.
The full story is messier and murkier. High school seniors, boys and girls alike, are more likely to claim no political identity than to throw in with either liberals or conservatives."
Yes. Hence "trending"
It is not a dramatic swing, not yet. But it is a very interesting trend
It tallies entirely with what my friends are experiencing with their teenage boys - in the UK. They either love Andrew Tate or they are, at least, intrigued by him. They've all heard of him. Andrew Tate certainly does not tell them they are "toxic" just coz they are boys
Teenage boys are swinging right. But of course they are
There is only so many times the Left can say "You are "toxic" simply by virtue of being male", until the toxic males will retort, "Fuck that I'll be a conservative, then"
The same will happen to white people under Woke-ism. Every time the Woke Left brands white people as intrinsically racist, and benefiting from White Privilege, white people will slowly shift culturally right. Which does NOT regard them as intrinsically evil
Trump could win in 2024 because of this. Continental Europe is already headed that way
You're wasting your breath.
They don't understand. They don't even want to listen.
@Dura_Ace I have a bike question… Are you aware of any good framesets with a non-existant or low top tube? I have a medical condition which makes it difficult for me to get over the top tube but I would like to build a bike up in future as a project (I know not good value for money).
I was thinking maybe a mountain bike frame but not sure where to start with that for mainly road running.
At the bespoke end, Thorn Cycles used to have the tough quality Sherpa and Raven frames in a step-through version.
Rishi has also announced that he’s off to California this afternoon on his “vacays”. As he probably refers to them, the moment he leaves British airspace.
God that is tone deaf even by his standards.It's not like he has to keep up the Easyjet to the Med pretence longer than this summer and next. Even Dave managed this.
Really? Didn't Brown like going to Cape Cod? Is holidaying in California such a big deal?
Brown was not a billionaire with a helicopter and a non dom wife. Cape Cod did not feed in to an existing rich, out of touch, not one of us narrative.
ETA Just seen this, he is working on the relatability after all
"He said his daughters, Krishna and Anoushka, were “very excited” about the prospect of visiting Disneyland.
The prime minister, a self-confessed “huge Star Wars fan”, joked that his daughters were worried they would spend too much time at Disneyland’s new Star Wars area.
Sunak has a sizeable collection of lightsabers and has previously described Sajid Javid, the former health secretary, chancellor and home secretary, as his “Jedi Master” before a 2019 screening of The Rise of Skywalker."
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
I have Croix de Fer. I am not a Dura Ace style obsessive when it comes to bike kit.
I wish I were merely an obsessive. I am so much worse than that.
I once saw a 'mechanic' in a bike shop using a Philips driver instead of a JIS to adjust the H/L limit screws on a rear mech. I locked the shop door and put the CLOSED sign up while I had a gentle word with him.
I use a kitchen knife.
Seems a bit harsh on the mechanic.
A mechanic who could do that? To a bike belonging to a bike nut? Should be grateful it's a JIS screwdriver and not a katana that's brought to the workshop.
I’d didn’t say it wasn’t fair. Just harsh.
I once said nothing as my wife and a friend tried to use a good wood chisel as a screwdriver. Nothing can upset me now.
*hyperventilates and has panic attack at the very thought*
I can only presume it wasn’t Malmesbury’s wood chisel.
It was
*quietly impressed by that level of self-control, recalling a study discussed many years ago with a fellow student who followed the Dharma in the Tibetan mode*
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
Genesis Croix de Fer - yay or nay?
I want a commuter that also tours. It seems appalling value for money for the components, but I can't see an alternative other than a Sonder Santiago or a Bombtrack.
I have Croix de Fer. I am not a Dura Ace style obsessive when it comes to bike kit.
I wish I were merely an obsessive. I am so much worse than that.
I once saw a 'mechanic' in a bike shop using a Philips driver instead of a JIS to adjust the H/L limit screws on a rear mech. I locked the shop door and put the CLOSED sign up while I had a gentle word with him.
I use a kitchen knife.
Seems a bit harsh on the mechanic.
A mechanic who could do that? To a bike belonging to a bike nut? Should be grateful it's a JIS screwdriver and not a katana that's brought to the workshop.
I’d didn’t say it wasn’t fair. Just harsh.
I once said nothing as my wife and a friend tried to use a good wood chisel as a screwdriver. Nothing can upset me now.
*hyperventilates and has panic attack at the very thought*
I can only presume it wasn’t Malmesbury’s wood chisel.
@MattW is the acknowledged expert on cycling infrastructure. I’m sure his predictions that cycling can be expected to triple in coming years is right.
I’m hopeful about Birmingham and Nottingham too.
I remember when I posted that it was a shame that cities outside London lacked cyclehire schemes and I was denounced as a cappuccino supping metro elitist.
A small, but very useful scheme - Brompton offer cycle hire
I'm seeing on the trains an increasing number of people who've obviously hired one (the colour scheme is quiet, but noticeable) for a day out - train out to somewhere in the country side, unfold and ride.
For those who don't know them, Brompton folding bikes are allowed on all trains because they are so compact. They are, in addition, very rideable, compared to other small wheel bikes.
Bromptons are very cool, as well as a British manufacturing success story.
I have a single speed titanium one with flat bars because that's just how I roll.
They are not particularly 'rideable' because of a very short mechanical trail distance of 27mm. A normal bicycle has 40-65mm and therefore much stronger castering action. I have ridden mine over 60km in one ride though.
What's the verdict on cargo ebikes? I'm tempted by something like a Tern or the cheaper Radwagon. Where we live, it'd make sense for me, rather than use the Transporter for a 10 minute drive to town. It'd be a crime to use my hardtail with panniers.
Terns are I think well-thought of and robust, if somewhat expensive at £3-4k+. ie about 12-18 months of running costs for a small 2nd car.
You can find E-Cargo bikes from about £1500, or secondhand, and they hold their value well.
What is your annual running cost, btw? *innocent face*
I nearly bought a Mercedes E-Class Estate in 2018. But it was over the super-VED threshold price, I test drove it a frost, and I couldn't carry a stack of house doors in it with the tailgate closed.
So I went for a well-specced Skoda Super Estate instead, at just under 40% less.
I just worked it out. Trains, taxis, buses temp accom. High three four figures, low four five figures, depending. Yikes.
Teenage boys are swinging right. But of course they are
There is only so many times the Left can say "You are "toxic" simply by virtue of being male", until the toxic males will retort, "Fuck that I'll be a conservative, then"
The same will happen to white people under Woke-ism. Every time the Woke Left brands white people as intrinsically racist, and benefiting from White Privilege, white people will slowly shift culturally right. Which does NOT regard them as intrinsically evil
Trump could win in 2024 because of this. Continental Europe is already headed that way
A fair bit of this is going to be how we define "being male". No, I'm not talking about cock or not, I'm talking about what it means to be male. My father-in-law seemed aggrieved that his government says that "wolf-whistling at a beautiful woman" is a crime.
The way he described the law and the potential punishment may be accurate, may be not. But as I pointed out to him, if guys started harassing my daughter / his grand-daughter, we'd both be unhappy about it.
So what part of "being male" is under attack? In America the right want it to mean that their womenfolk are basically chattels. Put out as that is God's will, but no free access to contraception as that makes you a who-er, and if you get pregnant then no abortion and no travel in case you're off to get an abortion.
I'm quite happy for the old ways of "being male" to be under attack.
The other day, Leon stated a series of attributes of what he thought women want in men. It was... somewhat outdated.
The 'problem' with incels is not helped by that sort of rubbish. A good bit of advice to get a girl is; "Don't be a git."
I'm perhaps not the world expert on masculinity as I am part-deviant (or "demented", as my father-in-law inadvertently labelled me and the rest of the LBGT community). Point is that people should be treated as you want to be treated. Women and girls are people too, yet there is this mindset amongst some blokes that it is all I Me Mine and whatever women want should fit around their needs / desires / demands.
I am not too concerned that we are - supposedly - making the younger generation conservative by demanding that men treat women as equals. Is the argument that women are *not* equal and that the "woke" agenda of lying that they are should be respected?
No thanks. Woke gets a bad rap from people who like inequality and inequity and discrimination against the other. If thinking my daughter should have all the opportunities my sons have is "toxic" then I'm happy to be out and woke. I define "woke" as not being a "[ban hammer]"
Teenage boys are swinging right. But of course they are
There is only so many times the Left can say "You are "toxic" simply by virtue of being male", until the toxic males will retort, "Fuck that I'll be a conservative, then"
The same will happen to white people under Woke-ism. Every time the Woke Left brands white people as intrinsically racist, and benefiting from White Privilege, white people will slowly shift culturally right. Which does NOT regard them as intrinsically evil
Trump could win in 2024 because of this. Continental Europe is already headed that way
You're wasting your breath.
They don't understand. They don't even want to listen.
Well, when the entire western world is governed by populist Far Right governments that shoots migrants in the water and puts lefties in prison camps on the Isle of Lewis we can at least say We tried to warn you
Teenage boys are swinging right. But of course they are
There is only so many times the Left can say "You are "toxic" simply by virtue of being male", until the toxic males will retort, "Fuck that I'll be a conservative, then"
The same will happen to white people under Woke-ism. Every time the Woke Left brands white people as intrinsically racist, and benefiting from White Privilege, white people will slowly shift culturally right. Which does NOT regard them as intrinsically evil
Trump could win in 2024 because of this. Continental Europe is already headed that way
The article also says this though:
"The chart gave the impression, at least on first glance, that two-thirds of 12th-grade boys were now conservative. In the small print beneath, Twenge noted that she had omitted moderates.
The full story is messier and murkier. High school seniors, boys and girls alike, are more likely to claim no political identity than to throw in with either liberals or conservatives."
Yes. Hence "trending"
It is not a dramatic swing, not yet. But it is a very interesting trend
It tallies entirely with what my friends are experiencing with their teenage boys - in the UK. They either love Andrew Tate or they are, at least, intrigued by him. They've all heard of him. Andrew Tate certainly does not tell them they are "toxic" just coz they are boys
No. Andrew Tait tells them that girls are toxic just coz they are girls. Nobody in education or parenting is telling young men they are " "toxic" just coz they are boys ". But they might be telling them they have to be respectful of others and can't treat women as property. I know, its a shame from some perspectives...
Rishi has also announced that he’s off to California this afternoon on his “vacays”. As he probably refers to them, the moment he leaves British airspace.
God that is tone deaf even by his standards.It's not like he has to keep up the Easyjet to the Med pretence longer than this summer and next. Even Dave managed this.
Really? Didn't Brown like going to Cape Cod? Is holidaying in California such a big deal?
Brown was not a billionaire with a helicopter and a non dom wife. Cape Cod did not feed in to an existing rich, out of touch, not one of us narrative.
ETA Just seen this, he is working on the relatability after all
"He said his daughters, Krishna and Anoushka, were “very excited” about the prospect of visiting Disneyland.
The prime minister, a self-confessed “huge Star Wars fan”, joked that his daughters were worried they would spend too much time at Disneyland’s new Star Wars area.
Sunak has a sizeable collection of lightsabers and has previously described Sajid Javid, the former health secretary, chancellor and home secretary, as his “Jedi Master” before a 2019 screening of The Rise of Skywalker."
So long as he doesn't do a Peppa Pig at the CBI, I suppose?
The way the right seem to speak is that anyone who is vaguely left of centre is somehow thick if they don't agree with them.
This feels awfully like Labour in 2019, calling all voters who weren't like them, thick.
Perhaps it's that some people genuinely think being left-wing is okay and they have these beliefs sincerely? Why do they have to be brainwashed or thick.
Perhaps the right should try and understand young people.
Rishi has also announced that he’s off to California this afternoon on his “vacays”. As he probably refers to them, the moment he leaves British airspace.
God that is tone deaf even by his standards.It's not like he has to keep up the Easyjet to the Med pretence longer than this summer and next. Even Dave managed this.
Really? Didn't Brown like going to Cape Cod? Is holidaying in California such a big deal?
Brown was not a billionaire with a helicopter and a non dom wife. Cape Cod did not feed in to an existing rich, out of touch, not one of us narrative.
Sunak is derided when he is inauthentic - enjoy your pint of prosecco! - but now, when he is authentic - he's a billionaire, he goes to California - he is also derided. So he can't win, so he might as well go to California, if he likes it there
Tho I confess I am intrigued as to the choice of California for a summer holiday. It's often too hot in high summer, it's a really long way, the cities are not very enticing
The mountains and national parks will be lovely (and cooler) but also rammed
Odd choice; but maybe he has fam and friends there? Along with a 2nd home
It was critical for America that Trump was charged for the attempted coup. When you read up on the details it most definitely was an attempted coup that built for some time - the charging of the Capitol was only the denouement.
What is at stake is very simple - America. I fear that it would take a black swan event to deny Trump the republican nomination, and he is going to be All In offering people the kind of America they want. War against minorities / women / liberals / deviants / Iran - you name it and he'll offer it.
I can see the 2024 election being a repeat of 2020 only on a bigger scale. Biden will will more votes than the pundits thought possible as people who never vote turn out to keep Trump out. But the electoral college is a perverse thing, and there remains a clear a present danger that Trump does well enough in the EC to keep him in the game. And with the idiocy of their system having TV networks call results we can expect a Roman Roy figure to call key states for Trump whether he has them on not. At least NewsMax and possibly Fox too.
If Trump wins, that is America done. The republic will fall and be replaced by a "Christian" version of Iran.
That dastardly Trump and his heinous attempt to win an election by offering the people what they want.
Some of the people. A minority of people. Where what they want will turn them into an international pariah.
The unfairness of the US electoral system is a totally different issue. They seem happy with it - I'm not aware of any serious moves to change it, and the Democrats are in power.
For the rest, that's democracy. Hoping for a 'black swan event' (I'm not going to probe what that might be) to stop this awful act of people voting for what they want is not your finest hour.
"and the Democrats are in power" They would need to change the constitution. They don't have a two thirds majority in the House or Senate, nor majorities in three quarters of the states. So no, they don't have the power to change it.
"Hoping for a 'black swan event' (I'm not going to probe what that might be) to stop this awful act of people voting for what they want" doesn't seem to be an accurate reflection of what RP wrote.
Maybe not your finest hour either?
Meh. He doesn't have enough finest hours for me to have any interest in his opinion on what I wrote.
He was able to celebrate the appointment of a PM that he really wanted, which is more than I can say about the last couple of decades...
I wasn't - I didn't want Truss; I said that she was an appalling, cringe-making candidate, who would be like May but even odder. I warmed to her during the campaign, and more afterwards, but I didn't 'really want' her to be PM. I can't think of anyone on the Tory front benches who I 'really want' to be PM. Probably nobody in the entire HOC.
Where's Louis Mountbatten when you really need him?
"...What all successful insurgencies have in common are five key elements
control of the media
control of the economy and the capture of administrative targets
for which you need the fourth element, the loyalty of the military...
...which brings me to the fifth element, legitimacy
Now our government draws its strength from long-established institutions that support it
the courts
the body of common law
the constitution
[So] for any action against the state to succeed you'd have to overthrow these as well, but in a highly evolved democracy such as ours their authority is sacrosanct. Which is why, gentlemen, a coup d'etat in the United Kingdom doesn't stand a chance.
Isn't a coup relatively simple if you have a parliamentary majority (& willing lickspittle MPs)
Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022
4
Automatic dissolution of Parliament after five years If it has not been dissolved earlier, a Parliament dissolves at the beginning of the day that is the fifth anniversary of the day on which it first met.
Replace five with thousand Replace 'fifth' with 'thousandth'
Parliament is sovereign, which means that it can largely do what it likes. Largely. Lets assume that Sunak decides the solution to his impending ouster is simply indefinitely postponing the election.
So your bill is proposed to Parliament. HY et al on here along with the right wing tabloid media position it as *protection* of our democratic processes against the bad guys (the international woke liberal blob media socialist conspiracy).
A chunk of Tory MPs would be outraged, and the Lords would throw it back at the Commons. But should the Commons still keep voting for an enabling act we would eventually reach a crisis point where even a Commons majority was not enough, no matter what GBeebies and the Daily Heil were saying.
As the fictionalised Lord Mountbatten said, there's no chance.
The Lords could be overcome relatively trivially as you say. The issue would be Royal assent, with Charles on the spot. Say Charles refused to give the Tausend Jahre bill Royal assent, I presume 'Emperor' Sunak would try and dissolve the Monarchy with a money bill. But that would also need Royal assent, and whilst Charles would sign if we were moving to a proper presidential system he probably wouldn't for the Sunak Reich.
I don't think the Lords would be overcome. An Enabling Act was not a manifesto promise - and if it was they wouldn't accept it as legitimate. This bill wouldn't clear Parliament, and if Sunak responded with a bill to either cripple or abolish the Other Place that would also not pass inspection.
When Truss tried to break the economy we very quickly progressed to the powers that be telling the grandees in the Tory party to ignore wazzocks like Simon Ding Dong Clarke and have her out of office. An Enabling Act to cling to power wouldn't have universal support in the party (perhaps only with ex Plaid entryists like HY), and the powers that be would inform Mrs Brady that he needed to get the pearl-handled revolver out again.
Her Ma'am may well have stayed out of it. But King Chuck isn't afraid to speak his mind - especially when as in this scenario constitutionally he is expected to give advice. Would be fun to watch though. Imagine the aftermath - "HOW THE BLOB STOLE OUR DEMOCRACY" - a 3 hour debate on GBeebies with Nadine Dorries and Lee Anderson.
If the Lords don't accept proposed legislation on a manifesto commitment (which would be a kind of seizure of power - by them), either call a general election so that the Volk can tell the Lords yes they did mean it, or else have a shootout in the Palace of Westminster.
But however amusing it would be to see the legitimacy of Parliament Acts go to the Supreme Court, that kind of bill isn't the way. Any problem with MPs (or Lords for that matter), just arrest the f**kers. (Power doesn't lie on that side of Parliament Square.) Good to have the attorney general on your side, because you don't want him to go all Thomas More on you. But given all the stalwart and squeaky-clean service he'll have already done in areas such as prosecutions (and non-prosecutions) in customs cases, there's little chance of that.
The monarch can't possibly stay out of it if there's a coup.
Along with Mountbatten's consideration of an Oswald Mosley option, one of the most fascinating features of his coup plotting was the role of Basil Smallpeice, financial adviser to the monarch. Just as government bills have to be pre-okayed under king's consent rules, just to check they don't damage the monarch financially, it seems the same applied to a proposed coup on that occasion.
Rishi has also announced that he’s off to California this afternoon on his “vacays”. As he probably refers to them, the moment he leaves British airspace.
God that is tone deaf even by his standards.It's not like he has to keep up the Easyjet to the Med pretence longer than this summer and next. Even Dave managed this.
Really? Didn't Brown like going to Cape Cod? Is holidaying in California such a big deal?
Brown was not a billionaire with a helicopter and a non dom wife. Cape Cod did not feed in to an existing rich, out of touch, not one of us narrative.
ETA Just seen this, he is working on the relatability after all
"He said his daughters, Krishna and Anoushka, were “very excited” about the prospect of visiting Disneyland.
The prime minister, a self-confessed “huge Star Wars fan”, joked that his daughters were worried they would spend too much time at Disneyland’s new Star Wars area.
Sunak has a sizeable collection of lightsabers and has previously described Sajid Javid, the former health secretary, chancellor and home secretary, as his “Jedi Master” before a 2019 screening of The Rise of Skywalker."
So long as he doesn't do a Peppa Pig at the CBI, I suppose?
More worried about his eyes getting a bit red, a failed assassination attempt and a declaration of a Second British Empire…
One of the things that puzzles me about the 2016 and 2020 elections is that Democrats failed to attack Trump in the most obvious way: I have said for some time that those who follow the Loser risk losing their money, or even their freedom. It would not be difficult to do a series of TV ads showing some of Trump's many victims.
(This isn't an original idea. Democrats did something similar with a misleading ad attacking Mitt Romney, early in that presidential campaign -- and he never completely recovered from the attack.)
...there is this mindset amongst some blokes that it is all I Me Mine and whatever women want should fit around their needs / desires / demands.
Are you referring to the blokes who demand to be accepted as female because of their attire and think that no mere woman should have the right to contradict them?
Comments
Is there any chance whatsoever this wont boost Trumps chances of winning the GOP nomination? I think it will boost his chances
What impact will it have on Trumps chances of winning in 2024? Not a lot in my best Paul Daniels voice
From about age 12 I’d do all my own maintainance; at least if something failed and kicked me off, it wouldn’t be anyone else’s fault!
https://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/bike-maintenance-c10/workshop-tools-c129/park-tool-mk-14-master-mechanic-tool-set-p27748
https://tippinsights.com/if-he-was-bribed-biden-must-go-majority-says-i-i-tipp-poll/
Just as with Trump, as with Biden whose defence has shifted from "I never knew anything or discussed anything with my son about business" to "I was never in business with my son" which is a different mix. We could face the situation where Trump is being indicted and Biden is facing an impeachment hearing.
And here is the thing re an impeachment. While there is no chance that an impeachment bill against Biden would get the 2/3 it needs in the Senate, there is a chance that Manchin (who is weighing a third party run) and / or Sinema (who may want to be seen as independent of the Democrats) could vote for it which would not be great for the optics especially if that lead to a 51-49 in favour vote.
Happy days...
1) Drill music
2) make sure your friends know that you are an aspiring footballer/community activist*
3) this ensures that when you are shot by the armed police, and they find 10 grams of crack and a badly converted starting pistol on you, that the proper funeral games** are run
*for quoting to journalists
**riots
The current pricing is wild though: I think to get the components on mine (which I bought in 2019) you have to pay twice the price. There may be better alternatives around where competitors have managed to source components at lower prices.
If you really want a steel frame the Ribble CGR looks good, although when I see “mechanical disk brakes” the question you immediately want answered is whether these are single or double pull - single sided mech disks are awful. Double sided are OK, not great, but OK.
IMO DA’s opinions on bikes are correct, but only really apply to people doing 10,000 miles a year & I’ve never really understood the “replace everything on your new bike” approach to buying the things. Buy something that’s good enough, ride it till something wears out, replace that bit with something better, keep riding. Works for me.
I was thinking maybe a mountain bike frame but not sure where to start with that for mainly road running.
The difference between then and now? Then - ring main dealers. Get appointment. Drive it in. Wait around. "We need Volvo UK to authorise the repair". Book a follow-up appointment. Drive home. Rinse. Repeat. Now - service desk are on chat and they've pushed updates out over the air without needing to plug the dealers laptop in.
Is this really a thing any more albeit presumably old maids will need an easier swing up and hence plump for a girls' bike.
Main entrance to this major tourist attraction they have an American Manneken Pis taking a slash all over a world that would otherwise be rightly dominated by Bulgaria and Russia.
And this country is a member of NATO.
Oxford Bike Works Model 3 too.
https://twitter.com/emptywheel/status/1686715225825763328
I think I did about 20km including some off-roading on the nearby Sustrans route so it wasn't just a quick spin round the block.
Some of the staff are, er, very Yorkshire, so be warned. Depends if you get them on a good day. May not be the best if mail ordering.
You can find E-Cargo bikes from about £1500, or secondhand, and they hold their value well.
There are also good e-cargo-trikes.
Some reviews:
https://ebiketips.road.cc/content/advice/buyers-guide/best-electric-cargo-bikes
Some reviews of budget ones:
https://ebiketips.road.cc/content/advice/buyers-guide/best-e-cargo-bikes-under-3000-affordable-electric-bikes-to-do-the-job-of
I once saw a 'mechanic' in a bike shop using a Philips driver instead of a JIS to adjust the H/L limit screws on a rear mech. I locked the shop door and put the CLOSED sign up while I had a gentle word with him.
Even Starmer’s constipated triangulations are going to look good in comparison.
Rishi's terrible at the media thing because he's a geeky numbers guy who thinks at a macro level where individual hardship doesn't matter so long as the aggregate effect is positive for the country (as he sees it)
He quickly gets annoyed with interviewers who question his "wisdom" because to him these are self-evidently the best policies and anyone who can't see it is a bit dim / disingenuous
Before I became a top satirical photoshopper I was a big deal* in finance and we never let the analysts in front of clients because their brains weren't wired for the touchy-feely emotional side that you need to convince people to place their £££ with you
*not entirely true
https://twitter.com/GeneralBoles/status/1686716907393581061
1. As a geeky numbers guy myself, he's not wrong, is he?
2. What the hell do the Conservatives do about this at D minus 9/14/18 months?
And the bike won’t go 80mph, do. 0-60 in six seconds, or make V8 noises. ULEZ compliant as well.
(It’s a later model of this)
As he probably refers to them, the moment he leaves British airspace.
If he learned anything from the Uxbridge by-election, it should be that policies that affect people negatively are much more salient than policies that affect them positively.
ULEZ was a great example of that, another is making noises toward allowing more unskilled immigration. The group of people that have benefitted most of all in the last four years, are those who were on minimum wage in 2019. Not a group of people known for voting Conservative historically, but a group who might be persuaded to turn out nonetheless. Another million unskilled immigrants will work wonders for the GDP figure though, when the productivity and median income numbers are way more important to the economy in general.
A query to the wise: is it permissible to use a Pozidriv screwdriver in a JIS screw head? Or am I supposed to obtain a JIS screwdriver for this one job?
Another thought; the individual hardship doesn't matter if it is for the good of the hive nation is the sort of attitude people laughed at Dominic Cummings for. Those were the days...
Insurance
VED
Parking
MOT
Service
Fuel
Random things that break and cost £500
Tyres
My plan is just to use Car Club once I get through my current car.
Because Rishi has also fucked the macro.
This is very concerning. Whatever happened to evidence based medicine? The best interests of the child? Why have the interim findings of the #Cass review been ignored? Why are gender questioning young girls being fast tracked to medicalisation?
https://twitter.com/joannaccherry/status/1686704430945636352?s=20
(This is a later model of car)
Grandson is still a baby.
For the uninformed, this is what 184mph on a bicycle looks like https://youtube.com/watch?v=CoUmgMhn2iY
Are we now at the stage where Britain needs a PM of the "a better (wo)man dead than anyone alive" type?
He can't sell this populist guff with any authenticity in the way that Farage or Trump or even Putin can.
https://metro.co.uk/2013/07/12/181-year-old-corpse-of-jeremy-bentham-attends-ucl-board-meeting-3879586/
I once said nothing as my wife and a friend tried to use a good wood chisel as a screwdriver. Nothing can upset me now.
https://youtu.be/4weEXyoXZKs
There is only so many times the Left can say "You are "toxic" simply by virtue of being male", until the toxic males will retort, "Fuck that I'll be a conservative, then"
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/4125661-high-school-boys-are-trending-conservative/
The same will happen to white people under Woke-ism. Every time the Woke Left brands white people as intrinsically racist, and benefiting from White Privilege, white people will slowly shift culturally right. Which does NOT regard them as intrinsically evil
Trump could win in 2024 because of this. Continental Europe is already headed that way
Especially white, working-class men. It’s a massive (but surely not unexpected) backlash against being told they’re racist and misogynist by default, as they watch affirmative action policies on college admissions put them to the back of the queue.
What is your annual running cost, btw? *innocent face*
I nearly bought a Mercedes E-Class Estate in 2018. But it was over the super-VED threshold price, I test drove it a frost, and I couldn't carry a stack of house doors in it with the tailgate closed.
So I went for a well-specced Skoda Super Estate instead, at just under 40% less.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172563363883
The way he described the law and the potential punishment may be accurate, may be not. But as I pointed out to him, if guys started harassing my daughter / his grand-daughter, we'd both be unhappy about it.
So what part of "being male" is under attack? In America the right want it to mean that their womenfolk are basically chattels. Put out as that is God's will, but no free access to contraception as that makes you a who-er, and if you get pregnant then no abortion and no travel in case you're off to get an abortion.
I'm quite happy for the old ways of "being male" to be under attack.
The 'problem' with incels is not helped by that sort of rubbish. A good bit of advice to get a girl is; "Don't be a git."
"The chart gave the impression, at least on first glance, that two-thirds of 12th-grade boys were now conservative. In the small print beneath, Twenge noted that she had omitted moderates.
The full story is messier and murkier. High school seniors, boys and girls alike, are more likely to claim no political identity than to throw in with either liberals or conservatives."
It is not a dramatic swing, not yet. But it is a very interesting trend
It tallies entirely with what my friends are experiencing with their teenage boys - in the UK. They either love Andrew Tate or they are, at least, intrigued by him. They've all heard of him. Andrew Tate certainly does not tell them they are "toxic" just coz they are boys
They don't understand. They don't even want to listen.
Edit - may now not be available, but pre-owned ones sometimes are:
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/bikes/thorn-raven-step-through-rohloff-equipped-bike-420-st-british-racing-green-used/
ETA Just seen this, he is working on the relatability after all
"He said his daughters, Krishna and Anoushka, were “very excited” about the prospect of visiting Disneyland.
The prime minister, a self-confessed “huge Star Wars fan”, joked that his daughters were worried they would spend too much time at Disneyland’s new Star Wars area.
Sunak has a sizeable collection of lightsabers and has previously described Sajid Javid, the former health secretary, chancellor and home secretary, as his “Jedi Master” before a 2019 screening of The Rise of Skywalker."
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2002/04/meditation-changes-temperatures/
You’re a stronger man than I.
threefour figures, lowfourfive figures, depending. Yikes.[Edit: annual, not monthly]
I am not too concerned that we are - supposedly - making the younger generation conservative by demanding that men treat women as equals. Is the argument that women are *not* equal and that the "woke" agenda of lying that they are should be respected?
No thanks. Woke gets a bad rap from people who like inequality and inequity and discrimination against the other. If thinking my daughter should have all the opportunities my sons have is "toxic" then I'm happy to be out and woke. I define "woke" as not being a "[ban hammer]"
This feels awfully like Labour in 2019, calling all voters who weren't like them, thick.
Perhaps it's that some people genuinely think being left-wing is okay and they have these beliefs sincerely? Why do they have to be brainwashed or thick.
Perhaps the right should try and understand young people.
Tho I confess I am intrigued as to the choice of California for a summer holiday. It's often too hot in high summer, it's a really long way, the cities are not very enticing
The mountains and national parks will be lovely (and cooler) but also rammed
Odd choice; but maybe he has fam and friends there? Along with a 2nd home
But however amusing it would be to see the legitimacy of Parliament Acts go to the Supreme Court, that kind of bill isn't the way. Any problem with MPs (or Lords for that matter), just arrest the f**kers. (Power doesn't lie on that side of Parliament Square.) Good to have the attorney general on your side, because you don't want him to go all Thomas More on you. But given all the stalwart and squeaky-clean service he'll have already done in areas such as prosecutions (and non-prosecutions) in customs cases, there's little chance of that.
The monarch can't possibly stay out of it if there's a coup.
Along with Mountbatten's consideration of an Oswald Mosley option, one of the most fascinating features of his coup plotting was the role of Basil Smallpeice, financial adviser to the monarch. Just as government bills have to be pre-okayed under king's consent rules, just to check they don't damage the monarch financially, it seems the same applied to a proposed coup on that occasion.
(This isn't an original idea. Democrats did something similar with a misleading ad attacking Mitt Romney, early in that presidential campaign -- and he never completely recovered from the attack.)