Cyclecar

In my will I have asked for my ashes to be scattered on Ringinglow, above Hathersage. I doubt my family will ask Derbyshire's permission.

The Brazil delegation was a modest 479 people. Sponsored by a chainsaw company, it is rumoured.

My family were long time YCC members, I am old enough to remember county matches at Bramall Lane.... But I diluted my support when they stopped playing in Sheffield (Abbeydale), likewise Harrogate and the other outgounds in favour of everything moving to Headingley (with a couple of games to Scarborough as the ground was free). I concluded that the YCC hierarchy were boneheads. As such I am not surprised at the issues raised by Rafiq. Any modern, inclusive, sports organisation, would have dealt with this firmly, fairly, and in a timely manner. YCC have a proud history, the dimwits at Headingley have trashed this by obduracy and ignorance. It's a sad episode, there will be no winners. Tim.

It's always interesting, reading threads such as this. I am neither a supporter nor a denier, just a bloke who likes to understand the problem, and appreciate the difficulties with the various solutions. Let's face it, nature is more powerful than any government. The current volcanic eruption in Tenerife is spewing 10,000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide (amongst other fragrancies) into the atmosphere every day. Fat lot you, me, Greta or anybody can do to control that. 50,000 years or so ago, where we are now was under an ice cap between one and two miles thick. How did it get there? Why did it melt away? Will it happen again? I encourage anyone who doesn't know to use a search engine and get the scientific answers. Don't worry, it won't happen again in this parliament or the next, but we are in an inter-glacial period and there's damn all we can do to stop it. Can we put it off, you may ask - probably not, but we may be able to make our environment more comfortable whilst we are waiting...................... No simple answers, but supergluing yourself to the M25 won't win the argument.

Back to the original question posed on page one - why do we permit dictatorships? Answer: Dictators don't ask for permission.

Science can be a nuisance. The electricity grid system in this country is a twentieth century construct. It has served us quite well. But the imposition of electric vehicles (EV) and now the bright idea to dispense with gas central heating and mandate that everyone install heat pumps will overload the system. Period. I won't go into all the kilowatts and gigawatts, there are plenty of calculations posted elsewhere by people with the qualifications. And they are sensible engineers, not swivel-eyed fantasists. But even with more power - from nuclear, sun and wind, wood pellets, or imported via the French connectors there just won't be enough. There will be rationing, or worse. The heat pump principle utiliseses a compressor, which needs power. Perhaps 1 to 1.5kW in total, so multiply that by a few million houses and add in those that have plugged in their EV overnight and you begin to see the problem.

Especially if we give them a nice goal start after 10 minutes......🥵

I am not a great fan of Brucie, he wasn't the right fit at Bramall Lane, but I feel very sorry for him at the moment. He will be trying to motivate the crew whilst keeping his eye on the gangplank they have kindly run out from the side of the ship......

Perhaps the rejoicing NUFC fans could pause for a moment and ask themselves where the club would be now without Ashley having tipped in millions to buy the club and more millions to keep it in the PL and improve the stadium. I am not a fan of his business model at Sports Direct, but the Magpies would be in Division One without his largesse. All the Gulf states have feudal governance and justice systems, so the Etihad and Emirates of the Premier League are entitled to the same scrutiny the baying know-alls are now demanding for this takeover. Why their sudden interest in football - the despot of Dubai seems a nasty piece of work, why not lie down in front of his horse at Ascot....? Perhaps if one were to shine a bright light into the dark corners of other PL teams, owned by Russian oligarchs, American hedge fund shufflers, and murky offshore 'wealth' conglomerates, etc., then the whole edifice would be found wanting. They all invest because it's where the money is.......

Surely - given all the foregoing posts - one fundamental question is - where did these individuals obtain all this money to splurge on posh houses in London? Put in a bit of overtime or something? I believe we have legislation called Unexplained Wealth Orders. So given that the president of wherever has a state salary of, say $200k, how come he has bought a flat for $5million? And it would be helpful if Pandora could identify the accountants, lawyers and banks who facilitataed these transactions. If their name appears three times, then send in plod to seize all their computers looking for money laundering..........

I am pleased that this thread has created an interesting discussion. It was a bit tongue in cheek - of course I don't want a military dictatorship. The point I was making is that this - and recent - governments are focussed on media sound bites, opinion polls, and the electoral cycle. They make vacuous proposals for the future such as stopping all internal combustion engine manufacture in 10 years or so, and something called Net Zero in 20. Meanwhile the "just in time" economy roars ahead, no one stocks anything, creating a complex and burgeoning supply chain. A combination of Covid, Brexit, and world energy prices inevitably creates havoc, hence bring in the military as a (yet another) short-term fix. There will be more.......... For the last twenty years or so forecasters have been flagging up our vulnerabilities, but they have been ignored as awkard sids. Let's hope we don't have a very cold winter...

Not long ago it was the floods, so bring in the army to get their feet wet, etc. Then Covid struck, and armaggeddon loomed, so send in the army to scratch build some sizeable 'Nightingale' hospitals. Then it was the vaccine rollout, so bring in the army to set up field stations, etc. Now we have an (avoidable) fuel supply situation, so - hey - bring in some army & RAF lorry drivers to bolster deliveries. This has got me thinking - why don't we P45 all the politicians and senior bureaucrats and let the services run everything. They can't do a worse job than some of the clowns at the top. Just a thought..........🙂.🙂

If only they would all WORK TOGETHER. But they never have, and never will. There is a top two in the EU (sounds like the Premier League!) and they have their own agendas. If by working together they finish up as the top two, then that's fine. Any other outcome is unacceptable. Their domestic agenda - especially in France - is paramount. The next round of their elections is uppermost. We await the German elections, as they could be pivotal. Having expanded the EU to 28, now 27 nations it is impossible for them all to be happy all the time, having to dance to the Franco-German band.. Hence "eurodisobedience" growing Hungary and Poland, who are giving Brussels the finger. Yes, the UK needs a stable and prosperous EU, but I fear that within a decade it will collapse under its own weight. No doubt the French will blame us.......

Dominic Raab is a speak-your-weight machine. Can only answer one question, if that.

USA foreign policy is almost always an exercise in self-interest. Their internal politics, and certainly the well-being of their big corporations and their financial behemoths are front and centre. Any overseas action will have considerations for congress and elections, and if those actions happen to coincide with UK wishes - then hey it's a special relationship. This was a big problem in 1982 when Maggie sent a task force to re-take the Falklands. She never asked Washington, although Reagan was supposed to be her chum. The Yanks were incandescent, as the latino vote is, in some states, pivotal. They wanted to block our use of Ascension Island as a staging post even though it is British territory, and satellite data, which had always been shared, suddenly went off-line. Sinking the Belgrano using one of our nuclear subs compounded the issue. Fortunately, the US military were generally supportive, whereas their politicians were ambivalent. I am given to understand that our 'independent' nuclear deterrent (Trident) cannot be launched unless they give their assent, but ask if anyone has heard the same. Until very recently, our membership of the EU was seen by Washington as a gateway into money and influence in their favour. The 'relationship' has now been downgraded accordingly. Also the very effective Irish lobby in the US is always trying to tell us what to do with all things Irish. I note the posts regarding the legal systems, another example of the 'relationship' being skewed their way. Were it not for him being the Queen's son, Andrew would have been cuffed and extradited by US Marshals and banged up until the trial, which could take months, as it would encourage him to make a plea. There is no Special Relationship, there is a relationship based on language and history, but monitored by USA big interests.

This is a one of the great conundrums of our times - illegal immigration. The bleedin' obvious question that has been voiced for the last few years is : Are all these Border "Force" vessels deployed to prevent illegal immigration or to assist it? Because, as it is, our boats are the final link in a criminal supply chain stretching back some thousands of miles, and the criminals are making a lot of money. "Change the law", you may demand. Yes, parliament could pass new legislation as a sort of virility demonstration, with all the shouting and grandstanding that goes with it, but criminals don't take notice of the law, which may come as a shock to Westminster. The worldwide drugs business is thriving, one of the world's most lucrative illegal - and untaxed - industries. You could pass a million laws but it would continue unabated. As I understand it, three "laws" are involved. French laws regarding their inshore waters and border procedure, and British laws likewise. In the middle is the law of the sea. Once the boats leave French inshore waters then all on board are entitled to assistance, anad so on.. Hence the current impasse, which I have to - reluctantly - accept will continue for many years to come. There will be a steady and sizeable stream of migrants looking to relocate from sub-saharan Africa, the Middle East and anywhere else with oppressive, corrupt regimes, warfare, and economic hardship. The final 20 mile/4 hour dinghy ride to the UK is a risk worth taking. At a young age I was told, by a person wiser than myself, that you can do two things about a problem. Sort it, or live with it, and I found that to be accurate. Apologies for the long winded post, but I can't see anyway to stop the criminals doing what they are doing. They are supplying to a demand, the basis of all business. We need a really workable structure to deal with the outcome. The irony is that someone from - say - Peru who wants to come here as an engineer and work may be obliged to hitch a lift on a rubber raft rather than go through the Kafka-like application system.

The fundamental here is that the man in charge (Biden, Johnson, whoever) will never step before a microphone and admit that they got anything wrong. Their spin doctors will clutch at any item of good news and claim credit, if they have to reveal a setback, then blame it on anyone but themselves. Biden has problems, whether overseas such as Afghanistan - where he is playing for time in the hope that it will go away - or the influence of China which is outside his control, or inside the USA with issues such as gun control and changes to the law on abortions. Viewed from afar I fear the latter will have no happy ending. Another thread perhaps. But Biden would gain a lot of respect if he were more candid.

We shouldnt get too hung up worrrying about all the military tackle left behind by the US military. Getting it all back to America in good condition would have been a logistical nightmare - Afghanistan has no coastal port - so a lot of it would have been scrapped anyway. Five minutes 'behind the dashboard' removing some electronic control units renders them unusable. Anyway, Taliban have no trained pilots. And there is no jet fuel left at Kabul airport. I bet the air traffic control system is off as well. Although there is a wanted ad on EBay for a Chinook workshop manual.........🙂🙂 But it's food for thought that they have taken control of the whole country without air cover, bombers, drones, tanks, misiles, cyber warfare and all the other stuff that we have been told is essential to modern combat. Why do we bother with ballistic missile subs?

Cheer up everyone, we are only seven points off the play-offs. Wait 'til after Christmas, and watch us surge up to mid-table. I'm off to the supermarket to buy a big packet of straws. Need something to clutch.........

Like many posters on this forum, I thought the USA had a poor choice at the election. If Trump and Biden were the two best candidates amongst a nation of 330 million people then whoever was going to be the 46th president would run into problems. If you ask Biden a straightfoward question, and the answer isn't on a cue card then he's snookered. He has no fluency, whereas Obama, Bush Jr, and Clinton were very competent. Reagan was a master. You might not have liked the answers from Trump but at least he would give one. So now his advisers (carers?) won't let him answer. He reads a briefing autocue, and then goes for a lie down. Let's face it, Afghanistan is going to get worse. A civil war between the Taliban and the Northern warlords is inevitable. And if you live elsewhere than Kabul, getting to their only exit airport is daunting.

I respect our national anthem. As a small boy I sang 'God save the king'...I don't suppose many on here can say that. But it's not he greatest tune. Funny how those for, say France (enthusiastic), Italy (operatic)and Germany (stern)sound just right for those nations. And I like the Australian anthem. However, I was once in Cardiff Arms Park, and 40,000 welsh voices sang Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau - all in tune I might add. It was very, very emotional. Because they meant it. Which is why I respect the Welsh as a nation, although I was born in Sheffield.

The 'terrorists' directly involved in flying the airliners in 9/11 were all Saudi nationals. Albeit masterminded by Osama Bin Laden, also born in Saudi. who was esconced in Pakistan. Hmm. Difficult. Let's invade............................Afghanistan. Afghanistan has been a graveyard - sadly in more ways than one - for a succession of 'big' powers who wanted it to have a government of their choice. UK, USA, Russia, et al have all tried and achieved bloody failure. It is still a basket case. Now watch China have a go. 21st century imperialists. As usual, the poor citizens, who only want to live a peaceful life and to raise their families, will suffer tragedy after tragedy. I cannot envidsage a happy outcome.

Well, Wednesday's Division One season starts on August 7th, so in seven weeks time. Not long to sort out all the above mentioned issues - whether fact or rumour. Training, especially with a different playing squad, is a complex undertaking. And, should the 'C19 lift off' come into force on July 19th that's just a three week run-up to re-opening the ground - or a least most of it. I am not an Owls supporter, but have relatives and friends to whom it means a lot, I just hope they can get all their problems resolved quickly. The City needs both League clubs to prosper.

I can understand why Boris appeals to voters, hence he has a chunky majority. Many regard him as a bit of a cad, but with the character and intellect to see us through any of life's little problems. Such as Covid or Brexit, etc. But being PM is an unforgiving task. When I was working, I came across what I called "whoosh, whoosh" managers. Any attempts to point out flaws in their executive instructions were greeted by "whoosh, whoosh" - just get it done. They invariably didn't last long. In his determination to "Get Brexit done", he adopted the above principle to the UK/Ireland border conundrum, signed up to a fudge with a Mister Micawber like belief that something would turn up to sort out any working difficulties. Well the difficulties have arrived, and nothing has turned up to resolve them. I am not a big fan of Brussels, but in this case they can say, with justification - this was the agreement, it has your signature on the bottom - honour it. So Boris is flapping and shouting but he has been backed into a corner, and is ankle deep in a mess of his own creation. Soon it will be knee deep, waist deep, neck deep...... The only solution I can see is a long shot. The reunification of Ireland, and then Ireland leaves the EU and joins a customs union with the UK, both with a strong bond to the USA. It may sound daft, but stranger things have happened. But by then Boris would be toast.