tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24812984178192198392024-03-19T09:28:57.775+00:00A K HaartThe constitutional thimble-rig is carried on to-day, dear boy, more seriously than ever - Honoré de BalzacA K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.comBlogger5856125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-89659862457801127802024-03-19T09:01:00.002+00:002024-03-19T09:01:50.636+00:00Another EV Glitch<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/jaguar-i-pace-drivers-can-no-longer-charge-with-cheap-octopus-energy-tariff-due-to-software-change/ar-BB1k8tsu" target="_blank">Jaguar I-Pace</a> drivers can no longer charge with cheap Octopus Energy tariff due to software change</span></b><br /><br />Jaguar Land Rover and Octopus Energy are under fire from I-Pace owners after removing JLR electric vehicles (EVs) from the charging app with only a few hours notice.<br /><br />Over the past week 'furious' users have been taking to I-Pace Forums to share emails they've received from Octopus Energy saying their electric vehicle won't be compatible to smart charge with Intelligent Octopus Go due to JLR software changes...<br /><br />Jaguar I-Pace owner Judith Dooling told us she received an email 'last Wednesday night from Octopus Energy to say that as of midnight that night I would no longer be able to charge my car [I-Pace] using the Intelligent Octopus Go app. Four hours notice.'...<br /><br />After hours spent talking to JLR and Octopus 'until I am blue in the face', Judith has not been given a solution on how to get her I-Pace to charge manually.<br /><br />She said: 'I have tried things suggested on the iPace forum (full of very angry customers) but again last night my car did not charge. </span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We'll be tootling off to the garden centre in half an hour. I haven't yet decided which car we'll use, but I don't need to check the fuel in either. Unlike the Jaguar Lo-Pace they are not messed up by sudden software changes. </div><div><br /></div><div>It beats me why people buy these things before the bugs, drawbacks, best buys and worst buys have become public knowledge. This takes time and so far it all looks pretty negative. </div>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-31633574833682955542024-03-18T16:20:00.000+00:002024-03-18T16:20:28.384+00:00Uncultured and non-socialist pedicabs<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.dailynk.com/english/north-korean-pedicab-driver-arrested-pyongyang-after-protesting-fine/" target="_blank">N. Korean</a> pedicab driver arrested in Pyongyang after protesting fine</span></b><br /><br />The arrest comes amid a crackdown on pedicab drivers, whom the authorities say are making money in an "uncultured and non-socialist" fashion<br /><br /></span><div><span style="color: #cc0000;">“An increasing number of people have been earning money by operating refurbished pedicabs in the suburban districts of Pyongyang, which has led to a crackdown by the Pyongyang police. A man who complained about a police fine is about to be sentenced to six months of disciplinary labor,” a source in Pyongyang told Daily NK on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Driving a North Korean pedicab out of financial necessity sounds pretty close to disciplinary labour to me. Maybe it isn't close enough by those cultured, socialist North Korean standards. </div>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-34391794032576612042024-03-18T13:16:00.000+00:002024-03-18T13:16:48.642+00:00Two headlines<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Five episodes of <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/five-episodes-of-gb-news-programmes-presented-by-tory-mps-found-to-have-broken-ofcom-rules-13097529">GB News</a> programmes presented by Tory MPs found to have broken Ofcom rules</span></b><br /><br />The channel has been warned it could face a fine or have its licence suspended if it breaks the same rules again. The watchdog said getting politicians to host news shows "risks undermining the integrity and credibility of regulated broadcast news".<br /><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Extinction Rebellion target <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/extinction-rebellion-target-gb-news-as-offices-covered-in-paint/ar-BB1k5yTv">GB News</a> as offices covered in paint</span></b><br /><br />The front of GB News's offices have been doused in paint by furious protestors who accuse the broadcaster of being an "extemist [sic] organisation". It has demanded an "end to their torrent of climate lies and disinformation".</span>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-58306032073955541682024-03-18T08:55:00.000+00:002024-03-18T08:55:05.767+00:00The unavoidable conclusion<br /><br /><i>And they were soon in the midst of one of those immense and formless conversations in which a complex subject is discussed without order interminably, and without apparent result, until there comes a moment when the speakers perceive that all the ground has been many times covered and that it is no longer possible to say anything that has not already been said; and pauses occur, and the unavoidable conclusion emerges and shapes itself and imperiously demands acceptance. </i><br /><br />Arnold Bennett - Whom God Hath Joined (1906)<br /><br /> <br />There are many cases where an unavoidable conclusion emerges and shapes itself and imperiously demands acceptance. Not necessarily the right conclusion and possibly a stupid conclusion, but an unavoidable conclusion at the time. Of course it may not seem so unavoidable in the future. There are many cases of that too. <br /><br />For example, within the UK government the first unavoidable Net Zero conclusion was that it should be pursued vigorously as government policy. It may be that a second unavoidable conclusion is emerging – a conclusion that the policy cannot possibly work or affect the climate. Sceptics saw it from the beginning and in a sense this is what sceptics do, they see the second unavoidable conclusion first. <br /><br />Why didn’t the government see from the beginning that Net Zero is a stupid policy and why is the stupidity yet to be acknowledged? Governments are stuffed with supposedly intelligent people who attended university, know how to say the right thing in the right circles but push forward with stupid policies. <br /><div><br /><div>Perhaps governments did not see the stupidity of Net Zero from the beginning because there are not enough sceptics in government. Anyone from any social class, any level of education and any walk of life can do scepticism. For governments and the elites, something anyone can do just won’t do. </div><div><br /></div><div>Are MPs likely to row back on Net Zero, admit it has all been premature and return to whatever works best within the constraints of markets, engineering and the laws of physics? Are they likely to do it now, when the stupidity is so obvious and a general election looms? Again the unavoidable conclusion emerges and shapes itself and imperiously demands acceptance - no.</div></div>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-73040111878688055732024-03-17T14:26:00.000+00:002024-03-17T14:26:59.803+00:00Titanic deck chair attendant to stay<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/minister-tries-to-quash-rumours-of-plot-to-oust-pm/ar-BB1k24Qa">Minister </a>tries to quash rumours of plot to oust PM</span></b><br /><br />Rishi Sunak will lead the Tories into the next general election, the transport secretary insisted, amid reports of a plot to oust the prime minister.<br /><br />Mark Harper dismissed speculation some Conservative rebels want the prime minister to be replaced with Commons leader Penny Mordaunt.<br /><br />Asked on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips if Mr Sunak will still be leader at the next election, Mr Harper said: "Yes he will.<br /><br />"And he'll take us into that election and he'll set out very clearly that we're a government with a plan."</span>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-2071933210490404582024-03-17T10:05:00.003+00:002024-03-17T10:14:32.446+00:00Consider<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/newslondon/councils-will-have-to-consider-resident-support-over-low-traffic-neighbourhoods/ar-BB1k1ruK" target="_blank">Councils </a>will have to consider resident support over Low Traffic Neighbourhoods</span></b><br /><br />Councils will be obliged to consider whether residents support the implementation of a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) in their area before schemes can be introduced, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.<br /><br />LTNs are an area where vehicle numbers are reduced, and work by preventing vehicles from using certain streets as through roads into other destinations, quite often through using temporary or permanent barriers which stop traffic from being able to drive along a certain route.</span><br /><br /><br />Of course the word 'consider' is the escape route, so not particularly radical. As decision makers know, it is possible to 'consider' anything, including what views people ought to have. <div><br /></div>Yet from the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/crackdown-on-anti-driver-road-schemes-and-blanket-20mph-limits-to-put-local-consent-first"><b>government </b></a>website, there is more than a hint of official awareness that councils use these unpopular games to rake in money. Which we already knew.<br /><div><div><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br />This could involve in-person events, online engagement, and leaflet drops to involve the whole community in the process and will mean that authorities must consider whether an LTN has local support before it is implemented...</span></div></div><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">A consultation will also be launched this summer on measures including the removal of local authorities’ access to Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data to enforce such schemes by camera...<br /><br />The action taken today on LTNs is supported by a wide-ranging review that highlights only 13% of residents have responded to councils’ planning consultations on LTNs, and just 18% feel that their views have influenced council decisions. The report also found that local authorities operating LTNs issue an average of 36,459 penalty charge notices per scheme, with the highest number of penalty charge notices issued for a single LTN scheme exceeding 170,000. That’s why the guidance embeds the need for local support and will ultimately save motorists money.</span><br />A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-88268568391621713692024-03-16T18:44:00.000+00:002024-03-16T18:44:01.877+00:00Men sit writing and forget to lie<br /><br /><i>What do you know of books? They are the most wonderful things in the world. Men sit writing them and forget to lie, but you business men never forget. </i><br /><br /><div>Sherwood Anderson - Windy McPherson’s Son (1916) <br /><br /> <br />This is something I like about older fiction. Even moderate writers would weave sketches of another world into their novels – their world, vignettes of life as they saw it. Though they sat down to write fiction, when it came to the world as they knew it, they forgot to lie. <br /><br /> <br /><b>Writing </b><br /><i>In those days a hasty writer used to flick his work with sand, which stanched but did not dry the ink. The result was often a grimy dabble, like a child’s face blotched with blackberries. </i><br /><br /></div><div>R. D. Blackmore – Clara Vaughan (1864) <br /><br /> <br /><b>Shorthand </b><br /><i>“I tell you what you ought to do. You ought to go in for phonography.” <br />“Phonography?” She was at a loss. <br />“Yes; Pitman’s shorthand, you know.” <br />“Oh! shorthand — yes. I’ve heard of it. But why?” <br />“Why? It’s going to be the great thing of the future. There never was anything like it!” </i><br /><br /></div><div>Arnold Bennett – Hilda Lessways (1911) <br /><br /> <br /><b>Cold Weather </b><br /><i>In the Five Towns, and probably elsewhere, when a woman puts her head out of her front door, she always looks first to right and then to left, like a scouting Iroquois, and if the air nips she shivers — not because she is cold, but merely to express herself. </i><br /><br /></div><div>Arnold Bennett - The Matador of the Five Towns (1912} <br /><br /> <br /><b>The Wireless </b><br /><i>There was a man sitting on the roof of Old Place with a coil of wire, and another sitting on the chimney. Though listening-in had not yet arrived at Riseholme, Georgie at once conjectured that Olga was installing it, and what would Lucia say? It was utterly un-Elizabethan to begin with, and though she countenanced the telephone, she had expressed herself very strongly on the subject of listening-in. She had had an unfortunate experience of it herself, for on a visit to London not long ago, her hostess had switched it on, and the company was regaled with a vivid lecture on pyorrhea by a hospital nurse . . . </i><br /><br /></div><div>E. F. Benson – Lucia in London (1927) <br /><br /> <br /><b>The Radio Gramophone </b><br /><i>"You wouldn’t give anything cheap to your wife, would you, Mr. Cross? That’s why you’ve given her this radio gramophone that must have cost at least thirty pounds. Just think of that—ten weeks’ pay gone in one fell swoop for a radio gramophone!” </i><br /><br /></div><div>Nicholas Brady - Week-End Murder (1933) <br /><br /> </div>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-55422257563926919242024-03-16T08:39:00.000+00:002024-03-16T08:39:03.670+00:00Gaming the culture<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/uknews/abbott-hits-out-at-level-of-racism-still-in-britain-as-mp-is-cheered-by-supporters-at-rally/ar-BB1jYSa4" target="_blank">Abbott </a>hits out at 'level of racism still in Britain' as MP is cheered by supporters at rally</span></b><br /><br />Diane Abbott has appeared at a rally where she hit out at the "level of racism that is still in Britain", following a row over comments made about her.<br /><br />Ms Abbott was greeted in Hackney, east London, with cheers and chants of "I stand with Diane" after a Tory donor's reported offensive remarks.<br /><br />The former Labour MP praised the people of Hackney whom she said "stood by her - year after year, decade after decade".</span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Perhaps this is not so much gaming the system as gaming the culture. Something which appears to be one of the most pernicious downsides of a multicultural society - it attracts those who are prepared to game it. </div><div><br /></div><div>All cultures are gamed, so this could have been anticipated decades ago. It was anticipated by some of course, but maybe failing to anticipate it officially was part of the game. </div>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-58524595263889681652024-03-15T16:05:00.000+00:002024-03-15T16:05:47.720+00:00The Biden Democrats as a Brahmin Left party<br /><br /><a href="https://www.mercatornet.com/the_biden_democrats_have_been_transformed_into_a_brahmin_left_party?utm_campaign=20240315_friday_1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newmediafoundation" target="_blank"><b>Kurt Mahlburg</b></a> has an interesting Mercator piece where he portrays the Biden Democrats as what he calls a Brahmin Left party.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Biden Democrats have been transformed into a Brahmin Left party</span></b><br /><br />Once upon a time, you could hardly have imagined a stronger political alignment than the one that existed between nonwhite working class voters and left-wing political parties. <br /><br />Spanning well over a century, the US Democrats have strengthened this alignment through initiatives like the Progressive Era reforms (1890s-1920s), the New Deal (1930s), the Civil Rights movement (1960s) and Obamacare (2010s). <br /><br />Though many are yet to come to terms with it, a major political realignment has been taking place in recent decades. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">What were once marginalised and anti-establishment ideals — whether the sexual revolution, radical environmentalism, Marxism or transgenderism — have colonised the establishment. While continuing to take working-class support for granted, left-wing parties like the Democrats have pushed tirelessly for causes that mostly concern the college-educated, urban well-to-do.</span><br /><br /><br />The whole piece is well worth reading as a commentary on major US political realignments which may also be stirring here in the UK.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">What Democrat analysts have tended to ignore, Douthat suggests, is that in the 2020s, skin colour and progressive politics no longer come as a guaranteed package deal. <br /><br />And the reason is not rocket science. <br /><br />“[H]igh borrowing costs for homes and cars seem especially punishing to voters trying to move up the economic ladder,” he explains, adding that “the hold of cultural progressivism over Democratic politics might be pushing more culturally conservative minorities to the right”. <br /><br />All of this might be news to the establishment, but it has been the obvious conclusion drawn by many from the early days of the Trump era. <br /><br />How it all plays out in November is another question — and it will be fascinating to watch.</span>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-77655044342531284022024-03-15T14:50:00.000+00:002024-03-15T14:50:09.406+00:00Duchy Unoriginals<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle/shopping/decorative-crystal-prisms-bird-baths-and-ketchup-what-to-expect-from-meghans-new-brand/ar-BB1jXpM7" target="_blank">Decorative </a>crystal prisms, bird baths and ketchup - what to expect from Meghan's new brand</span></b><br /><br />Bird baths "for birds to bathe in", pet collars, decorative crystal prisms and fruit butters are among just some of the items that could be offered under the Duchess of Sussex's new luxury lifestyle brand.<br /><br />The extensive list of products, that also includes meditation mats, ketchup, cutlery, and recipe books, revealed in a trademark application, gives a clear signal of the direction and ambition of Meghan's American Riviera Orchard business venture.</span>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-36346673522812083722024-03-15T11:40:00.000+00:002024-03-15T11:40:51.402+00:00Rotten in every plank<br /><br /><i>We tread a stage, God knows, crazed and rotten in every plank; and, Heavens! what an abyss beneath! Yet see how they tread it! — as if it were rock — living rock — adamant: down to the earth’s centre and foundation, adamant. </i><br /><br />Sheridan Le Fanu - The Fortunes of Colonel Torlogh O'Brien (1847) <br /><br /> <br />The Conservative party drift towards electoral defeat seems to have much to do with its failure to be conservative. Much of that seems to be a failure to do anything significant about government incompetence at all levels, including quangos. <br /><br />The pandemic response, immigration, GP services, the wider NHS, crumbling roads, HS2 and Net Zero adequately make the point about incompetence. How does any conservative party tackle that lot? Without powerfully charismatic leadership and mass media with a glimmer of integrity, it can’t. Without that, voters seem likely vote Labour, the party which pretends official incompetence is not the issue. <br /><br />But it is.A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-33954475326794775952024-03-14T19:02:00.002+00:002024-03-14T19:10:28.473+00:00The Brutalist venue finally goes <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAyvNowTwnq1j1l2ZgHcBMKQXKCxWmbOqZEFPqBT4co4h7pR0K3csx55TtgrIyyBK7865hnQZErhzSAU-aGesAufdt9i9-F3FIDYmbDfkvXRkmVrIjNboLVzPDf4KDHmTV12Rrb6E4vckMLyeSe9hNoFHOhecW93OXJhlczP4E1pcPSzV3NsIShczVabX/s976/Assembly%20rooms.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="976" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAyvNowTwnq1j1l2ZgHcBMKQXKCxWmbOqZEFPqBT4co4h7pR0K3csx55TtgrIyyBK7865hnQZErhzSAU-aGesAufdt9i9-F3FIDYmbDfkvXRkmVrIjNboLVzPDf4KDHmTV12Rrb6E4vckMLyeSe9hNoFHOhecW93OXJhlczP4E1pcPSzV3NsIShczVabX/w441-h249/Assembly%20rooms.jpg" width="441" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/assembly-rooms-demolition-market-place-9162247" target="_blank">Assembly Rooms</a> demolition and Market Place revamp finally going ahead</span></b><br /><br />It comes on the 10th anniversary of the fire that ultimately closed the Brutalist venue<br /><br />On the 10th anniversary of the fire that closed Derby's Assembly Rooms, the city council has announced the demolition of the almost 47-year-old building will begin in autumn to clear the site and make way for a new multimillion-pound cultural, commercial and creative public space in its place. The future of the building had been under the spotlight almost from when it closed, following a fire on top of the adjacent car park on March 14, 2014.</span><br /><br /><br />A remarkably ugly building, it was quite an achievement to plan and build something so horrible, Derby will be well rid of it. Unfortunately, here's what is supposed to replace it. Sounds suspiciously like twaddle to me... <div><br /></div><div>Okay - it obviously is twaddle.<div><br /></div><div><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Mrs Peatfield said: "For the past ten years the Assembly Rooms has stood empty, waiting to be regenerated into a hub of cultural activity. After several unviable plans being put forward over the past decade, this administration is confident that we can deliver on these plans for the citizens of Derby. I’m thrilled to be announcing that we plan to progress on the demolition of the Assembly Rooms this autumn.<br /><br />"We’re on a journey to transform Derby into a vibrant city centre with culture at its heart, creating a go-to destination which not only attracts visitors from outside of the wider region but also offers an affordable place for our citizens to enjoy. It’s fantastic to see change happening in the city centre, with the Market Place taking centre stage at the heart of Derby’s transformation."</span></div></div></div>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-45275678342975859952024-03-14T12:18:00.001+00:002024-03-14T12:37:50.247+00:00The Mood<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://news.sky.com/story/the-mood-is-tense-among-tory-mps-who-think-most-things-weak-number-10-touches-get-worse-13094133" target="_blank">The mood</a> is tense among Tory MPs who think most things 'weak' Number 10 touches get worse</span></b><br /><br />Some in Number 10 think the disquiet amongst Conservative MPs will die down once they realise the prime minister is going to stick true to his word and is not about to call a May election...<br /><br />Rishi Sunak's team no longer denies that things are bad. The mood amongst MPs is febrile, unhappy, tense and uncertain.</span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I don't think they care enough to be moody, if they did things would be better. No matter, we'll soon hear the mood music from Starmer's magic touch.<br /></div>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-24248400386840005472024-03-13T18:12:00.000+00:002024-03-13T18:12:11.583+00:00Matt Le Tissier on Free Speech <p> </p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dt4zZf2Lh_Y?si=PAndAADB4NO-UTOR" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-11201582705629724032024-03-13T14:48:00.001+00:002024-03-13T14:48:12.136+00:00So much to relearn<br /><br />I’m nearly three weeks into growing a beard. It looks okay so far, at least Mrs H thinks so. It will be the third time I’ve been a been a beardie. I shaved off my last beard a few decades ago when it began to show streaks of grey. <br /><br />So far it looks as if it will be all grey so that’s an improvement I suppose. Next I’ll have to remember how to keep it trimmed. I think I always used scissors in the past, but I can’t remember how I tidied it up round the edges. <br /><br />So much to relearn.A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-64633011642578171602024-03-13T10:11:00.000+00:002024-03-13T10:11:31.935+00:00First go for a very long winter test drive <br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/electriccars/article-13186995/How-far-electric-cars-fall-short-advertised-range-does-vehicle-rank.html" target="_blank">Revealed: </a>How far electric cars fall short of their advertised range...where does YOUR vehicle rank?</b></span><div><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br /></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #cc0000;">Battery life of 12 electric cars tested was on average 29.9% less than advertised</span></li></ul><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br />Electric car drivers may feel they have been ripped-off after tests revealed that some vehicles have significantly shorter ranges than advertised.<br /><br />Measurements taken by What Car? magazine found that some of the latest electric vehicles (EV) have up to a third less battery life when than official figures advertised in brochures and online suggest.</span></div><div><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Not even faintly surprising to those who haven't bought one and don't intend to. If range matters, and it isn't easy to see how it wouldn't, then the best advice seems to be the old one - buyer beware. Mrs H and I will be keeping our non-electric cars for years.A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-14676185614201954542024-03-12T15:43:00.000+00:002024-03-12T15:43:52.446+00:00Hooray for eccentrics<p> </p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f8SVlhgT40E?si=fzzUJu_1ovOQFA4P" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-20228293148598259072024-03-12T12:30:00.000+00:002024-03-12T12:30:01.893+00:00Yet another critical decade<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/prince-of-wales-now-is-critical-decade-to-tackle-climate-change/ar-BB1jIgTD" target="_blank">Prince of Wales:</a> Now is critical decade to tackle climate change</span></b><br /><br />Now is the “critical decade” to try and set the planet on a “healthier” path to deal with the climate crisis, the Prince of Wales has warned.<br /><br />William was speaking in central London as he joined supporters of the Earthshot Prize Launchpad, a new platform aimed at helping develop and make potential climate change solutions a reality.</span><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div>Good to see the Prince of Wales keeping up with what promises to become a family tradition of wild doom-mongering. </div><div><br /></div><div>However, his team ought to plan ahead in case we see significant global cooling at some point. In which case, he may need a way to skip smoothly from the old doom to a new one.</div>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-38346647083350288892024-03-12T09:08:00.000+00:002024-03-12T09:08:11.319+00:00That Photo<div><br /></div><div><br /></div>The edited royal photo story <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/rogue-conspiracy-theories-aside-kates-edited-image-raises-genuine-questions-about-trust-and-transparency-13092966" target="_blank"><b>rumbles on</b></a>. <div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, concerns have been raised about another photo, supposedly of Keir Starmer cycling in order to get himself fit for the general election. Experts from the Institute of Photos say there is a slight anomaly with the rear tyre. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfceVf85stWtGo8ker8pljG857-C0NOduskhxtwX8hM3c3s_Y277hCsqna3DEe-tuxES-ffS2xoOElk4e20rOItbJTprF-hBE3gcOoN61iGe272LQENDqeb4XENpDAiwSFYr7ipbibs3aoVsth2B2b1X7GcFrVCJzAhmj2elveZgfmMIsGakGmkzRGuVxC/s1024/KS1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfceVf85stWtGo8ker8pljG857-C0NOduskhxtwX8hM3c3s_Y277hCsqna3DEe-tuxES-ffS2xoOElk4e20rOItbJTprF-hBE3gcOoN61iGe272LQENDqeb4XENpDAiwSFYr7ipbibs3aoVsth2B2b1X7GcFrVCJzAhmj2elveZgfmMIsGakGmkzRGuVxC/w398-h398/KS1.jpg" width="398" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-52135707273148682162024-03-11T20:33:00.000+00:002024-03-11T20:33:12.732+00:00Early parallels<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://news.sky.com/story/gordon-brown-likens-starmers-plans-for-slimmed-down-cabinet-to-rule-under-chairman-mao-13092705" target="_blank">Gordon Brown</a> likens Starmer's plans for slimmed down cabinet to rule under Chairman Mao</span></b><br /><br />The former prime minister says he would be "shocked and surprised" if a four-person cabinet could work in practice, giving examples of "quadrumvirates" which were not successful over the long term in the Roman Empire and Cultural Revolution-era China.<br /><br />Former prime minister Gordon Brown has drawn parallels between Sir Keir Starmer's plans for a four-person cabinet with revolutionary communist China.</span><br /><br /><br /><div>I wonder how diverse the quadrumvirate will be? Is four enough for one representative of each of those groups which must always be appeased? </div><div><br /></div><div>Feels like Bungled Decision No.1 may be in the pipeline and "Sir" Keir isn't even there yet. Must keep a lookout for this idea being knocked into the long grass. More fun if it isn't though.</div>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-79619264163363385582024-03-11T11:40:00.002+00:002024-03-11T12:05:43.288+00:00Sinking Ship<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Ex-Tory MP <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68532602" target="_blank">Lee Anderson</a> defects to Reform</span></b><br /><br />Former Conservative Party Vice-Chairman Lee Anderson has defected to Reform UK.<br /><br />Mr Anderson was suspended as a Conservative MP after refusing to apologise for claims Islamists had "control" of London Mayor Sadiq Khan.<br /><br />The defection ends weeks of speculation about the Ashfield MP and TV presenter's future.<br /><br />Mr Anderson said he had been given the chance to "speak out in Parliament on behalf of millions of people up and down the country" who support Reform.</span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not a Lee Anderson fan, but there are tenuous but obvious positive aspects to this. </div><div><br /></div><div>For example, as voters we should see some benefits from a more fluid political arena. To begin dealing with the current political mess, we probably need to see diminished party loyalty and a greater inclination for voters and politician to desert inadequate parties. </div>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-72195074517672384182024-03-11T07:43:00.000+00:002024-03-11T07:43:35.766+00:00Making an obligation out of a blunder<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><i>Do not follow up a Folly. Many make an obligation out of a blunder, and because they have entered the wrong path think it proves their strength of character to go on in it. Within they regret their error, while outwardly they excuse it. At the beginning of their mistake they were regarded as inattentive, in the end as fools. </i><br /><br />Baltasar Gracián - The Art of Worldly Wisdom (1647)<br /><br /> <br />This has become the function of the House of Commons, to make obligations out of blunders made by the permanent administration, including what is now the transnational administration. In return, MPs get a spell on the stage, useful contacts and further career opportunities.<br /><br />Net Zero is an obvious blunder which has become an obligation. The pandemic response was another, a blunder so huge it had to become an obligation almost immediately. The EU is a cumulative blunder which went on for decades and could only be sustained as an obligation. Similarly with the UN.<div><br /></div><div>An apparently widespread intention to vote Labour after a series of Conservative blunders won't have a long life as an obligation before it turns into yet another blunder. It's all a bit chicken and egg that one.</div>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-84708875910689584752024-03-10T19:29:00.000+00:002024-03-10T19:29:25.556+00:00Undermining the Undermined <br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Groups fear they will be caught out in <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/groups-fear-they-will-be-caught-out-in-new-definition-of-extremism/ar-BB1jEuaQ" target="_blank">new definition</a> of extremism</span></b><br /><br />Michael Gove is poised to unveil a new definition of extremism amid jitters in government at his plan.<br /><br />The 9-year-old definition defines extremism as "vocal or active opposition to British values".<br /><br /></span><div><span style="color: #cc0000;">The updated definition is going to, according to a source, be the "promotion or advancement of ideology based on hatred, intolerance or violence or undermining or overturning the rights or freedoms of others, or of undermining democracy itself".</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Presumably we are expected to pretend that democracy hasn't been undermined already. No doubt pointing out that it has been undermined will come under Gove's definition too.</div>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-64584799896573750352024-03-10T14:22:00.001+00:002024-03-10T14:22:59.698+00:00Hedge<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68527158" target="_blank">Rachel Reeves:</a> Labour won't be able to turn things around immediately</span></b><br /><br />Labour will not be able to "turn things around straight away" if elected, Rachel Reeves has said.<br /><br />Speaking to the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the shadow chancellor did not rule out making cuts in some areas, saying Labour would inherit the worst economy since World War Two.<br /><br />She said she would be "methodically" identifying ways to pay for existing pledges on the NHS and schools.</span><br /><br /><br /><i>Never for one minute of your life have you thought, or done, or spoken for yourself. You have been prevented; and so wonderful is this plot to keep you blind that you have not a notion it exists. To yourself your sight seems good, such is your pleasant thought. Since you cannot even see this hedge around you, how can there be anything the other side? </i><br /><br />John Galsworthy – A Commentary (1908)A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-29561362844768592772024-03-10T09:59:00.002+00:002024-03-10T09:59:35.534+00:00The futility of Budgets<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://thecritic.co.uk/budgets-are-overrated/" target="_blank"><b>Kristian Niemietz</b></a> has a useful Critic piece on the futility of Budgets <br /><br /><br /><div><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Budgets are overrated<br /></span></b><br /><i>Taxation and spending make little difference while Britain is unable to build</i><br /><br />Budgets are overrated for a variety of reasons. <br /><br />Firstly, Budget speeches contain too many make-work (or rather, make-talk) schemes for the next Budget or the next Autumn Statement, often in the form of temporary freezes on this or that (e.g. alcohol duty, fuel duty), which can then be extended at the next fiscal event. In this way, the government can, in effect, announce the same policy twice, getting more headlines out of a given policy. <br /><br />More importantly, Budget speeches also cover too many spending announcements on what should really be local matters, not national ones: a few quid for a theatre in this town, a few quid for church repairs in that town, and a few more quid for a cultural institution somewhere else, etc. This is usually mostly an excuse for name-dropping places, and, if they are in the same party as the Chancellor, the “Right Honourable friends” representing them.</span><br /><br /><br />The whole piece is well worth reading, not only as a reminder of our inability to build, but also our inability to maintain, crumbling roads being a familiar example. The problem runs deep and may be as much institutional as it is political. We clearly have nowhere near enough practical experience in the House of Commons, but the permanent administration seems to have even less. </div><div><br /></div><div>As Niemietz says, we cannot even build new water reservoirs, which is not new technology even to a civil servant. We cannot even build a new railway from London to Manchester. Budgets won't fix that level of practical incompetence. <br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">Some taxes really are highly distortionary, and some selected tax cuts really would have pronounced “Laffer Curve” (i.e. self-financing) effects. But on the whole, Budget-related issues are not the main reason for Britain’s economic stagnation, and no Budget is going to drag Britain out of this hole. I realised that a few years ago when, ahead of a Budget, I was asked to draw up a “wish list” of growth-boosting policies I would like to see in the Budget, and realised, half-way through, that most of those were not really Budget measures at all, at least not in the conventional sense. They had a lot more to do with Britain’s inability to build anything, be it residential housing, business premises, infrastructure, energy generation sites, or even water reservoirs.</span><div class="sf-author" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: "Sentinel A", "Sentinel B", serif; font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.625rem; margin-right: 10px;"><div class="sf-author__text" style="align-items: center; box-sizing: inherit; display: flex; flex-flow: row; width: 185.833px;"></div></div></div>A K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.com5