Power Plants

[Alan gsd]

From a News report I saw this week, new coal power plants are opening weekly so why is it always us in the UK that have to change to electric cars etc?????

The use of fossil fuels in increasing nearly everywhere

Countries and territories with the largest number of operational coal power plants worldwide as of July 2023 and have no intentions of changing.

 

China (Mainland} 2 new every week

India

United States

Japan

Indonesia

Russia

Germany

Poland

Turkey

Ukraine

Philippines

Vietnam

Czechia

South Korea

Kazakhstan

Taiwan

Australia

South Africa

 

BTW

 

Brought a newspaper to day as I do once a week, I buy it to line the bottom of the parrot cage, 9 full pages asking for donations and the same offering luxury cruises and the rest depressing news  bottom of the cage best place for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 

[Trevor]

There is an irony with all of this movement toward electric vehicles

I'll leave this here.....

 

The trolley bus (electric and in use during the early part of the 20th century)

 

The humble milk float (electric and silently delivered out milk - in glass recyclable bottles)

 

Once a common sight on the roads and electric

 

I don't call what we have now progress - it is literally reinventing the wheel !!!

[Alan gsd]

How well I remember most of them and the milk float is the kind I use to use 7days week from 4.30am early start but home most days by 10.30am.

[Trevor]

Everything was right and in place so how have we got to where we are now....that's the question I constantly ask myself (and others who may possibly listen to me ranting on)

[Alan gsd]

I dearly want to go off on one but Christmas is a few days away so I'll wait till after the New Year then turn the air blue!!

[jimbojim]

its OK - once the political elite ( dumbo`s of all flavours ) have turned GB into a third world country ! Us poor people will not need to worry about owning a petrol, diesel or electric car  - Only the very rich will be in a position to own one AND when ALL parts of UK have 20 mph speed limits (as in Wales) ALL town centres have been pedestrianised - we will not need our cars anyway, and if you say " I won`t have an electric car " Think again - government will put car tax up to £1500 (for example) per year, car insurance minimum £2000 per year (for example) and Diesel and Petrol cost of £25 per litre (for example) and the cost of Electric up to some equally outrageous cost PLUS all the aforementioned countries will "carry on as usual" as they are doing currently !  Do you think this is going "over the top ? " Just look back over the last five years !!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Still think this is over the top ???????

See previous post "doing away with handbrakes" on this forum   

[jimbojim]

On 12/13/2023 at 5:55 PM, Alan gsd said:

I dearly want to go off on one but Christmas is a few days away so I'll wait till after the New Year then turn the air blue!!

I just have done - but kept it short and tempered as I don`t want to be banned from the site !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Trevor]

Without being political and going off on a rant - we don't want to ban anybody on here (yet!) 🙂

I tend to steer clear of anything to do with politics and especially the news as its so depressing and not a lot that any of us can do about the outcome. Added to that, put bias, sensationalism and inaccurate news reporting into the mix and its understandable we're in the position as we are in this country.

Returning to discussion on cars and the future of driving.....personally I now hate driving and would give it up in a heartbeat as its not enjoyable anymore....used to be that you could take the car out and enjoy a nice drive without the inconvenience of road works, restrictions of every kind and also the costs involved. The car sits on the drive for a week at a time if not longer.
However, I do have a couple of motorbikes to get my kicks on the road and have to say that even though it is somewhat more expensive, it is however much more fun! It genuinely gives you that sense of freedom that you used to get from driving a car

 

On a footnote, it has always been the motorist that is the easy target to penalise for everything in the UK it is slightly more difficult to target the motorcyclist as there are such groups as Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) that will argue everything at government level and protect our rights whereas motorists don't have such a strong voice in the houses of parliament...food for thought!

[jimbojim]

That`s not the real reason ! How many motorcycles on the road compared to the number of cars, vans and lorries ? Also the tax is lower in comparison - To make most money they have to hit the majority and that is cars, vans and lorries - Also motorists have the AA and RAC to argue at government level but there is an old saying " You can`t Beat the System " The System being the Government and is designed to skrew the public ! Guy Fawkes tried to beat the system -  and look what they did to him !

As an aside, when I bought the Accord I have now in 2008 I wanted to go pick the car up myself - on my own - I checked public transport - by train is was impossible - no usable links from my home to the garage, checked the bus service - it would take around 5 hours and 6 buses !!!! I do not live out in the wild - but in Bolton greater Manchester, the garage was in Ashton-under-Lyne - which takes 25 minutes to drive there by car - that`s public transport for you - useless ! BUT when we get the " 15 minute cities " that keeps being muted - what would we want a car OR motorcycle for ? we could all ride round in circles providing there is no ULEZ charge of course !

This is what our children and grand children have to look forward to !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[jimbojim]

On 12/12/2023 at 9:37 AM, Trevor said:

There is an irony with all of this movement toward electric vehicles

I'll leave this here.....

 

The trolley bus (electric and in use during the early part of the 20th century)

 

The humble milk float (electric and silently delivered out milk - in glass recyclable bottles)

 

Once a common sight on the roads and electric

 

I don't call what we have now progress - it is literally reinventing the wheel !!!

 

[Alan gsd]

"Your voice is loudest when heard through your money"

 

 

 

[jimbojim]

Oh so true !

[jimbojim]

The Trolley buses only ran on main road routes, I rode on them in the 1050`s and when you got off - Shanks`s Pony took over ! Milk floats only made short journeys ! The invalid carriage was later converted to two stroke power for the same reason - radios were also Accumulator (battery) powered and when they ran flat, you took it to a shop and exchanged it for a fully charged one which cost twopence - they had glass cases and you could see the plates inside - Oh the good old days, bare feet, short trousers and Rickets !!!!

[Alan gsd]

Bloody hell jimbojim you were about before the battle of Hastings in 1066 then, did you ever meet Arthur or William 😂😀

 

[jimbojim]

Blimey, that video is absolutely spot on - I could have been in that video ! Blackpool was THE place to go in summer - I remember there used to be one stallholder on the front, he had a cane and wore a straw hat - he used to tap his cane on the floor and shout " Come on you silly buggers -get spent up and bugger off home "  I kid you not !!

We used to go to Belle Vue speedway and funfair on Hyde Road, Manchester - My claim to fame is that I sat on Peter Cravens (2 x world champion) bike in the pits, he spotted me - ran in and shouted "Oi get off there you little bugger" and chased me out of the pits 😁 Now that is fame ! Also I have a photograph somewhere of me sat on the neck of " Sally " the elephant at Belle Vue !!!! Not the first one which was called " Maharajah " but the second one, I was around six years old - if I can find the photograph I will post it here - Memories !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

[Alan gsd]

Sounds like we are around the same vintage, my summer visits were to Hunstaton on the Norfolk coast in and out the sea in a pair of woolen trunks that when wet the crotch would hang down to your knees filled often with wet sand!!!!

 

Then as a teenager it wasTorquay very posh in those days, and 'mens' swimming shorts!!!

 

[jimbojim]

I bet the woolen trunks were Maroon !!!!!!!!!  They all were - it was like swimming towing a 50 lb weight behind you, yes I remember them well - as a teenager we progressed to holidays in the far flung region of Wales called Rhyl or Abergele ! The welsh locals in them days did not take kindly to holidaymakers or " outsiders " as they called them ! An old school chum of mine`s aunt and uncle lived in St. Martins in Oswestry and we went camping in their back garden when we were about 9 or 10, it was like being in another world as the locals all spoke Welsh - his uncle was a foreman at a small local coal mine and he took us down one day with all the miners, as we went down in the cage lift and to the coal face they were all singing - they were going on their shift ! - we were getting a guided tour - amazing and something I will never forget ! You couldn`t do that today ( health and safety ) - years later we took up potholing in Derbyshire, Yorkshire and the Lake District - we were about 15 years old by this time - Fantastic ! I am 76 years young now by the way but still have all my marbles !

Back to the motoring side of things - the first " car " I had was a 1959 "Frisky Sport" powered by an ariel 2T engine ( two stroke ) wish I had it now as it would be worth a fortune - my first motorcycle was a " Royal Enfield Clipper " 250 cc single cylinder bought of my uncle for the grand total of 12 pounds and ten shillings - again now would be worth a lot of money !   

[Alan gsd]

76 same as me, maroon they were with a silver S shaped buckie which had a snakes head!!

 

As for cars (I posted this some time ago)

 

1st a Armstrong Siddeley 1947 £15 !! passed everything on the road expect petrol stations!!

Wolseley 6/80 1953 (around) with starting handle £45 ! Fords - over the years Consul (2), Escort (2), Contina (of course I always wanted a 1600E), Escort Van. and Transits mk 5, 6 and 7. Hillman Minx Est, Hillman Hunter, Avenger. Vauxhalls -  Victor 101, Astra Max van (2) - Volvo 240GL, Volvo 740,  the vans were all used for carrying my dogs.

 

I was way ahead of my time driving  Electric ....... albit my milk float!!

I do still have a tax disc from about 15 years ago displayed on my 2005 CRV which I've had for a year and for a car 18 years old is something special the condition, finish and equipment would still put many younger cars to same ... and have no intention of going electric again

 

[jimbojim]

Pam Ayres  🤣😂 Brilliant ! and oh so factual - One of the nicest cars I had was a 1955 Humber Hawk - Superb but also was thirsty - many and various others, 2 Victor 101 `s 1 floor change and 1 column change, and loads of others - about 10 years ago went to look at another 101 with a view to buying it - nostalgia is cruel - the car was gorgeous ! BUT I had forgotten it was an old car ! 0 to 60 twenty minutes - changing gear was like stirring porridge, went round a bend - felt like it was going to jump off the road - I had to plan braking ten minutes prior to stopping - there was nothing wrong with the car, I had just forgotten how old cars drove !! Needless to say I didn`t buy it - as an aside a chap I know in Wiltshire has a Steam powered car, that is something else - if I can figure out how to upload the pictures off my phone I will post them here - I will sign off now, just going to have my tea

 

Best regards  Jim