the mini budget up-date

[James Curry]

You are a typical socialist, decry anything to do with the UK.
The damaged propellor was due to it hitting an obstacle on th seabed, can't hold the builders responsible for that.
The engines on the D Class was the choice of Geff Hoon, Labour's Minister for the MOD. The yards wanted tried and tested engine system, Hoon overrode them and insisted that the system of his choice was installed.
Ended up wasting billions and inferior choice due to an MP's choice.

Not a typical socialist Vic , I see things how they are not through Rose tinted glasses.
I was wondering when you would drag Hoon into the debate. He was not an Engineer he was Barrister. He was trying to protect British jobs(I suspect he was just getting a back hander from the contractors) He was later banned from Parliament over various scandals involving expense claims along with other corrupt dealings.

So the Prince of Wales damaged her propeller by hitting something on the sea bad!!!! Whats up with these people can they not navigate there way out of the English channel. Seems to be a problem HMS Nottingham springs to mind.

Take the time to read this link it may enlighten you to what actually is going on.

https://www.navylookout.com/the-roya...status-report/

Typical socialist, good one.

[vic mcclymont]

I know he was a barrister, from friends that work in BAE, Govan, Hoon pushed and pushed for the untried propulsion over the tried and tested. No amount of reasoning could budge him from his blinkered position.
I believe he walked away from the MOD and a job in Westland Helicopters.
Meet Hoon, could be nice when he wanted to be, but arrogant barsteward when he didn't get his own way.

[James Curry]

Well Vic I suspect he pushed and pushed because of the size of the Brown envelope he may have received.
Westland helicopters, was that not Michael Hesiltine?
Just posted a a thread on the Royal Navy link. worth a read.

Vic I will say this in Germany, Engineers are treated with respect and admiration here in the UK Engineers are not. When I use term term engineers I am including all trades involved in the manufacturing industry

How we have gone from the workshop and best engineers in the world to were we are today.
Thatcher & Blair have to take a lot of the blame for that.

Yes we can still lead the world in certain fields but we end up flogging the designs and ideas abroad.
look at F1 racing the UK has a very strong foot hold is that sport/industry.

[vic mcclymont]

Read the post on RN. very interesting.
Agree on your comments on Engineers and how we design and flog things then flog it abroad.
I believe the warship program is heavily dependent on the desktop wallahs at MOD.
Like everything else when we had the Y.A.R.D. team we never seemed to have any problems..

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Getting back to the matter at hand, [That's politic speak.
All members in the UK better start putting away more firewood for the Winter, and the govt should stock up on the budget, if this is anything to go by your Winter will be a bad one. We are in our Spring, so called; and this happened two nights ago. We only got the heavy rain and minus 3degrees , this little town ten miles away got the snow.
Des


Sowed car.jpg

[happy daze john in oz]

On our news today here in Oz from the regular UK reporter.

'The public have been warned to expect cuts in power of up to three hours at a time and gas cut offs as well if there is a harsh winter.
The rush to renewable energy has left UK and some EU nations in trouble, UK has only one coal fired power station still in use'

So if that is true you may all need some thermal undies for a while.
The mad rush to renewables without suitable back up has come home to roost.

[Keith Tindell]

Well John, looks like you in Oz are going the same way, predicted 35% increase in fuel bills, coal burning stations closing etc, you won't be going cold of course, but the old air con will take a hit.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...le-energy.html

[James Curry]

John , you need to sack your UK reporter, there are 3 coal fired power stations still in operation . West Burton A Nottinghamshire, owned and operated by EDF Energy, a subsidiary of the French company EDF. Kilroot County Antrim, Kilroot was sold to Czech firm EPH in April 2019 and is supposed to be converted to Gas firing by 2023.
Ratcliffe on Sonar Nottinghamshire, owned and operated by German utility company Uniper.

A few of the power stations that were coal fired have been converted to Gas firing or Bio Fuel.

The UK went dash for gas route a few years back, what they failed to do was to increase gas receiving and storage facilites.

[happy daze john in oz]

Yes the rush to change to renewables is causing problems for a number of countries.
France, because of the amount of nuclear power is fine, but some others such as Germany are in a bit of bother.

But to our surprize here in Oz one of the State senior Greens has said we should turn to Nuclear power, she may well vanish as what she said is agianst all Gtreen policy here in Oz, but her idea is the correce one.

However in the mean time I did hear that Cappy, a very resourceful man, is reopening the local candle factory.

[Colin Wood]

Weii Des, I remember back in late40's or early 50's having snow in April. The silver birch trees on Hayes Common were just covered in leaves and many were broken by weight of snow. Dad and I would carry a tree home each day and got enough fire wood to keep us going for a couple of years.