Good Morning Thread

[sldspurs]

They could & should be doing a lot more.

The longer we spend naval gazing on the subject of Brexit, the longer it'll take to secure deals with our European partners. Without them we'll die, plain & simple.

we cant do deals with our Euro cousins and as many as 100 people a day get turned off their flights because they think our passports are out of date
so that is 7000 potential customers per week not being allowed to fly in to close deals
... 7000 x 52 = and 364000 people per annum thus far

2024 is a mad mad world

 

[steveperryman]

Thats true Steve, but like I said to US its a ditto ere.

Yeah it's either Dumb or Dumber.

 

[steveperryman]

we cant do deals with our Euro cousins and as many as 100 people a day get turned off their flights because they think our passports are out of date
so that is 7000 potential customers not being allowed to fly in to close deals
... 7000 x 52 = and 364000 people per annum thus far

2024 is a mad mad world

I can't make sense of the world any more.

 

[sldspurs]

I can't make sense of the world any more.

I blame mild hybrid built by the chinese

 

[Spursex]

Not sure how true this is, but I have just read that Ford are cutting back their workforce because the Leccie car sales have plummeted.

It's long been forecast that 'traditional' manufacturers EV will slow as the simply over-charge for them, and that's happened to Ford, now that sales have slumped in Jan - they're applying massive cuts as they see Chinese mad car sales surge...

Ford cars are poor specced they about as comfortable to drive as a horse and cart - and the Chinese models are cheaper, higher spec'd, more comfortable and now that RO/RO space and cargo rates have vastly improved they're now selling heavily in the UK and Europe.

This was and still is a Ford own goal. Meanwhile, upstart firms, exemplified by Tesla, Rivian and SK On, are hiring non-union workers from outside the established industry, while Ford and its counterparts are building EV and battery plants in right-to-work states outside the United Auto Workers’ purview. On top of these disruptions comes the threat of new competition from Chinese automakers. Right to work states in the US add 30% cost to each unit built - that's a recipe for being totally non-competitive, especially when the Chinese cars are better spec'd.

Now they have to improve their offerings in almost every aspect, if they don't they will face yet another financial disaster.

Chinese EV sales are soaring in Europe. The EU doesn’t love it.

Chinese automakers are winning over drivers in Europe’s electric vehicle market – a key industry in Europe’s green energy transition. The European Union says China is artificially driving down its prices, adding tensions between the West and China.

www.csmonitor.com

 

[Spursex]

we cant do deals with our Euro cousins and as many as 100 people a day get turned off their flights because they think our passports are out of date
so that is 7000 potential customers per week not being allowed to fly in to close deals
... 7000 x 52 = and 364000 people per annum thus far

2024 is a mad mad world

And already the tourist industry is turning on it's EU masters for it's stupidity - that said, as far as Brussels is concerned they believe that the message is finally getting through - get a newer passport!! The older than 10 years ones are too easy to forge and the EU at least take their border security serious now!

 

[Greavswasthegreatest]

And already the tourist industry is turning on it's EU masters for it's stupidity - that said, as far as Brussels is concerned they belief that the message is finally getting through - get a newer passport!! The older than 10 years ones are too easy to forge and the EU at least take their border security serious now!

...not the french EX their English channel
border is a joke

 

[steveperryman]

It's long been forecast that 'traditional' manufacturers EV will slow as the simply over-charge for them, and that's happened to Ford, now that sales have slumped in Jan - they're applying massive cuts as they see Chinese mad car sales surge...

Ford cars are poor specced they about as comfortable to drive as a horse and cart - and the Chinese models are cheaper, higher spec'd, more comfortable and now that RO/RO space and cargo rates have vastly improved they're now selling heavily in the UK and Europe.

This was and still is a Ford own goal. Meanwhile, upstart firms, exemplified by Tesla, Rivian and SK On, are hiring non-union workers from outside the established industry, while Ford and its counterparts are building EV and battery plants in right-to-work states outside the United Auto Workers’ purview. On top of these disruptions comes the threat of new competition from Chinese automakers. Right to work states in the US add 30% cost to each unit built - that's a recipe for being totally non-competitive, especially when the Chinese cars are better spec'd.

Now they have to improve their offerings in almost every aspect, if they don't they will face yet another financial disaster.

Chinese EV sales are soaring in Europe. The EU doesn’t love it.

Chinese automakers are winning over drivers in Europe’s electric vehicle market – a key industry in Europe’s green energy transition. The European Union says China is artificially driving down its prices, adding tensions between the West and China.

www.csmonitor.com

They're cutting back production as global sales have dipped. Competition in the small car sector is fierce & they're feeling the heat from newcomers & main rivals alike.

I have heard but cannot verify that in the very near future they intend to produce LCV's only. I can only see this happening in the far east though where sales have plummeted.

 

[steveperryman]

I blame mild hybrid built by the chinese

It's cost effective & relatively simple to achieve but it's hardly going to save the planet, which is what has been requested from us.

 

[Niall D]

I finally got around to dropping my car off at the repair centre. The backlog for repairs has gotten well out of hand. Anyhow i was offered a mid-size runaround which i refused. Instead i decided to use the public transport on offer. What a mistake that was.

Niall ought to know this well. I caught the train into Belfast yesterday. It arrived 20 minutes late & litter was strewn across the floor. The journey back was even more chaotic with little or no room in which to move.

The lack of investment in our local transport system has left it in a shocking state. I was embarrassed by what i saw.

Yup SP
Sadly they ran the railways down here, complete under investment and closeure of many railways under the, shortsighted 'Beeching' they were to re establish a mono rail from East Belfast along the old railway lines, but the 'Stormont living public at Castle Hill, Knock, Ballyhackamore etc didn't want a railway at their back yard, ohhhnoo, so we ended up with a cycle lane' Green way' which about a dozen people use.
We've ended up with 1 Lane of the main road now unusable for cars, on that lane we have a big purple bus 'The Fekin Glider' which goes the 3 miles into Belfast with 35 traffic lights on it, Progress, me thinks not.
As you've said, police don't want to walk the beat, nurses don't want to wipe bums anymore, I didn't do a degree to do that.

 

[steveperryman]

Yup SP
Sadly they ran the railways down here, complete under investment and closeure of many railways under the, shortsighted 'Beeching' they were to re establish a mono rail from East Belfast along the old railway lines, but the 'Stormont living public at Castle Hill, Knock, Ballyhackamore etc didn't want a railway at their back yard, ohhhnoo, so we ended up with a cycle lane' Green way' which about a dozen people use.
We've ended up with 1 Lane of the main road now unusable for cars, on that lane we have a big purple bus 'The Fekin Glider' which goes the 3 miles into Belfast with 35 traffic lights on it, Progress, me thinks not.
As you've said, police don't want to walk the beat, nurses don't want to wipe bums anymore, I didn't do a degree to do that.

Yeah, i've told family back home about the bus lane & they can't get their heads around it. It's the single dumbest idea since the introduction of The Glider. It's obviously a mode of transport that nobody else wanted. For anybody interested look it up.

 

[Spursex]

Hard to get involved in the issues you all are having across the pond...hell here in the states we are about to have our 'WTF are we doing' election.

It is beyond me that you couldn't find someone better than Trump, I'm a republican; but Trump is a Traitor (his Russian funding and turning his back on Ukraine defies belief), a rapist, a serial bankrupt (is it 6 times now?) a liar and a fraudster...

How can any decent American vote for a person like that? It's completely beyond my understanding. It looks from here like the red necks and those of limited intellect have taken over..

 

[steveperryman]

Just sank into my armchair with a double shot of Scotch. All my troubles have gone away at last.

I've revisited a few posts i've made during the day which made me chuckle. It's been a rough day at the office, i'll just leave it at that.

 

[Niall D]

For those of you on 'the mainland' as we call it.
There are two bus services here City Bus and Ulster Bus, City Bus serves (funnily enough) 'The City' and Ulster Bus serves the rest of NI, but also goes into the city, there is also a City Bus metro service, I don't know what the feck it does but it exists.
Anyways it was decided that the route To Belfast was very congested from the East, where Stevie and I live, So what do they do, they close a traffic lane for cars and introduce yet another bus which goes on exactly the same route as City Bus, Ulster Bus, and Metro, this road has at least 35 traffic lights on it and is extremely busy. The other suggestion was to Implement a mono rail from a place 10 miles from Belfast, which means that I could drive to this place park my car use the mono rail and be in Belfast in 10 minutes, however this 'mono rail' would've went thru extremely affluent areas, so they greased a few palms and we have four different buses going down 1 road whilst cars, are on the outside lane going really no slower.
To park in Belfast (centre) for any time is usually around £2:50 an hour.
I don't go there much no a days. Not worth the hassle.
You couldn't make it up, the cheapest stooopidest option, thought up by those who don't need to use it.

 

[Geofspurs]

It is beyond me that you couldn't find someone better than Trump, I'm a republican; but Trump is a Traitor (his Russian funding and turning his back on Ukraine defies belief), a rapist, a serial bankrupt (is it 6 times now?) a liar and a fraudster...

How can any decent American vote for a person like that? It's completely beyond my understanding. It looks from here like the red necks and those of limited intellect have taken over..

And this might be the second time he runs and wins the race. The mind fucking boggles.

Surely there is someone in the whole of the USA who could give the world some hope.

 

[TQ2Spurs]

And this might be the second time he runs and wins the race. The mind fucking boggles.

Surely there is someone in the whole of the USA who could give the world some hope.

I just don't get why they want 80+ year olds running the most powerful country in the world, no disrespect to octogenarians intended. I look at Biden shuffling around and think to myself WTF! You can image Putin doing much the same.

 

[Niall D]

Re the USA, I don't generally get involved in politics, and particularly other nations politics.
However, surely there are two better people in the whole of the USA than these two, Trump is a 'Foot in Mouth Politician' speaks before he thinks.
Biden, If it's not written down for him, he's totally lost.
He, always looks like he's, reading a script, and very badly at that.
They've had their turn, but sadly their Egos won't let them lie down and accept that for both, in reality, their day is passed.

 

[Geofspurs]

Re the USA, I don't generally get involved in politics, and particularly other nations politics.
However, surely there are two better people in the whole of the USA than these two, Trump is a 'Foot in Mouth Politician' speaks before he thinks.
Biden, If it's not written down for him, he's totally lost.
He, always looks like he's, reading a script, and very badly at that.
They've had their turn, but sadly their Egos won't let them lie down and accept that for both, in reality, their day is passed.

If I was an American I would run for office and solve all the world problems. Sadly, I'm not an American .... and I'm far too young. But, that's life!

 

[Geofspurs]

Happy Easter, lads. But I am wondering in which part of the world Friday is Good?

 

[Walthamstow wanderer]

Happy Easter, lads. But I am wondering in which part of the world Friday is Good?

It was never Good when I was a teenager in London …

Pubs used to open from 7 till 11 in the evenings ,Monday to Saturday … and 7 till 10-30 on Sundays .

Good Friday , the first Bank Holiday of the year , our first working day off , and the kin pubs shut at 10-30 pm .

What the Fuck ! Whoever called it good Friday was aving a tin bath ! Pub shut at half past ten ! Friday night !

It got even worse when I moved down to the sarf coast , they had summer and winter hours back then .
Pubs shut at 10-30 pm in the winter , then on May 1st till Sept 30 th they didn’t stop serving until 11-00 pm , unless there wasn’t enough people in the bar and the landlady would shut up early …. That caused a few bull and cows .
There were a few nights that we formed an exodus to the next pub down the road .
We couldn’t do it now , they have all gone , except for the privileged few .

Good Friday ….. Huh .


I hope you all enjoy your Easter weekend, however you celebrate it .
Take care , look after each other .