jonnie t

but without it we wouldn't have the BMWs, Mercs and Audis that we all drool over. What if just fraction of that money had been spent on British industry instead ...............?

I completely agree that we must honour the fallen and the lack of respect also makes me mad. What about the “forgive and forget, all in the past” approach? My Grandad’s a veteren of the 2nd World War and in April 1945 was part of British forces that ‘liberated’ certain places in Germany. He’s highly decorated and had a pretty bad time in general in the war. Both his brothers were killed, one in Normandy in 1944 and one as a POW on the Burma–Thailand Railway in 1943. To this day he won’t knowingly buy anything German or Japanese and he takes it as a lack of respect every day to see all the German and Japanese cars and goods that we crave. I’ve actually been with him when he’s been in a mood about it and he looked around, shook his head and muttered ‘what was the point?’ I didn’t really known how to answer him. How can I say to him ‘all friends now Grandad?’ Now, I’m not expressing an opinion on this because I’m too young to have the depth of feeling that must be involved, I’m just highlighting one view that some people hold. Is it valid? Does the passage of time make it not valid anymore?

:laugh::laugh:

Can't disagree with you on that Ed! And British industry is still suffering the legacy of the attitude of those workers and management in the 70s and 80s. I wonder if we can ever recover from that stigma and the reputation?

Ouch! Thanks for that savaging Dagmar, thought I was opening a text from the wife! I’m not sure what part of what I posted earlier you think is spewed out rubbish. Were trillions of dollars not applied to German recontruction? Was the UK not almost bankrupted by the war? Did BMW not deploy slave labour or produce jet engines and undertake rocket research for the war effort? I accept of course that there are many perspectives. These were already being exchanged in reasonable debate. And I'm not English. Sorry.

Quickthorne's spot on about caution over the balloon. It can really nail you.

Incidentally, Germany has invested over 1.5 trillion Euros in reconstructing former East Germany after reunification. That reconstrucution is failing and its cost is showing serious adverse effect in the German economy, with more business under receivership and actual management by their banks than ever before. Watch this space all lovers of perceived German quality! Sorry again for off thread, off to a job now that the customers up! Feel much better for the rant.

The Austin Rover, if the company hadnt been forced out of business by foreign imports, in the case of cars mainly German and Japanese. The trend is no coincidence, both of those economies received multi TRILLIONS of dollars in reconstructing industry after WWII, while the UK was almost bankrupted by the war. Did you know that BMW deployed 25000 – 30000 slave and concentration camp labourers in the war, profiting massively as the corner stone of its current empire. It produced one of the first mass production jet engines deployed to the ME262 fighter, worked on rocket technology in 1944 and……….. Oops, sorry, a tad off thread.

With lease hire you never actually own the kit so its not an asset that hits the books to get included in annual tax calcs. The lease cost is an overhead as well as operating costs so it offsets against profit and reduces tax. You pay vat on instalments. With HP you own it, so vat up front in full. It hits the books as an asset, but gets depreciated in the accounts over its reasonable life and that depreciation is an overhead that again offsets against profit. Major thing here is cashflow and affordability at the time (leasehire cheaper cos your not actually buying). Like Pete said, its a minefield and Leasehire might be maintaining/non maintaining with penalties for extra use and repairing clauses too. I’d definitely get more than one option from more than one Financer and then run it past an accountant. Now I've got a headache!

She was so big she had her own postcode

Face like a smacked arse

yes please

Timberwolf. Not biased, we dont run them, but nothing else available to vote for! Why Timberwolf? Not knocking anyones prefrence, but I think chippers are a tool, not a badge or a luxury. Why spend more on a machine that wont do another thing for you or add another penny to profit? I cant see that its a better investment either because any residual value just gets rolled into the next machine in any case, so you never see it until you hang the boots up! The difference in price on supposed German quality (LOL, these aint BMWs!) and a Greenmech/Timberwolf is my wages for a whole month. Lots of us want a machine with decent performance but under 750 kg because of towing limits. Greenmech and Timberwolf build them and then get knocked for being too light! That MX200 is a tonne isnt it? Not really apples and apples. If Timberwolf built in another 250 kilos to the TW150 and put in the big heavy flywheel etc wouldn’t it get the same affect thats boasted about for the MX200?? But then it would cost much more and be way over the towing limits. Brill to see the Green Machines doing great in Germany. If the German machines are so fantastic, why are they buying British? Cant get my head round this clamor for German and Japanese stuff – history and all that and just the way I was brought up.

Herd there was a ruk going on. Did i miss it?