Steven P

I can't understand why governments can't own a company out right, but why they can't own that company as a profitable company. Lets say they bought all of National Grid, it makes a profit, keep the regulators with the same power... and the profits... straight back to the treasury instead of to some rich American insurance company. Could do the same and set up a wind farm company, profits back to the us, or perhaps set up a solar panel manufacturer, make no profit but we can buy them cheap for our homes (and with that, deliver their net zero carbon stuff) I don't understand why they can't use our taxes as investments and make more money

... absolute power corrupts absolutely.... Totalitarian regimes, left, right, centre, with not opposition have never come out right. However when I rule the world it will be different

Immigration.. when it comes to that... The UK population is an aging population, more people than ever retiring and living longer, the burden on the 'natives' to care for them will increase. The UK population (the 'natives') is also a declining population, few people born than die, in a few years fewer and fewer young people supporting more and more old people. The pensions model that did work needs readjusting else pensioners will get nothing worthwhile... and so we need immigrants to feed into the work and tax system to keep the pension system alive.. anyway, point of this is that it is all an integrated system, change one part radically and another will be greatly affected too. Going back to a recurring theme of mine, the houses that they are building now, the ones that makes the builders lots of profit, are not the ones that are needed, but they are the one needed by the powerful band of voters..... My gran doesn't want to live in a 5 bedroom executive home and an acre of grass to cut, but is tied up in one cause there is nothing to move into. My children want to buy a property but can't afford a new build executive home, and what there are prices increase till they can't afford anything. Both ends of the scale need something smaller, with transport links, local shops, community facilities, perhaps a church but as far as I see none of that is being built and the market stagnates. To move you have to offer more than the other guys, prices rise.

There are loads of ways to readdress the housing market, but nearly all of them will get the politicians sacked at the next election, and this is the over riding consideration with all national projects... will it be good in the next 4 years to a general election, not the next 25 to 30. (limit mortgage borrowing (to 6x salary)(demand will say "We want to buy your house, but this is the top price"), extend mortgage terms, offer tax breaks for first homes, make starter homes more future proof - don't need to move to a bigger home at 2 children, tax green field developments more and use that to subsidies the new owners (not developers) of smaller homes, solar panels on every house (make living there cheaper), 2 storey flats instead in 4 storey blocks, more busses to reduce need for a parking spot with every home, tax profits on any sale within 5 years of purchase to deter empty investment properties, set up more tax efficient saving schemes for house deposits... however I can't see any of these ideas being popular with the typical Conservative voter or the same voter who Labour are wanting to tempt)

If the government took house sales out of all of their financial reporting calculations I am sure the economy would paint a very different picture... not so rosy at all, there is no incentive centrally to encourage prices to fall. We buy a house - nice load of tax House builders make a nice profit - another nice lump of tax House prices rise - government massage figures to make it a good thing House prices rise, we think it is great since our pension pots increase.... for the homeowners

The new houses being put up, to fill the golf courses around here are 5 bedroomed, 6 bathroom executive houses with 1% 'affordable' houses in the mix. Never a confirmed bus or train link - which excludes anyone over 65 really looking to the future when they have to give up their cars. 350k+ to exclude anyone under 30 350k+ to exclude anyone with a young family and nursey fees The ideal market I think are 50 year olds with teenage children No community centres... a social wasteland No religious centres... a moral wasteland No shops... a community wasteland ...and no golf courses... a health wasteland ....

Read once that a lot of golf courses were built to claim subsidies - think it was one to set aside land, get cash every year.. and also membership fees. Scotland might be slightly different rules, but can go over the courses here (respectfully of course - some of them are a mean shot) - when the snow comes you can see it is only the runners who use them (and the deer).

Never saw the point of golf but the courses to give a bit of green space that is protected from the spread of Barratt shacks. They won't build on golf courses since that is a selling point. (However the architect from a firm nobody has heard of is now an architect from a firm we will forget next week but will have heard of briefly this week)

Pretty much what I could see then, keep it clean, no lubrication points to worry about. Thanks

Had a thought earlier - I've had the battery saw for a few years now and not really touched it (apart from routine stuff - cleaning and sharpening). What does everyone do with battery kit when it comes to looking after it? The petrol saw - needs a good service now but regularly gets filters, cleaning, and so on, compared to the battery one, is a lot more hassle!

I don't do house visits, but the workers who come to mine get offered a cup (filter coffee / PG tips) - and no offence if they say no. Life is too short to worry. Cat in the house - no because they tend to walk all over the work surfaces after licking them selves clean and nibble on any biscuits. However even with friends you get a feel for where is good for a brew and where isn't. Cafes and coffee shops - if the staff look blankly when asking for a white coffee then it is time to walk, anything with frothy shit on top so you can't actually get any coffee to drink, froth gets left on the table. Anything with more milk in that water will seldom get finished. Best cup? 20 miles into a marathon a few years ago (wasn't going to win, enjoying the run), old dears face over a wall asks "would you like a drink" "OK" thinking water, 5 mins later, best china and a proper cup of tea, in the back lanes of the lake district,. Magic.

it says in the article that he has an axe, probably just wanted to use it to chop a tree down, found it too much hard work and stopped. Probably right, blunt.

Yup, my experience too, job agencies wanting to place you somewhere else, and companies with a social media department. Like most social media you have to do the work to make contact with your friends or business contacts, and if you just contact someone else you don't know, are likely to get ignored.

Bulk load? Here would refer to quite a lot of trees, arctic load or similar.... If you put yourself on the tip site, link above, you might get some responses - add yourself as a paid for site and the price you want to pay for how much. This works best for tree surgeons working outside of their usual area and don't want to take a transit van of logs back to their usual site. Apart from that if you want a lot or a regular supply then you need to talk to the local tree surgeons, yellow pages will help here. You can e-mail, phone, or eve take a walk about in the mornings (work from home a few times, take an early walk and you should hear a decent sized chainsaw within 1/2 mile I reckon - walk that way and have a quick word "This is where I am, any chance of some logs"

I get the Covid and the fuel hand outs, all needs to be paid back, however the total borrowing has been slowly rising over the last 10 to 12 years - if it had remained at the lower level then Covid and fuel wouldn't have needed a lot of effort to pay back. Think only the real idiots wouldn't realise it all needs to be paid for at some time - and far better in my opinion for those of us who benefitted to pay it back than handing that debt down to our children and grand children. However it is the politics of it that makes me laugh - all wrapped up saying that saving a pint of beer worth of national insurance a week (or a cigarette with the tax increase) is a great thing when the tax rate has been increased and increased again in recent years which will cost most more than that pint of beer.

Even the politicians can't find the lies to tell to pretend it won't be. I think I saw Hunt saying "We are giving all households more cash in their pocket with the national insurance cut" and in the next breath "yes, taxes will continue to rise"

.. you might get an answer, but last visit 2014, I wouldn't hold my breath. However someone else might have something else suitable

There was a report this week over a full range of stuff and the total saving was about 2% compared to other times of the year and say the Christmas sales. Only a saving if you were going to buy the thing within the next few weeks anyway

Update to this - a crane took out a hawthorn hedge (1 bush only) so that will be for next year, but had some Alder earlier in the year - a few bits I tried before the rain started looked like they would be good to go, (Currently have a HC and Leyllandi on the drive to finish splitting, beech and alder stacked to dry and beech and some cherry to burn now, not enough, not sure which I am liking best this year yet). Oh and some more softwoods in the mix too

If I had the time I'd send a reply "I am interested, where in Penzance are you?" and see where the converastion goes. Probably seller goes on overseas trip and partner will post it,

I guess when I posted last that the discount supermarkets local to you had sold out of cheap leaf blowers? You might be in luck that the Americans Black Friday is this week, might get a cheap one then? Reckon under £50. You might comment that it is their tree and might have a point if the HA look after your garden and do the cleaning for you, but if you do the gardening and cleaning then I reckon cleaning up the leaves comes under your responsibility - same as my house, I make sure the access is maintained and kept clear for visitors safety (HA should be responsible for bricks and mortar, but the rest?)

Looking on the other side, the TV cop reality shows they often arrest suspects - usually when they are searching a car - apparently for their safety (so you don't hit them over the back of the head with a brick when they lean into your car), and so you don't leg it - though on the TV shows they always explain why and the innocent always end up sharing a joke. TV land, just like reality? This sounds over the top though

If it cuts out straight away then that suggests an earth fault - a faulty connection somewhere, a short circuit or something - which might be something to do with age. If it takes a while to trip that could be overcurrent - the motor for example taking too much current and eventually it trips. So earth fault. If you disconnect parts in sequence you should get to the part where it trips straight away. Disconnect the motor wiring, turn the power back on, if it trips then it probably isn't the motor. Go up a level, disconnect the thermostat and motor - a trip then it points towards the connector. If you disconnect the whole lot and it trips then that suggests the house wiring somewhere. A little time working out the fault will get you there and the part you might want to replace. Obviously you will both know that mains electricity can have a nasty kick to it.... turn it off, prove it is off, before you reach for a screw driver.

Hot water tank.... often seen as 'inefficient' because the heat escapes from it... but that heat escape is also heating a room in the winter, so it is like a small radiator. Only inefficient in the summer when you don't want to heat a room.... but will you use the immersion heater in the summer so no change there?

A joke not everyone would get..... but yes.