Brexit, for once some facts.

[guerney]

I've been with Ebico for years and they have always been brilliant: cheap-ish, helpful... they use other companies for supply and admin, but those suppliers keep going bust or deciding they don't want to do it anymore. First SSE fled and I had to extricate myself from their outfit to get back to Ebico, who had found a new hope in the form of Robin Hood Energy... then couple of years ago Robin Hood got shot in Sherwood, so all of Ebico's customers (including me) became prisoners of British Gas... but I'm now a happy Ebico customer once again, now that Octopus Energy has been duped into supplying for them:

Ebico

ebico.org.uk

Ebico are cheap-ish and generally nicer to people.

Privatisation of gas, electricity and water are complete failures - the poccess of selling off state utilities should be stopped and brought back into public ownership, before they privatise air.

 

[sjpt]

Our gas meter is supposed to be remote and send signal to Mars.. We, ve had 3,each one fails.. So they fit a new one.. But they aren't new... They are recon... But not zeroed... So when we phone reading in they tell us its running backwards or we, ve read it wrong... So we say come and look and mend it.. Its supposed to be remote...
This has been going on almost 4 years now... The upshot is... No gas bills.. We have tried to explain all this on at least 3 occasions.. But gave up this spring.... We run central heating boiler /water heater on JC's gas bill...
They really are clueless and useless. At moment I, m not complaining...but honestly we, ve tried..

Many years ago (1972?) a colleague was concerned by lack of gas bills; he was afraid all his gas would get charged at later, higher prices. So he contacted the (nationalized) supplier. First response was 'You can't have got gas, Shincliffe isn't on the gas.' He persevered and finally they read the meter. Then (maybe no surprise) a huge bill from 0 to current reading on the meter. Contacted the supplier again, response 'The bill must be right, you must have used it all because Shincliffe wasn't on the gas before.'

 

[flecc]

Privatisation of gas, electricity and water are complete failures - the poccess of selling off state utilities should be stopped and brought back to public ownership, before they privatise air.

Indeed. The only thing government might consider privatising is government itself.

That at least could hardly get worse.

 

[guerney]

Indeed. The only thing government might consider privatising is government itself.

That at least could hardly get worse.

It's been sold - selected pivotal decision makers have been lobbied to death, and have dragged or are dragging us all to hell.

 

[guerney]

The latest example of industry killing us all with lobbyists, is this lurch towards hydrogen being pumped through gas pipes to homes. What on earth are they thinking? Hydrogen destroys the ozone layer - goodbye all life...

 

[oldgroaner]

I can't imagine there is anything on earth more secret and guarded than the specifications and capability of US Nuclear Submarines,but a couple on here (wasn't including you OG for a change) are pretentious enough to think they can comment on the suitability of various Submarines forvthe Australians. But, I didn't realise the US was now publishing all their "Top Secrets" on Wiki. Yep, sort of expect it from Danidl but you Woosh. Come on get a grip. What us lot know about American versus French submarines could could be written in massive fonts on tiniest of stamps... And why OG gets involved god only knows. But never one to pass up on an opportunity to show his ignorance.... Another James Bond on the Forum, who has all the classified, top secret documents about Nuclear Subs filed next to his Brexit BS. Its unbelievable how the BS has spiralled out of control on here. Is there anything some of you don't know.
A bloke that builds bogs for a living, a retired lecturer and an electric bike builder.. Jesus, you wouldn't believe it would you. All that time wasted not building time machines, Nuclear fusion energy producers, eliminating poverty and ensuring world peace. Really have missed your vocations.

Actually I am acutely aware of the level of my ignorance, but I have it's always felt it worth listening to learn how much worse in that way I could aspire to be, by listening to a real expert, someone far more afflicted in that area than I

please continue, you have my undivided attention.

 

[Zlatan]

French vs British-American submarines: key differences

Nuclear-powered subs can carry enough fuel for 30 years of operation

www.irishtimes.com

Explains situation rather better than Wikipedia.
The salient point.


Keep digging OG... Now you admit ignorance(you really didn't need to) yet earlier proclaimed to world Australia should have chosen the French subs... It isn't me assuming I could ever offer anything to Australians with regards their choice.
WTF do you (or I) know about submarines OG? Sweet FA, thats what.Probably a lot less but never the less you have an opinion on which Australians should have chosen.. Can you decide my next car for me OG. Or perhaps which planes the Swiss should buy... Fecking unbelievable.
Nuclear submarines are arguably the pinnacle of man's technological achievement. At the moment they probably represent the ultimate strategic military weapon. Yet, amazingly we have 3 folk amongst us who could offer advice around their procurement, and here they are posting on a pedelec forum. Amazing. Well actually idiotic..
If any if us knew anything at all about which subs the Australians should or shouldn't choose or who they should be aligning themselves with we certainly wouldn't be posting about it on here.

 

[Jesus H Christ]

Our gas meter is supposed to be remote and send signal to Mars.. We, ve had 3,each one fails.. So they fit a new one.. But they aren't new... They are recon... But not zeroed... So when we phone reading in they tell us its running backwards or we, ve read it wrong... So we say come and look and mend it.. Its supposed to be remote...
This has been going on almost 4 years now... The upshot is... No gas bills.. We have tried to explain all this on at least 3 occasions.. But gave up this spring.... We run central heating boiler /water heater on JC's gas bill...
They really are clueless and useless. At moment I, m not complaining...but honestly we, ve tried..

I keep a spreadsheet which calculates my energy use and standing charge for gas & electricity. I enter the meter readings, dates and payments. I can also attach a photo of the meter to backup the readings. I produced the spreadsheet years ago and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve used it as evidence of overcharging.

 

[Zlatan]

I keep a spreadsheet which calculates my energy use and standing charge for gas & electricity. I enter the meter readings, dates and payments. I can also attach a photo of the meter to backup the readings. I produced the spreadsheet years ago and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve used it as evidence of overcharging.

Don't worry JC. Your overcharging is paying for my gas.

 

[guerney]

I keep a spreadsheet which calculates my energy use and standing charge for gas & electricity. I enter the meter readings, dates and payments. I can also attach a photo of the meter to backup the readings. I produced the spreadsheet years ago and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve used it as evidence of overcharging.

I do the same - I'll never opt for a smart meter! It's far easier for them to overcharge you using anything other than a quarterly bill, with you supplying regular meter readings - otherwise you fall victim to their overcharging B.S. stats! I rue the fact that Octopus Energy with Ebico now use monthly direct debit (I joined when they had zero standing charges and you could pay by quarterly bill; days long gone), and it'll certainly be more expensive unless I supply meter readings every week or two, to keep their stats from shooting off into the great beyond... Especially important now that Russia appears to be exploiting us via an opportunity presented by Covid troubles, for what appears to multiple advantages.

 

[jonathan.agnew]

Those look like the words of an embittered ex-Peoples Energy customer.
I wonder if we, as customers, have benefited from the privatisation of the energy market.
Thinking back to when we paid the local gas and electricity boards every quarter life was much simpler.
Whilst there was no choice of supplier back then, is the choice we have now of around 70 different suppliers selling exactly the same product and only able to compete by cost cutting and giving poor service really an improvement?
Despite the all cheery adverts suggesting it's a piece of pish, switching suppliers is fraught with the danger of some fuckup or another.
I have 2 smart meters that can't communicate with a home display sitting on top of the communication hub, so how can they communicate with a long range radio mast several miles away.
The whole thing is a complete clusterfuck and I don't see it ever being fixed.

Was watching the government backtrack over the past 48 hrs about "protecting customers" (of course they wont at all, as everyone know, while boris twiddle his thumbs hoping something else capture publics attention. This is unfunny, but I only once used the national supplier, when I bought current property - and they overcharged me by more than 4k - which only got repaid after I took them to energy ombudsman. Learnt lesson, never went back.

 

[jonathan.agnew]

It can only be possible on here that folk know more about French and US submarines and what the Australians want from them. Pretentious or what.

You could dial down the disdain. Thought it when you held forth about the beaufort scale (I take quite an interest in) few pages ago, but decided to go with discretion (more heat than light, lifes too short). Its a radical concept, I know but others may in fact know things you dont.

 

[oldgroaner]

French vs British-American submarines: key differences

Nuclear-powered subs can carry enough fuel for 30 years of operation

www.irishtimes.com

Explains situation rather better than Wikipedia.
The salient point.
View attachment 44125

Keep digging OG... Now you admit ignorance(you really didn't need to) yet earlier proclaimed to world Australia should have chosen the French subs... It isn't me assuming I could ever offer anything to Australians with regards their choice.
WTF do you (or I) know about submarines OG? Sweet FA, thats what.Probably a lot less but never the less you have an opinion on which Australians should have chosen.. Can you decide my next car for me OG. Or perhaps which planes the Swiss should buy... Fecking unbelievable.
Nuclear submarines are arguably the pinnacle of man's technological achievement. At the moment they probably represent the ultimate strategic military weapon. Yet, amazingly we have 3 folk amongst us who could offer advice around their procurement, and here they are posting on a pedelec forum. Amazing. Well actually idiotic..
If any if us knew anything at all about which subs the Australians should or shouldn't choose or who they should be aligning themselves with we certainly wouldn't be posting about it on here.

You've done it again haven't you?
" yet earlier proclaimed to world Australia should have chosen the French subs... It isn't me assuming I could ever offer anything to Australians with regards their choice. "
I said no such thing did I?
I said they shouldn't rat on a deal.
Morally it's wrong.
And pointed out you can't sink enemy ships with submarines you won't have for twenty years
In all the post you have made on here you haven't changed , still posting what you think people have said from your point of view, not what they actually post.
Self appointed Thought Policeman from first to last.
Think about this statement you posted.

"Nuclear submarines are arguably the pinnacle of man's technological achievement. At the moment they probably represent the ultimate strategic military weapon."

Now tell me how it is wise to announce to your potential enemy you aren't going to get them for twenty years, and in the meantime won't have Diesel electric subs either?

Fortunately none of us have to ask your permission to have our own opinions, and not using other people's for launching uncalled for attacks on our judgement would be appreciated

 

[oldgroaner]

You could dial down the disdain. Thought it when you held forth about the beaufort scale (I take quite an interest in) few pages ago, but decided to go with discretion (more heat than light, lifes too short). Its a radical concept, I know but others may in fact know things you dont.

While I do applaud you trying, communications with the representative of the "Thought Police" never have been properly established, even after 6,800 of his postings.
Still good luck for trying, it's as hard as finding a positive advantage from Brexit.

 

[oldgroaner]

Australians don't have Wiki obviously. Stop digging Woosh, give OG the shovel. His forte is defending lost causes.
We know feck all about American Nuclear Subs and probably less about French ones and less again of requirements Australians have.

And in your case just want to play thought policemen as you always have eh?
Telling the Chinese as the Aussies have you won't have Nuclear Subs ,or even subs of any sort is so obviously not a good idea, should have been obvious even to you.
The master of good judgement that voted /denied voting for Brexit.
Remind me, which is it supposed to have been, for or against?

 

[Zlatan]

Aukus: Australia's big gamble on the US over China - BBC News

Australia has taken a central role in the Aukus defence pact - there are major benefits and risks too.

www.bbc.co.uk

All a dangerous game..
Taiwan has just announced a 9 billio( dollar?) expansion in its military and yesterday scrambled jets to intercept Chinese in their air space..
Meanwhile China suggests the only solution with Taiwan is now a military one...????
Meanwhile EU is complaining to US, and threatening trade sanctions, with US for its treatment of a state member. (France)
And talking (of course) about an EU military capability... And France talking about withdrawing from NATO..

 

[Zlatan]

You could dial down the disdain. Thought it when you held forth about the beaufort scale (I take quite an interest in) few pages ago, but decided to go with discretion (more heat than light, lifes too short). Its a radical concept, I know but others may in fact know things you dont.

Fair point... Last sentence is a fact... Aplies to us all tho...

 

[Jesus H Christ]

We are all paying hefty tariff penalties on our energy bills in order to cut the amount of carbon dioxide generated and released into the atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the government is paying eye-watering sums of money to bribe a UK based, US owned company into manufacturing carbon dioxide. As if that wasn’t perverse enough, the business the government is throwing money at used to be British. Like all manufacturing in this country, the company was sold to the US in a skip sale and they closed it. Now the Business Minister, Quasi Coat-Hanger is making the British taxpayer, pay the American company to reopen it.

Biden doesn’t need a trade deal with the U.K., the fuckwit clowncart government running this country will accidentally give the US everything they want for free.

 

[wheeler]

We are all paying hefty tariff penalties on our energy bills in order to cut the amount of carbon dioxide generated and released into the atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the government is paying eye-watering sums of money to bribe a UK based, US owned company into manufacturing carbon dioxide. As if that wasn’t perverse enough, the business the government is throwing money at used to be British. Like all manufacturing in this country, the company was sold to the US in a skip sale and they closed it. Now the Business Minister, Quasi Coat-Hanger is making the British taxpayer, pay the American company to reopen it.

Biden doesn’t need a trade deal with the U.K., the fuckwit clowncart government running this country will accidentally give the US everything they want for free.

Presumably, as the main supplier of CO² in the UK, this company can threaten to shut down production at any time in order to force the government to pay it more.
Wonderful.

 

[oyster]

If they didn't care...

Brazil's health minister shook hands with maskless Boris Johnson at UN before testing positive for Covid

Tom Phillips

More on Brazil’s health minister Marcelo Queiroga testing positive for coronavirus in New York (see 06:25) from Tom Phillips, the Guardian’s Latin America correspondent:

Twenty four hours after meeting with a mask-less Boris Johnson in New York, Brazil’s health minister has announced he has tested positive for Covid and gone into isolation.

Marcelo Queiroga, who sat close to Johnson and the foreign secretary Liz Truss on Monday during their meeting with Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro, confirmed his positive test on Twitter alongside a picture of himself wearing a mask.


How long does immunity last after infection and vaccination? And are definite contacts supposed to self-isolate?