Brexit, for once some facts.

[wheeler]

Now why would I do that?

I assumed that folk that don't like bagpipes won't like real haggis.
However, having listened to our school pipe band practicing I could have sympathy with your feelings about the pipes. When actually playing though, the school band were World Champions.

 

[Wicky]

Pro-Brexit Tory minister says it's 'essential' free movement is protected
Tory Brexiteer and culture minister Nigel Adams has backed calls for freedom of movement, at least for musicians, despite the fact his government is planning to take it away.
"Visa rules for artists performing in the EU will not change until the implementation period ends in December 2020. But these are being considered, with other activity, and we welcome the views of [MPs] and the industry in respect of movement within Europe.

"It's absolutely essential that free movement for artists is protected post-2020."

The message is, you don't need a job with a minimum £30 grand, just go down to the local second hand shop and grab a second hand guitar.
And if you have no musical talent buy some bagpipes and if approached by an official just inflate the instrument and make warming up sounds like an animal being mistreated.
Immigration will wave you through.
Despite being a Scot I never fully recovered when my eldest daughter decided to learn to play them
Nothing better for melting a queue or emptying a room, thankfully she moved on to play a clarinet.

I think I shall have bagpipes played at my funeral, with luck there will be some people present who deserve it

You ain't heard the Hungarian bagpipes

 

[wheeler]

Yet another example of government incompetence:

UK's smart motorways to be reviewed after huge rise in near-misses
BBC Panorama study shows increase on M25 from 72 to 1,485 in five years since conversion

It always seemed unbelievable that so-called smart motorways could be as safe. That they actually converted 200 miles before standing back and counting incidents/deaths is all too believable, sadly.

I was never happy driving on them.

Wonder how much it will cost to make them as safe as they were... ?

If these were near misses no harm was done other than some soiled underwear.

 

[Danidl]

If these were near misses no harm was done other than some soiled underwear.

A near miss is either some class of transvestite or else is a collision.

 

[oyster]

If these were near misses no harm was done other than some soiled underwear.

But not all were misses of any sort:

The death toll on stretches of smart or managed motorways has reached 38 in the last five years, including many in accidents that motoring organisations believe were avoidable after breakdowns.

 

[Wicky]

You might have thought that there would be other special interests which need the rules pushed out of the way for them. For example, film makers, journalists, actors...

Add plumbers, health workers, builders, cleaners, agricultural & hospitality industry workers - it will be interesting if any special sector exemptions are granted esp after Priti Patel just went lary at UK firms having the audacity for hiring EU workers.

I'm sure In the Tory bright ideas pipe line will be even more stringent measures to force more benefit claimants, disabled & elderly to fill the inevitable & growing gaps in the work force.

 

[oldgroaner]

You ain't heard the Hungarian bagpipes

Have you got any cheese? pleaded Herr Gruber hopefully

 

[oyster]

The USA keeps warning us we will lose our sovereignty if we choose Huawei. Just what does that say about brexit? Complete waste because it won't return sovereignty as repeatedly promised (or if it does, it disappears again, pronto). Schrödinger's sovereignty - as soon as you open the box it will be with EU, USA or China - but until then it could be with anyone you think it is with.

Or, do the other potential suppliers actually already have backdoors wide open to the USA spying on us? (Meaning either Huawei don't have a USA spy option or, just possibly, don't enable any spying!)

UK sovereignty in jeopardy if Huawei used for 5G, US warns
Mike Pompeo makes last-minute plea to ministers ahead of ‘momentous’ decision

 

[oyster]

Timing could be interesting. Days to go and they decide to push this out.

Rolls-Royce sees SMRs on UK grid by 2029
24 January 2020

Paul Stein, chief technology officer for Rolls-Royce, told the BBC today the British engineering firm has a target of 2029 for commissioning small modular reactors (SMRs) in the UK. The ambition is part of the country's aim to achieve net zero by 2050, initially using former nuclear power sites in Cumbria and Wales.

Rolls-Royce is leading a consortium for its SMR project, which comprises Assystem, Atkins, BAM Nuttall, Laing O’Rourke, National Nuclear Laboratory, Nuclear AMRC, Rolls-Royce, Wood and The Welding Institute.

In an interview with business journalist Katie Prescott for Radio 4’s Today Programme, Stein said: "Our plan is to get energy on the grid in 2029. The obvious sites to put them are what we call brownfeld sites; sites where we're running elderly or decommissioned nuclear power stations. There are two sites in Wales and one in the northwest of England. Eventually in the UK we’ll be rolling out 10 to 15. We're also looking to a significant export market. In fact the current estimate for the export market for SMRs is GBP250 billion [USD328 billion], so this could be a huge industry."

The consortium calculates it can get the cost of a nuclear power station producing 440 MW to about GBP1.75 billion, which means being able to sell electricity at below GBP60/MWh, he said.
https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Rolls-Royce-sees-SMRs-on-UK-grid-by-2029

I wonder how many Euratom members states would accept a reactor from a non-member state? And, if the other current Euratom members would refuse, who would accept? Certainly would take a big slice out of any potential exports.

 

[Woosh]

Schrödinger's sovereignty - as soon as you open the box it will be with EU, USA or China - but until then it could be with anyone you think it is with.

true enough but look at the positive side, we won't be introducing new laws on goods, environment, agriculture and consumers as much as we have been over the last 45 years because the conservative MPs are too busy with immigration, trade unions, law and order issues.
I still remember when the CE sticker became law. We were told to get our PC kits tested and each test costs about £10,000 then. You coud buy a good car for that sort of money. Needless to say that we stopped manufacturing and imported Chinese stuff that came with the sticker already affixed.

 

[oyster]

true enough but look at the positive side, we won't be introducing new laws on goods, environment, agriculture and consumers as much as we have been over the last 45 years because the conservative MPs are too busy with immigration, trade unions, law and order issues.

But that potentially has a whole load of negatives as well!

For example, we won't be unapplying existing laws (many of which were poorly framed or have become out of date) for the same reason.

 

[flecc]

I wonder how many Euratom members states would accept a reactor from a non-member state? And, if the other current Euratom members would refuse, who would accept? Certainly would take a big slice out of any potential exports.

I strongly approve of the use of SMRs.

I don't see any problem at all with respect to Euratom which is mainly a research body, it is not an internationally recognised overriding authority. The commissioning authority rests with the national bodies like our UKAEA and the International Atomic Energy Authority.
.

 

[Danidl]

true enough but look at the positive side, we won't be introducing new laws on goods, environment, agriculture and consumers as much as we have been over the last 45 years because the conservative MPs are too busy with immigration, trade unions, law and order issues.
I still remember when the CE sticker became law. We were told to get our PC kits tested and each test costs about £10,000 then. You coud buy a good car for that sort of money. Needless to say that we stopped manufacturing and imported Chinese stuff that came with the sticker already affixed.

Woosh, I think you were badly advised regarding CE marking. It is an assertion by the vendor that the product is compliant . Now one could be in trouble if they fraudulently claim CE compliance. Going to a testing house is just part of a due diligence ,"pass the buck " exercise.

 

[oyster]

I strongly approve of the use of SMRs.

I don't see any problem at all with respect to Euratom which is mainly a research body, it is not an internationally recognised overriding authority. The commissioning authority rests with the national bodies like our UKAEA and the International Atomic Energy Authority.
.

The House of Lords briefing document (unfortunately from as long ago as 2017) does raise many questions about the impact of leaving Euratom.

https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/LLN-2017-0010/LLN-2017-0010.pdf

 

[Woosh]

Woosh, I think you were badly advised regarding CE marking. It is an assertion by the vendor that the product is compliant . Now one could be in trouble if they fraudulently claim CE compliance. Going to a testing house is just part of a due diligence ,"pass the buck " exercise.

a lot of companies that provided testing facilities (then) spread the fear of heavy fines (£2000 per product without CE stickers!) to encourage assemblers like ourselves to pay them for the test. Then there was the EMC directive, same rollercoaster, then the WEE directive, the rohs directive. The UN chips in too, they issue a raft of regulations to transport of DG classified goods, Lithium batteries are one of them.
Do you know that if I keep more than 300 batteries on premises, I have to have a trained battery safety manager? If I have 10 models, that's 30 each. I have more than 300 bikes on premises.
If you are a small business, you are sunk by compliance.

 

[flecc]

The House of Lords briefing document (unfortunately from as long ago as 2017) does raise many questions about the impact of leaving Euratom.

https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/LLN-2017-0010/LLN-2017-0010.pdf

Your link doesn't work. Leaving Euratom may have some effect, but it's only speculation what that might be and how it will affect national decisions. The IAEA is the overriding authority and wouldn't take kindly to intervention by what is in effect a national body intruding into their international remit.

In any case I don't see the EU as a good nuclear energy market for outsiders since France within the EU is so strong in that field. In addition Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Portugal and Denmark are strongly anti-nuclear energy. Denmark and Austria even have laws banning aspects of nuclear use.

The international demand for SMRs beyond the EU could be very large as the need for climate change measures increases. Add to that the good name Rolls Royce enjoys internationally through its jet engines and we could have a lucrative future worldwide market outside of the EU.
.

 

[oyster]

Your link doesn't work. Leaving Euratom may have some effect, but it's only speculation what that might be and how it will affect national decisions. The IAEA is the overriding authority and wouldn't take kindly to intervention by what is in effect a national body intruding into their international remit.

In any case I don't see the EU as a good nuclear energy market for outsiders since France within the EU is so strong in that field. In addition Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Portugal and Denmark are strongly anti-nuclear energy. Denmark and Austria even have laws banning nuclear use.

The international demand for SMRs beyond the EU could be very large as the need for climate change measures increases. Add to that the good name Rolls Royce enjoys internationally through its jet engines and we could have a lucrative future worldwide market outside of the EU.
.

Works for me (just checked again) - but on my PC the PDF downloads and does not open in browser. Could that be happening for you?

I agree it is (still) speculation.

Which actual countries would be good prospects?

 

[Wicky]

Have you got any cheese? pleaded Herr Gruber hopefully

My dear old Mum used to have a cassette tape of Hungarian bagpipe music and I remember her if the neighbours annoyed her playing it at full volume in the back garden - probably they went on to vote for Brexit as ultimate payback

 

[Barry Shittpeas]

Your link doesn't work. Leaving Euratom may have some effect, but it's only speculation what that might be and how it will affect national decisions. The IAEA is the overriding authority and wouldn't take kindly to intervention by what is in effect a national body intruding into their international remit.

In any case I don't see the EU as a good nuclear energy market for outsiders since France within the EU is so strong in that field. In addition Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Portugal and Denmark are strongly anti-nuclear energy. Denmark and Austria even have laws banning aspects of nuclear use.

The international demand for SMRs beyond the EU could be very large as the need for climate change measures increases. Add to that the good name Rolls Royce enjoys internationally through its jet engines and we could have a lucrative future worldwide market outside of the EU.
.

Unless they sell it off for a quick pocket full of cash.

 

[mike killay]