Delta's Twentea-Twentea Break

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by grantp

How do things get into this sort of situation in what we are told is a well regulated Financial Industry? (Rhetorical question ...)

Although a rhetorical question, but there is a simple answer. The UK hasn't had proper regulation in the financial sector since 1997, when it was decided that by the Chancellor that the UK would benefit from "light touch" regulation.

I could expand on that simple answer, but I would bore even myself!

[bauble]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

Although a rhetorical question, but there is a simple answer. The UK hasn't had proper regulation in the financial sector since 1997, when it was decided that by the Chancellor that the UK would benefit from "light touch" regulation.

I could expand on that simple answer, but I would bore even myself!

I was 'regulated' by the FSA, and a bigger bunch of fools it would be hard to imagine.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by bauble

I was 'regulated' by the FSA, and a bigger bunch of fools it would be hard to imagine.

Oh I don't know Bob ...

I suspect they are but a part of a much bigger bunch ...

[Mike Bell]

Reported in CCW this week that the 700 mile 1966 DKW F11 that was in the Kings Lynn auction last Saturday was bought by Audi, and after fettling will be added to their heritage fleet.

Well done Audi!

[Tel 911S]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

Although a rhetorical question, but there is a simple answer. The UK hasn't had proper regulation in the financial sector since 1997, when it was decided that by the Chancellor that the UK would benefit from "light touch" regulation.

I could expand on that simple answer, but I would bore even myself!

At the risk of boring everybody , I think this one will at least keep the low repute legal industry busy .

With the PPI claims business finishing , the next thing for them was going to be claiming if you had been sold a solar system as a way of saving money .
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/...ar-panels.html.
But I guess this one will keep them going for years . Wait for the adverts " Contact us now if your pension fund has been mismanaged "

[Peter Mallett]

When I first got interested in the law it was because I met some very clever people who made a difference to my work. Obviously construction law is in a different field but in the past two years, when I've interacted with legal counsel on any contractual issues, a one-to-one meeting turned into a full blown gathering with more lawyers at £££ per hour than people actually doing the work!

Sadly, as in the USA, our lawyers have become carpet salesmen.

[andy97]

I see that Aston Martin have had to refinance and Laurence Stroll (father of the F1 driver , owner of Tommy Hilfiger fashion and the Racing Point f1 team) has invested £160m plus and taken over as Chairman.
Racing Point to be rebranded (again) as Aston Martin in 2021 apparently

[Peter Mallett]

I also read that Stroll may be taking over Merc F1 and re branding that as Aston Martin.

[GORDON STREETER]

I see that there has been a "rethink" on Smart Motorways, the rethink should have been a few years ago IMHO ! For those of us that use them, am I the only one who has thought that the person that implemented them is on a different planet ? Maybe I'm just too old ?

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I see that there has been a "rethink" on Smart Motorways, the rethink should have been a few years ago IMHO ! For those of us that use them, am I the only one who has thought that the person that implemented them is on a different planet ? Maybe I'm just too old ?

No, you're not too old Gordon, you are absolutely right.

I think these Not-so-Smart motorways are absolute lunacy; probably dreamed-up by a non driver.

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

No, you're not too old Gordon, you are absolutely right.

I think these Not-so-Smart motorways are absolute lunacy; probably dreamed-up by a non driver.

I think you're right on the non-driver bit. Let's face it it wouldn't have been much less sensible if they'd also decided to 'use lane three on the other carriageway when it's not that busy!'

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I see that there has been a "rethink" on Smart Motorways, the rethink should have been a few years ago IMHO ! For those of us that use them, am I the only one who has thought that the person that implemented them is on a different planet ? Maybe I'm just too old ?

Auto Express got a big article about them this week, centring not on the increase in causalities, but on the fact that rescue services (AA, RAC etc) aren’t allowed to attend a car in a live lane until the police or a traffic car have arrived and suitably coned the lane off. And they don’t respond until the control centre has advised them of a broken down vehicle.

The whole idea, as most have said, is daft, and you have to feel for families that have lost loved ones in ‘Smart’ motorway TAs....

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

No, you're not too old Gordon, you are absolutely right.

I think these Not-so-Smart motorways are absolute lunacy; probably dreamed-up by a non driver.

Yes I agree on that, I got stuck on the M20 coming from Dover last year where it was down to 2 lanes, I hr later we managed to get past the obstruction that was a broken down 4x4. The breakdown truck was 3 vehicles behind me

[morninggents]

I always thought they were just an excuse to use the vast increase in cameras to catch speeding motorists. I've not been on any 'improved' motorway for several years that has actually been improved.


There is a section of the M62 motorway west of Leeds which is extremely busy. When travelling west the general speed is still around 70 in the outer lanes when the smart signs start showing 'congestion' ahead and the variable speed limits reduce to 60 then 50 and sometimes even 40. Guess what - the traffic becomes congested and usually comes to a halt or stutters forward at 10 mph. A few miles further west (near Mike Harte country) the limit goes back to 70 and guess what - the congestion disappears. Priceless.

[Mike Bell]

One other interesting bit of info from the AE article was that the variable speed limit cameras have a built in 60 sec delay, so if the matrix display limit drops from (say) 70 to 60 as you approach, and you haven’t slowed to 60, you’re not going to get flashed. As long as it’s within 60 secs of the limit change, obviously!

[Mike Harte]

I resemble that remark, Peter! I don't own the whole of the county, just an itsy-bitsy, tiny bit of it!

However, I do travel along that stretch of the M62 from time to time and it is a real pain. The motorway goes from three lanes plus hard-shoulder to four lanes without, and yet the so-called traffic managers always seem to slow the flow down by initiating speed controls

Mind you, it is one way to increase the Treasury's revenue stream from all the fines from the gantry cameras!

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I see that there has been a "rethink" on Smart Motorways, the rethink should have been a few years ago IMHO ! For those of us that use them, am I the only one who has thought that the person that implemented them is on a different planet ? Maybe I'm just too old ?

They're only dangerous because most people don't know how to use them, don't pay attention and intrinsically can't drive to save their lives but I have never seen the point of smart motorways because most people wont go in the left lane

[andy97]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I see that there has been a "rethink" on Smart Motorways, the rethink should have been a few years ago IMHO ! For those of us that use them, am I the only one who has thought that the person that implemented them is on a different planet ? Maybe I'm just too old ?

And how much money has already been spent, and how much time have we all wasted sat in the roadworks whilst the changes are being made.

I can just imagine the “Yes (Prime)Minister” episode! Or Spitting Image.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

I also read that Stroll may be taking over Merc F1 and re branding that as Aston Martin.

Report I read this morning said that AM continues with Red Bull until the end of the contract this year and then Racing Point is rebranded to AM for 2021.

Presumably Stroll's pockets are deep enough to deal with the AM situation and support an F1 team.

Might he buy the assets of Norton next?

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by grantp

Report I read this morning said that AM continues with Red Bull until the end of the contract this year and then Racing Point is rebranded to AM for 2021.

Presumably Stroll's pockets are deep enough to deal with the AM situation and support an F1 team.

Might he buy the assets of Norton next?

It’s a consortium lead by Stroll ‘rescuing’ AM, so not just his money, and existing investors have coughed up nearly twice as much again to get the £500m mentioned.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

No, you're not too old Gordon, you are absolutely right.

I think these Not-so-Smart motorways are absolute lunacy; probably dreamed-up by a non driver.

Deliberately?

To be fair the original scheme on the M42 to the East of Birmingham, although a pain when quiet but with the controllers still playing with the speed limits, does work well enough to keep traffic flowing more often than not. At least when I have been using it.

I was a very regular commuter around that section before the re-development and results off-peak were unpredictable.

Peak time was very predictable and absolutely to be avoided at any cost.

However that section of motorway is probably quite unique. There may be one or two other urban locations that have similar stretches but not the end to end option from the M40 to the M6 with good land availability to adopt as part of the widening and plenty of access points. It had some significant refuge areas even before the new development.

The stupidity is to assume that the same principle will work in very different circumstances. But compared to ideas of attempting to build new routes or properly widen what is already in place (so many places where that would be absurdly expensive to attempt) the "smart solution" would be an easy sell.

Whoever was involved in signing off on the various inappropriate developments should have their pensions cancelled.

IMO.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

They're only dangerous because most people don't know how to use them, don't pay attention and intrinsically can't drive to save their lives but I have never seen the point of smart motorways because most people wont go in the left lane

Somewhat true but then a national transport system, if it to be of any use, needs to cater for those concerns.

Fully autonomous travel devices, no human control allowed, might allow the system to be engineered in such a way that any incidence were reduced to failures of equipment and with controls that almost eliminated any associate risks to humans.

The complexity of autonomy lies trying to allow for humans. Far better and simpler to take them out of the equation.

Meanwhile it sounds like our Brave New Government still does not have the bottle to cancel the Great White HS2 Elephant project.

Heck, it's only depreciating money and the number will help to make GDP look better than it is.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by andy97

I think this is the basis for the ITV story:

https://www.theguardian.com/business...2ZhdXkiuVUCRwY

Well, this is interesting as background.


https://thespeakersagency.com/speaker/stuart-garner/

[Rudernst]

Originally Posted by grantp

Well, this is interesting as background.


https://thespeakersagency.com/speaker/stuart-garner/

The second link is very interesting and provides a wonderful insight into how good
Garner was at selling ideas and manipulating gullible media.
The story about hopping on a plane and buying the Norton brand rights in America, fascinating to read.....
There is just a tiny problem witn it, the Norton brand rights were owned by Joe Seiffert from Germany (at least for Europe). He took on the payments to uphold them at the request of NVT
(Norton Villiers Triumph) before they went bust. Joe had the Pearce framed, Rotax engined Nortons built (great but underrated bikes), among other reasons to use and conserve the brands rights. Unused brands revert into the public domain.

Seiffert did sell at some stage to help the 961 project.

RuE

[E.B]

Bathurst 12 hour this weekend for anyone who might be interested.... we have had practice and qualifying today with red flags for a skippy invasion.... it started with a skippy car.... all the cars lined up cruising along behind a couple of skippys seemingly oblivious to the cars.



Quite a lively couple of sessions with a few reds (flags not glasses of!) for those who failed to respect the mountain.
Qualifying Top 10 Shootout is at 17.05 my time (I think that is 6.05am in the UK) ie in about an hour and a quarter
Free International Live Stream available on the official web site:
https://www.bathurst12hour.com.au/st...nal-streaming/

That link will also be streaming the race live from about 5.45am Sunday here (that is Saturday 6.45 pm in the UK) for the full 12 hours

Oh and skippy goes for a 'hop' lap earlier today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?1=&v=2...ature=emb_logo