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7441

General Discussion Area / Re: The Euro - the farcical frightening facts.

« on: 12 October 2011, 16:16:41 »

The German do not not want to bail out the Euro as they have more experience than any other country on creating a currency and political union from the re-unification of Germany. This caused real pain, a special reunification tax, which employees saw on the wage slip every month, high unemployment and falling real living standards. Who can blame them.

Without a common fiscal and political system, run from Brussels I can't see how the Euro can survive in its current form.

Greece has just got its next ECB / IMP €8billion, rescue loan even though it has met NONE of the criterion to receive it!!!!

http://www.mindfulmoney.co.uk/wp/shaun-richards/the-results-of-qe-mark-ii-and-the-greek-rescue-are-so-far-the-reverse-of-what-we-were-promised/

This shows it is a political not economic project.

When it all falls apart and ALL EU citizens, see the tax liabilities their Governments have run up, with Country and Bank rescue funds. It will be too late, the citizens will be left holding the baby and will see the impoverished state they have been left in as tax slaves, like the Republic of Ireland is now but on a much bigger scale. It is all truly frightening.

Far from turning the screw, US Federal Reserve are supporting European banks from today with unlimited $ support loans!!! 

7442

General Discussion Area / Re: The Euro - the farcical frightening facts.

« on: 12 October 2011, 15:59:57 »

Is this the same Norman Lamont that took us, with John Major into the ERM as a pre-cursor to joining the Euro, who caused Black Wednesday, when we dropped out with a base rate of 15%?  (With the economy, after our escape,  not looking back until another chancellor wreaked it, Gordon Brown).

The same Norman Lamont who with John Major caused a recession with excessively high interest rates to keep us in the ERM, with John Major telling us the pain was worth it, that destroyed perfectly good businesses, people and families? 

The same arrogant Chancellor who said afterwards he regretted nothing?

That Norman Lamont is now lecturing us on how the Euro is / was a bad idea after doing everything he could to take us into it. 

The front of some politicians beggars belief. 

I really suffered during this period, with my business just surviving, I haven't forgotten and I'm definitely not forgiving him.

7443

General Discussion Area / Re: Boring EU post

« on: 12 October 2011, 15:37:37 »

I think the free movement of goods and services in Europe through the EU common market has been of great benefit to the European countries.

The problem is all of the political baggage. Norway and Switzerland have done very well there they are associate members so benefit from the common market, without all of the political baggage and this is what the UK should have done.

Some of the major problems Euro, Common Agricultural Policy, Common Fisheries Policy, Brussels (or Strasbourg to keep the French happy, where EU parliament switches to here twice a year - Total madness  )  Incompatible legal systems. In UK everything is legal unless made illegal, In France everything is illegal unless there is a law to make it legal. The French influence means that all of the Common Market trading standards are micro managed. Socialist human rights and employment laws, which destroy jobs. Most EU countries have had much higher government spending than this country, high taxes, inflexible labour laws and high unemployment.

The UK used to be one of the exceptions to this and had much lower taxes and unemployment, but where Government spending has gone from 32% of GDP in early 1990's to 52% now. We now have very high taxes, much more restrictive employment legislation and a official unemployment rate of 8.1% and a real rate much higher than this. 

Personally, I think anti-democratic Brussels is the EUSSR. At some point when the whole of Western Europe has become very, very poor compared to most of the rest of the world, then it will all fall apart, like the USSR did (this took 80 years). I just hope it happens peacefully.

7444

Car Parts, bits For Sale & Wanted / Re: Steve at Omega Parts New Website

« on: 12 October 2011, 03:08:15 »

Used him several times through Ebay, good prices, very fast delivery and you get what it says on the tin. 

I like the web site and have bookmarked it, as knowing my miggy, I'm sure I will be back for more parts. 

7445

General Discussion Area / Re: Boring EU post

« on: 12 October 2011, 02:35:39 »

Interesting interview by Marta Andreasen MEP. UKIP; Former EU Chief Accountant on RT news channel.

She has gone from being a supporter of the EU to being anti-Europe. She was sacked by EU for going public of there being NO accountancy of grants given to individuals to see if it is actually spend on what is has been applied for and NO results are asked for, so fraud is probably rampant, they don't actually know. EU says it is up to individual countries to monitor the grants, countries say it is up to the EU as they give the grants. You couldn't make it up. 

EU want 4% increase in this budget for 2012, no austerity measures here! 

In last 10 years Greece has received €60billion in aid, she asked the question where was it spent, what have they achieved with it? 

When asked if the Euro crisis resulted in closer financial integration of countries, who would benefit the most. Her reply EU bureaucrats. 

RT News channel anti-USA, West and Israel is not really to my taste, but it is interesting to get a Russian prospective on the world. There is a very well written article on Euro crisis here:

http://rt.com/business/news/crisis-builds-early-crescendo-553/

The best financial blog on the worlds financial crisis I have found in "Notayesmanineconomics". It is a non-political commentary and analysis by an economist who seems to be consistently ahead of events. 

http://www.mindfulmoney.co.uk/wp/author/shaun-richards/

7446

General Car Chat / Re: Anyone fancy a change from the Omega ?

« on: 06 October 2011, 03:21:38 »

Yes, an MB AMG E series estate.... 

Now where that lottery ticket I need to check 

7447

General Car Chat / Re: Kwik Fit

« on: 06 October 2011, 03:12:49 »

At least the sump plug and oil filter are good and tight that is what the Slow Fit scaffold pole torque wrench is for. 

7448

General Car Chat / Re: Roundabouts and lanes

« on: 06 October 2011, 03:03:01 »

A friend of mine who is a Honda Accord driver, would say, I will just aim for where I'm going and the traffic will sort itself around me.  Whenever I've been in his car I've never heard so many car horns on journeys. 

He would never indicate anywhere as he knew where he was going, until his wife started complaining that he did not indicate enough, so every so often he would put on an indicator, the trouble was it was random and rarely co-in-sided with his intentions. 

I'm a nervous passenger in a car (fine when I'm driving), after any journey with him my adrenaline would be off the scale.

7449

General Car Chat / Re: Ever been busy and not achieved much?

« on: 06 October 2011, 02:42:51 »

I hate 1 step forward 3 steps back days. 

Anything with tits or tyres seems to cause plenty of them. 

7450

General Discussion Area / Re: Fireworks

« on: 05 October 2011, 04:07:16 »

I have to say that the best one I have ever seen was in Paris for Bastille Day in 2003.  It was mind-blowingly good and correographed to some classical music.  I have not seen anything like it previously or since.

That said the sound of loud bangs makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up and my eyes light up, I love it! 

Music on Fire at the Royal Military Academy was pretty good

The RMA bonfire night display is not bad either. 

The best display I have every seen was a bonfire night firework spectacular at Alton Towers. 

The French certainly like their fireworks on Bastille day, but I yet to see a display in France to mark the following: 18th June Battle of Waterloo, 26th August Battle of Crecy, 21st October Trafalgar day or the 25th of October for the Battle of Agincourt. As these all involved the French so I can't for the life of me understand why they don't celebrate them!!! 

7451

General Discussion Area / Re: Changes to pasport applications

« on: 05 October 2011, 03:36:21 »

IMHO the UK lost the plot when men were barred from behaving like men, they had to show their sensitive side and women are expected to behave like men with power careers, more metal studs than a miggy engine and and a body covered in tattoos. 

In the Ukraine, women like to be feminine with slim sexy bodies, good makeup and fashionable clothes, so they present themselves immaculately to the world and just automatically do all the pink stuff. Men are expected to act like men, drink beer and Vodka and use chain saws and big axes to chop the wood.  When I had put my Ukrainian girlfriend (now wife) in the family way (well you don't buy a car without giving it a good test drive  ) and I took her to the regional hospital for a scan, I had to sit in the waiting room as this was women's stuff, so men wait outside. The result of this is their society seems more relaxed, natural and comfortable at this level than the UK.

As an English, white, middle aged, heterosexual male, I don't feel I have any rights under any Government in this country anymore, and it is not geared towards my thoughts, values and aspirations, or maybe I'm getting old and just a grumpy old so and so....

And while all the PC equality stuff, with big Government budgets is taking centre stage, all the minor stuff like paying less tax (so we all have more money to spend), getting the country to live within its means etc, takes second place. 

Does anybody else feel the same?

7452

General Discussion Area / Re: Old Fart or just Old School?

« on: 03 October 2011, 05:58:35 »

Eye tri moi best & use the spel cheker, but were I'm dyslexic som spilling mestakes will sadly get through 

It is not an usual affiliation for left hand biased ambidextrous people like moi.   

7453

General Discussion Area / Re: Thought for the day....

« on: 03 October 2011, 05:45:01 »

And a vacuum is only empty of air not matter. 

7454

General Discussion Area / Re: national spices census

« on: 03 October 2011, 05:40:10 »

I really enjoy my spicy food and all my home cooking of Chicken Vindaloo, Chili Con Carni and accompany chilli sauces have to be at the max  or just eating picked chilies for enjoyment  and an Indian night out has to be a Vinaloo for me, I find the hot spices enhance the subtle flavours of the dish, but I appreciate it is each to his own and when I'm cooking for other people and producing curry dishes they are mild enough for them to enjoy, as I cook for my friends enjoyment. 

I fortunate as spicy food does not make me uncomfortable and it makes my digestive system much more comfortable after a good hot curry and I've never suffered from a ring burner problem. 

The main spiciness in a Vindaloo is not actually chili powder but mustard!!! The "Vind" part of a vindaloo is about marinating the meat in vinegar.

I enjoy Indian food so if anybody is interested in some recipes then let me know. Do other OOFers make their own poppadoms as they are so easy to produce and very moreish. 

I have suggested before, we ought to have an OOF favorite recipes section, what do other OOFers think? I have not tried it yet, but I have a glut of Marrows and Courgettes and I'm going to try the soup recipe that has been posted. 

7455

Omega General Help / Overheating Problem

« on: 10 September 2011, 03:21:25 »

Since I replaced the head gaskets, my miggy has had no overheating problems with the temperature staying at about 95-97 deg when driving around or in traffic up to 100degC before the fans kicks in which brings the temperature down to about 97degC again, until tonight. 

I took the back roads to my local DIY store to buy some decorating materials for the weekend. It is about a 10 mile round trip with all of the roads 30 or 40 mph speed limits. On the way there I noticed the temperature gauge was higher than usual at about 100degC and on the way back it was the same with it going into the red with the overheat light coming on when I was stopped at traffic lights. I put the heater on to full heat which started to bring the temperature down and when I started moving it returned to about 100degC. Although the evening was hotter than it has been for the last few days it is hardly summer!!!!

When I got home after turning the engine off I turned the ignition back on to monitor the temperature without the engine running and again it went into the red. I could hear an electric fan running to cool the engine and I checked the header tank and the level was at max.

When I rebuilt the engine I replaced the water pump with a QH one and also the thermostat as I had had overheating problems in the past.

The oil cooler has never failed and when I rebuilt the engine all of the waterways were clear, with no limescale where I live in a hard water area (I always boil the water for topping up to remove an much limescale as possible).

The engine was not running rough at idle or feeling excessively hot, could the problem be the temperature sensor?

Alternatively maybe one of the fans not cutting in?

The radiator was replaced with a new one about 40,000 miles ago due to a leak.

The car with all of its reliability issues is now beginning to live on borrowed time as I'm a great believer that there is only one thing to do with an unreliable car.... get rid of it.